diff --git a/cmdline/device.c b/cmdline/device.c
index d6c6aebf..513b08a9 100644
--- a/cmdline/device.c
+++ b/cmdline/device.c
@@ -800,8 +800,6 @@ static void state_smart(unsigned n, tommy_list* low)
 			printf("%8" PRIu64, devinfo->smart[SMART_ERROR]);
 		else if (flag & (SMARTCTL_FLAG_ERROR | SMARTCTL_FLAG_ERROR_LOGGED))
 			printf("   ERROR");
-		else if (flag & (SMARTCTL_FLAG_UNSUPPORTED | SMARTCTL_FLAG_OPEN))
-			printf("       -");
 		else if (devinfo->smart[SMART_ERROR] == 0)
 			printf("       0");
 		else
@@ -814,7 +812,11 @@ static void state_smart(unsigned n, tommy_list* low)
 		if (flag & (SMARTCTL_FLAG_UNSUPPORTED | SMARTCTL_FLAG_OPEN)) {
 			/* if error running smartctl, skip AFR estimation */
 			afr = 0;
-			printf("    -");
+			printf("  n/a");
+		} else if (devinfo->smart[SMART_ROTATION_RATE] == SMART_UNASSIGNED) {
+			/* if no rotation rate, we don't know if it's SSD or not */
+			afr = 0;
+			printf("  n/k");
 		} else if (devinfo->smart[SMART_ROTATION_RATE] == 0) {
 			/* if SSD, skip AFR estimation as data is from not SSD disks */
 			afr = 0;
@@ -822,11 +824,16 @@ static void state_smart(unsigned n, tommy_list* low)
 		} else {
 			afr = smart_afr(devinfo->smart);
 
-			/* use only the disks in the array */
-			if (devinfo->parent != 0 || !have_parent)
-				array_failure_rate += afr;
+			if (afr == 0) {
+				/* this happens only if no data */
+				printf("    -");
+			} else {
+				/* use only the disks in the array */
+				if (devinfo->parent != 0 || !have_parent)
+					array_failure_rate += afr;
 
-			printf("%4.0f%%", poisson_prob_n_or_more_failures(afr, 1) * 100);
+				printf("%4.0f%%", poisson_prob_n_or_more_failures(afr, 1) * 100);
+			}
 		}
 
 		if (devinfo->smart[SMART_SIZE] != SMART_UNASSIGNED)
diff --git a/cmdline/mingw.c b/cmdline/mingw.c
index f8a09a0e..4ab238da 100644
--- a/cmdline/mingw.c
+++ b/cmdline/mingw.c
@@ -2078,9 +2078,12 @@ static int devsmart(uint64_t device, uint64_t* smart, char* serial)
 	WCHAR cmd[MAX_PATH + 128];
 	FILE* f;
 	int ret;
+	int retry;
 
 	snwprintf(cmd, sizeof(cmd), L"\"%lssmartctl.exe\" -a /dev/pd%" PRIu64, exedir, device);
 
+	retry = 0;
+loop:
 	f = _wpopen(cmd, L"rt");
 	if (!f) {
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
@@ -2104,7 +2107,31 @@ static int devsmart(uint64_t device, uint64_t* smart, char* serial)
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 	}
 
-	/* store the return smartctl return value */
+	if (retry == 0) {
+		/*
+		 * Handle some common cases in Windows.
+		 *
+		 * Sometimes the "type" autodetection is wrong, and the command fails at identification
+		 * stage, returning with error 2, or even with error 0, and with no info at all.
+		 * We detect this conditon checking the PowerOnHours, Size and RotationRate attributes.
+		 *
+		 * In such conditions we retry using the "sat" type, that often allow to proceed.
+		 *
+		 * Note that getting error 4 is instead very common, even with full info gathering.
+		 */
+		if ((ret == 0 || ret == 2)
+			&& smart[9] == SMART_UNASSIGNED
+			&& smart[SMART_SIZE] == SMART_UNASSIGNED
+			&& smart[SMART_ROTATION_RATE] == SMART_UNASSIGNED
+		) {
+			/* retry using the "sat" type */
+			snwprintf(cmd, sizeof(cmd), L"\"%lssmartctl.exe\" -a /dev/pd%" PRIu64 " -d sat", exedir, device);
+			++retry;
+			goto loop;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/* store the smartctl return value */
 	smart[SMART_FLAGS] = ret;
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/cmdline/portable.h b/cmdline/portable.h
index 71c8dab9..a3b647c6 100644
--- a/cmdline/portable.h
+++ b/cmdline/portable.h
@@ -363,8 +363,8 @@ int randomize(void* ptr, size_t size);
  * Flags returned by smartctl.
  */
 #define SMARTCTL_FLAG_UNSUPPORTED (1 << 0) /**< Device not recognized, requiring the -d option. */
-#define SMARTCTL_FLAG_OPEN (1 << 1) /**< Device open failed. */
-#define SMARTCTL_FLAG_COMMAND (1 << 2) /**< Some SMART or other ATA command to the disk failed. */
+#define SMARTCTL_FLAG_OPEN (1 << 1) /**< Device open or identification failed. */
+#define SMARTCTL_FLAG_COMMAND (1 << 2) /**< Some SMART or ATA commands failed. This is a common error, also happening with full info gathering. */
 #define SMARTCTL_FLAG_FAIL (1 << 3) /**< SMART status check returned "DISK FAILING". */
 #define SMARTCTL_FLAG_PREFAIL (1 << 4) /**< We found prefail Attributes <= threshold. */
 #define SMARTCTL_FLAG_PREFAIL_LOGGED (1 << 5) /**< SMART status check returned "DISK OK" but we found that some (usage or prefail) Attributes have been <= threshold at some time in the past. */