Thetracer,
If the standard methods do not disable PCDSmartMonitor, you can:
1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type 'msconfig'.
3. In the System Configuration Utility, select the 'Startup' tab.
4. Uncheck the box next to 'PCDSmartMonitor'.
5. Select 'Apply' then 'Close'.
6. Reboot your system.
7. Upon reboot, you can safely check the 'Don't show this message ...'
dialog box.
To check your HD periodically just run PC-Doctor and run the SMART and other hard drive tests.
-Fred