Winchester is a very durable component of the computer, but it needs to be monitored, as well as the rest of the components. To check the status of the device, you can operate both OS system tools and third-party utilities. Let's take a closer look at how to test a hard disk.
Doing its work is a measure of the speed of your hard disks and mechanics. The results are displayed in real time, and they help the graphs. There is also a paid version with other advanced devices. That's how it can predict disk failure, and you will have time to win it.
In addition, it compares with the disk manufacturer's data and displays the current values in the report. It can also calculate a possible disk failure. However, unfortunately, this is not in the system area of the main bar. It is not possible that the new tools created to diagnose the hard drive are also contained by their manufacturers that can delete your data. Therefore, be sure to familiarize yourself with them before using them in the dialog box, with what they do to make sure that you do not come to a date.
Diagnostic users choose third-party programs
Very often utilities for diagnostics are sold together with the hard drive itself. If the disk with the program was not in the box with the device, you can download it from the developer's site. There are several popular tools for checking:
- SeaTools from Seagate;
- Data Lifeguard Tools (WD);
- Drive Fitness Test (Hitachi):
- Shdiag (Samsung).
In addition, MHDD and Victoria are very popular.
The tool analyzes the disk and performs various exams, but leaves its data on it. The program analyzes the functionality of the disk and the ability to read data. There are so many different modes of testing and diagnostics. This can also help if the disk is already damaged and you want to keep at least this data.
Victoria: program for diagnosing the hard drive
It checks and scans the surface and generates a detailed report. He checks his values, performs surface tests, etc. It contains 12 tools that can be used to form a disc, to silence it, or to find out all the details.
SeaTools
Checking hard drive to errors with the help of this complex makes it possible to correct non-working sectors, to find dangerous vulnerabilities in the operation of the device. The developer provides the utility for free, you can get it on the site. The assembly for DOS is an image that you can use to create boot disk. In addition, Seagate offers the program in a convenient Windows interface. Experts advise option number 1, with which you can achieve a more effective result.
The main window of the disk information program
The first provides a lot of information, the other checks the performance. Both tools are miniature, easy to use, free and localized in the Czech language. What do they offer and with what new versions? For each of them, the value shows the current value, the worst measured value and the boundary value in percent. Anyone who wants to receive numbers himself, the application offers raw data. In addition, it provides a number of basic data needed to identify the disk.
After launching, a list of installed hard drives appears in the utility window. Having chosen the necessary device, it is possible to carry out sector recovery, obtain SMART data, and perform a number of tests. There is all this in the paragraph "Basic tests". A user-friendly interface and a Russian-language menu will allow you to understand the settings even for the novice user.
You can find the exact name, firmware, serial number, interface, transfer mode, partitioning or supported functions. You will also find the size of the buffer, the speed of the speed, the number of times the disk was turned on and how many hours it was in operation. Naturally, this is only a subjective assessment of the authors of the program, but the user can set a special window, according to which the program will evaluate the disk.
Threshold setting
This is closely related to the warning threshold, that is, the point at which the user notices that something is wrong with the disk. You can configure three different boundaries: the number of sectors to be reprogrammed, the number of suspicious sectors, and the number of unrecoverable sectors. If your computer has more than one drive, you can specify this option for each drive separately.
Victoria
The application is designed for deep testing of drives. Faulty sectors, checking for errors, marking bad blocks and lots of other options in the kit, which is easy to get by downloading free of charge from the World Wide Web. Diagnosing a hard disk with Victoria is a very famous way of checking today.
Set up email notification
There are two ways to get the problem. The first is an audio signal, which you can specify in the setting, and the second - by e-mail. The program monitors the hard drives for you and reports problems even remotely. From 28 different variables, you can see a diagram of one or more measured disks, for example, by temperature, throughput, the number of erroneous readings, the number of read and erase cycles, and the time for plate allocation.
