SMART Error on iMac Hard Drive

If you receive a SMART error on an iMac when you try to update Big Sur, do you need to replace your hard drive?

Also, could you jay connect an external hard drive and use that instead?

Posted on Feb 19, 2021 11:10 PM

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Jack-19

Level 8

46,254 points

Posted on Feb 19, 2021 11:14 PM

Hi EagleEye2021,

Yes, this would indicate a hard drive failure.
And yes, you could connect an external hard drive and use that as your startup disk. We strongly suggest using an SSD for a performance boost.
You could also get your iMac repaired.

Cheers,

Jack

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Top-ranking reply

Jack-19

Level 8

46,254 points

Feb 19, 2021 11:14 PM in response to EagleEye2021

Hi EagleEye2021,

Yes, this would indicate a hard drive failure.
And yes, you could connect an external hard drive and use that as your startup disk. We strongly suggest using an SSD for a performance boost.
You could also get your iMac repaired.

Cheers,

Jack

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,500 points

Feb 19, 2021 11:55 PM in response to EagleEye2021

A S.M.A.R.T error on one's HD is a guarantee it needs to be replaced. You can use external hard drive but most are going to SSD. If the computer is a 2012 or later then get yourself a USB 3 external SSD and use that. If the computer is a 2011 or easier scrap it and buy a newer computer.

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SMART Error on iMac Hard Drive