What does this mean

[Lordbass]

Hard drive smart check failure
Failure id: Gu7t9f-7SB8Lk-XD7Wmf-60br03

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

Explanation of S.M.A.R.T. is at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.M.A.R.T.

> Hard drive smart check failure

Your hard drive (sometimes called "disk drive") was checked by S.M.A.R.T. and was found to be in "imminent failure" status.

It is a warning that your disk-drive is close to "failing" completely.

Make a good backup of all your personal files to an external disk-drive.

Then, either:

1. buy a new disk-drive, and use "disk-cloning" software to copy, byte-by-byte, from the "source" disk (yours) to the "target" disk (the new one).

2. buy a new disk-drive, and go through the long process of reinstalling Windows, running Windows Update, installing all your third-party programs (e.g., MS Office and Adobe Reader), and reloading your data from that "backup".

Do something, ASAP, before the disk-drive completely and suddenly "quits".

[Lordbass]

I might be a bit late to save oh well might as well get a new hard drive and install Linux on it

[Lordbass]

Thanks for the info tho, I'll react faster if it happens again to me

[mdklassen]

> I might be a bit late to save ...

Maybe not. 

Compare to closely looking at the tread on an automobile tire, for the first time in a year.

If you notice that the tread has worn off, leaving the tire in danger of "imminent failure", you can still drive to the tire store, to buy a replacement, if you drive carefully.

For your computer, and a disk-drive in "imminent failure" status, you might still be able to run Windows "one more time", to either make a backup, or to "clone" the disk-drive onto a brand-new disk-drive.  Maybe.

[Lordbass]

I can't boot into windows or system recovery mode but I have Linux dual booted which I can boot into

[Lordbass]

I actually am trying to get my product key but since its inter grated into the bios if I get a new hard drive can I still use the same one with out have the actual number

[mdklassen]

The product-key embedded in the BIOS is part of the motherboard.

So, you can change the disk-drive, and re-use that product-key.

[Lordbass]

Ok thank god, I was worried I couldn't use the same key on a new drive, I'll get a new drive and continue, so do I just get the win10 ISO on a USB drive and install windows, and the product key should be installed automatically right?

[mdklassen]

> do I just get the win10 ISO on a USB drive and install windows, and the product key should be installed automatically right? 

Yes.  That is how Windows 10 was designed to work, instead of the previous method (product-key on a decal on the outside of the computer's case) that was used for Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000/NT.