Russell Coker <russell@coker.com.au> writes:
The only requirement should be that the fault in question can be demonstrated. For a failed disk there shouldn't even be a requirement that it be installed in the computer, it's designed that disks can be replaced so you should be able to just bring it in.
Last time I got warranty on a server disk, the vendor (IBM, IIRC) accepted an email attachment of the smartctl -l selftest logs as sufficient (after escalating to second or third tier support, to get a tech who had actually heard of SMART).
If you go to Seagate warranty page it says to download this tool and attach the output with the drive return. At a guess the tool is windows only though. If you were to swap the 5v/12v lines on the cable and plug into a power supply that can deliver sufficient current the drive would become "obviously failed" and smart output would become irrelevant... just sayin'. James