S.M.A.R.T Status Failing?

[AcneGoddess]

Hi, Mac users. I got a Macbook Pro for Christmas, brand new from the Apple Store, and have been starting to notice over the past three weeks that it's been bugging out a bit. At first it was just the Beachballs every once in a while, but recently it's started to flare up. I can hardly go through an episode of the Office on Netflix without having to restart! I finally got fed up and Googled to troubleshoot exactly what was going on, and it said to go to Disk Utility to check. So, of course, the hard drive tells me that the S.M.A.R.T Status is failing and that I should get a replacement one.
If I do get a replacement, how much would it cost? I don't want my parents to pay for a new one or any heavy repair fees that might entail. Also, how did the status fail in the first place and how can I prevent it from happening again?
Thanks so much!

 

[justperry]

If it's bought just a couple of months ago Apple will replace the HD free of charge.
Warranty is standard 1 year minimum, some countries more.
You can try this App-SMART Utility- and see what it says, it's better than Disk Utility.

As for your other questions, just bad luck, normally they last for years.
You can't prevent wear, except for handling the MBP well, don't drop it for instance.

 

[AcneGoddess]

That makes me feel so much better that there's no money involved! Thank you for letting me know.
As for the App, it is also telling me that the status is failed. Guess it's a trip to the Apple Store for me today.

 

[S.B.G]

Also, how did the status fail in the first place and how can I prevent it from happening again?
Thanks so much!

Do what justperry recommended and take it back for a warranty replacement. Hard drives fail, that's just the way it works. Some last longer than others and some come right from the factory as defective. Every hard drive has defects in it and they also have error correction which keeps them functioning well enough to be used without too much hassle. Hard drives are mechanical things that are prone to failure.

Be sure you have good and current backups before you take it in or before the hard drive fails completely. However, even though it found a bad sector, that doesn't always mean imminent failure is at hand, though I don't recommend risking letting it go for long.