Never heard of this, so could you give more info? Reliable free software? I don't need commercial, I will only do this once. Thanks!
Run a SMART diagnostic tool on the drive upon reception, and complain if it shows up as about to fail. They should send you a new one.
I'm a unix guy and so I can't recommend a particular utility for Windows, but this list should be enough to get you started. Just pick one with graphical interface.
Ultimate Boot CD includes a SMART utility (
SMARTUDM). Refurbs are amazing, but you should always do due diligence on any used hardware purchase (on who the refurb outfit is, their quality of work, and a final check on the hardware itself once you have it). I've done business with
Aventis with my job, and they do a great job with their machines (well, cosmetically they tend to frequently be B grade, but hardware's always top notch), but I still run each system through a personal hardware check before deploying it.
What's that entail? First, a physical inspection:
-I check for physically damaged
capacitors and
MOSFETs. (bulging, leaks, scorching, dents, chips, etc.)
-I check to ensure all cards (RAM, video cards) and cables (drive, power, fan) are all well seated and clean.
From there, enter Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) where I:
-Check SMART hard drive status
-Run the HDD diagnostic utilities for the hard drive manufacturer
-Run three-five passes of Memtest86+
-Let
Mersenne Prime run a few hours to check CPU stability
Finally, I boot into Windows where I:
-Test all the peripheral ports (USB, audio, video, network, etc.)
-Check
Device Manager for any hardware errors
-Run
FurMark for a few hours to check graphics chipset stability
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but physical hands-on effort outside of the waiting only takes maybe a half hour of keyboard time at most. Also, it may sound like a lot of work, but in my case I actually do this with new machines as well, both prebuilt and DIY. If there's hardware problems (new or used), it's best to try and catch them early in the ownership cycle so you can avoid dealing with a lemon.