Patent ID: 7802019

Claim:
A computer comprising: an operating system; a hard disk drive having a sensor to measure a physical operating parameter of the hard disk drive, the hard disk drive configured to compare the physical operating parameter to an expected range of said physical operating parameter and send a notification when the physical operating parameter is determined to be out of the expected range, the expected range being a range of said physical operating parameter in which the hard disk drive is expected to operate without damaging the hard disk drive; a memory component comprising extensions to at least one protocol associated with the hard disk drive, the extensions enabling communications relating to disk drive diagnostics to occur between the operating system and the hard disk drive; an interface component that utilizes the extensions to receive the notification from the hard disk drive and relay the notification to the operating system, the notification relating to the physical operating parameter of the hard disk drive determined to be out of the expected range; and a processor operating under control of the operating system for sending a command to the hard disk drive via the interface component in response to receiving the notification, the command instructing the hard disk drive to send an action to the processor, the action being determined by the hard disk drive in response to the physical operating parameter being outside of the expected range and based at least in part on the physical operating parameter, the action being a corrective/maintenance action related to the hard drive.