[margana]

Why is this such a huge issue if it merely shows it's busy, but the performance of it indicates that it actually isn't? Switching to Linux can be a good choice for a lot of people, the reason just seems a bit odd here. Maybe it was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

[RHSeeger]

1. I expect that a HD that is actually doing things 100% of the time is going to have it's lifespan significantly reduce, and

2. If it isn't doing anything and it just lying to you... when there IS a problem, your tools to diagnose the problem are limited because you can't trust what they're telling you

[ddingus]

Over the years I have used top and friends to profile machines and identify expensive bottlenecks. Once one comes to count on those tools, the idea of one being wrong, and actually really wrong! --is just a bad rub.

Fixing it would be gratifying and reassuring too.