Determine the volume of the disk and its energy consumption
The application also allows you to copy all recorded data. Then you can paste it into any text editor or other program without any problems. Due to this you can disable or reduce the power consumption of your drive through the slider and set the values. Both, at the expense of performance.
The main component of the program is the Tests tab. There are a lot of settings, and the average user will need to spend time studying the features and opportunities. Initially, select the section and click on the test. In order to check the defective sectors as disabled in the process of checking, you can set the flag opposite the Remap field.
Unlike previous versions, those who have the number 5, do not have any revolutionary changes. The program is small, simple and unpretentious. It measures sequential write and read, and then randomly writes and reads 4 KB and 512 KB. Before you begin testing, you can choose the number of tests and the size of the data used.
Monitor the hard drive in action
Of course, the larger the amount of test data, the longer the computer runs. You can test not only the entire disk, but also its individual sections. If your computer is unstable, hardens or falls into the "blue death", it may be a hardware failure. In this article, you will learn how to check whether the failed component is a hard disk.
Data Lifeguard
WD is an effective tool for checking drives of its own production. It is interesting that Data Lifeguard program will be completely ineffective for other drives, therefore before using any program it is highly recommended to learn the name of the model of your hard drive first. The utility is available as iSO image or version for OS. Using the product, the disk can be cleaned by 100%, check the sectors, view the data and see how the hard disk diagnostics passed.
Preview information
At the top of the program, select which drive to check and select the "Health" section. If you are at the bottom of the health state: OK, then it's okay, be careful with the warnings, and if one of the items is defective, then the disk leaks. In short, we explain the importance of more important data.
The value must be 0, if this value increases, then it's time to replace the disk. The value must be 0 if it is higher than on the disk. Look for the execution time - the speed of the head movement.
- Determines the amount of erroneously read data from the array.
- Errors occur quite regularly and are corrected by repeated readings.
- Performance is the overall performance of the disk.
MHDD
The tool helps to evaluate the performance of the drive from different sides and fix errors on it. Download on MHDD PC can be from a global network. Of the main features are the following:
- access to USB devices;
- evaluation of the mechanical component;
- low-level formatting;
- work with SCSI, SATA, IDE;
- different types of tests;
- repair sectors and much more.
The test can take dozens of minutes and must end with a full square of green squares. If only one is red, we recommend that you no longer use the disk for important data. It happens that the disk has a defective block for several years, and it no longer applies, but think about using such a disk as dangerous.
This technology already has all the discs released. Therefore, it is enough to enter into the terminal. First, check the list of hard disks connected to your system using the command. The result should look something like this. In cases where the interface versions do not match, the lower version will work.
HDD Scan
A great tool for testing the drive. If you are interested in how to check a hard disk, download the program from the global network of the linker program and install it on the PC. The product has several simple buttons; convenient, friendly interface; work with him is not exactly work. Tests, SMART data retrieval, sector checking is a standard list of features for tools of this kind. HDD Scan supports SATA, IDE, SCSI, as well as SSD, RAID and flash drives.
You can check the status of a particular hard disk using the command. In the latter case, the hard drive fails, so it's time to start backup important data! This table is automatically populated and updated with the help of the firmware.
SSDs supported by the program
It is also necessary to specify the control intervals in seconds. Once: sends only one alert message for each problem with the detected disk. Daily: sends another warning once a day for each problem with the detected disk. decreasing: sends one more warning, one day after a two-day interval interval four days interval, etc. for each identified problem of each disk. This allows you to specify the action that you want when a problem is detected. . The remaining symbols are the date and time when the test is required.
Windows Features
Sometimes it's enough to check the drive's performance through the utilities built into the OS. It's about the chkdsk program, which can be run as with cmd, and with a more familiar interface for the user.
Pressing Win + R, enter "chkdsk c: / f / r" in a new window. If the OS does not load due to errors on the hard drive, take the disk with the installation files. After that, go to the recovery environment and turn on the utility. This function works in Windows XP, 10, 8.1, 7.
