jgreco did a nice system build/test/burn-in guide here, but I (and many others) found the details a bit lacking in the hard drive section. He mentions S.M.A.R.T. tests, but doesn't go over how to run them, or how to view the results, etc. and then just kinda throws around dd commands without a lot of explanation there either. Yes, this information is available elsewhere, but for...
[How To] Hard Drive Burn-In Testing
[How To] Hard Drive Burn-In Testing