A point in one of these places indicates all possible values. To install it, simply enter the terminal. The program window is horizontally divided into two parts. In the roulette root menu, you select the disk you want to work with. Right under this item you will see detailed information such as model, firmware version, serial number and sector number on the disk. To the right of the start and stop buttons, at the bottom you will find several tabs, from which we will show you the most important part of the article.
To start the drive itself, click the "Start" button. During the test, it is recommended that you do not work with the computer, so that any additional disk requirements do not distort the result. In the right part of the window there is a summary showing the general view. From one test it is impossible to make unambiguous clues, it is important to follow the trends, namely: one "red box" should not mean a crisis, but if ten more of them appear in the next test, it is quite obvious that the disc "leaves". Therefore, it is advisable to note the results in such a way that you can compare them in the following tests.
If you talk about the interface, it starts in the "Tools" tab in the properties of a particular section of the disk. Having selected this tab, find the button "Execute check" and activate it.
Software for S.M.A.R.T
On the "Graph" tab, you can see how fast the data is transferred from the disk. Here's how the graph will tend to decrease on the right, and there should be no significant drops. If it appears, this is another indication that hDD not completely vertical. If the values in this diagram fall to zero, this is a sign of distortion of some sectors and, therefore, a danger to your data.
In the following figure, you see the disk graph, which is OK - the graph is rather flat, it slowly falls down, but there are no significant changes. On the "Report" tab, you can view the test results in the text format. All sectors that responded to a delay of more than 50 ms were recorded. The sector number and response time are calculated in milliseconds. You can copy the result to mailbox and paste. AT text file For further comparison with new results.
Next, the system will ask you to select the scan settings. If necessary, check the box next to the items "Correct system errors automatically "and" Recover defective sectors ". Immediately after clicking on "Start" the computer will begin to check the non-system partition. If you want to check drive C, select the schedule, and then restart the "machine". Immediately after the reboot, the test will begin, wait for it to finish and try to learn the results. Experienced experts argue that the method is not highly efficient, but sometimes it helps solve non-critical issues.
Automatic acoustics control - you can choose whether you want a quieter but slower disk or, conversely, you prefer speed and do not care about how hard the drive will be. It is important to note that the disc can return to standby mode within a few seconds and, above all, realize that it is not suitable for all disks. Ability to configure advanced hard drives. The program is free.
- It is also necessary to choose a trade-off between speed and energy saving.
- Power management.
- In this section you can choose how long the disc will go in sleep mode.
- Defence from spyware in computer.
- Defragment files and free space on the hard disk.
- Restoring a disk from unnecessary files and maintain the registry.
- Results in a transparent and user-friendly interface.
- Response test and data transfer rate.
- The status display and its interpretation of the user.
Outcomes
Now you know how to test the hard drive with the internal methods that Windows offers, and also using proprietary utilities from the developers of drives. If no critical errors are found, and the device continues to work inefficiently, the problem may be hidden in the drivers or RAM memory. If bad-blocks and defective sectors were detected on the hard drive, it is better to save important information from the device safely, then replace the old disk with a more reliable version.
Hello, friends! In this article we will understand the topic - Hard Drive Diagnostics. The reason for writing this article was the message of relatives - we have an operating system for a maximum of two months, after the bugs start and you have to reinstall. Even after he himself delivered Windows 7 complaints began. In the operating system, I did not have to doubt. It already stood on more than 10 computers. I tested the RAM, replaced the thermal paste on the processor, cleaned the system of dust - nothing.
Then I tested the entire system with the help of the system stability test (AIDA64 program functions). Everything is okay.
After repeated successful testing, there was enlightenment. Completely flew out of my head hard check disk. I ran the HDD diagnostics first third-party program HDD Regenerator. Having discovered the errors (8 sectors that can not be read), I performed the check again by the program from the manufacturer Western Digital. The latter confirmed the malfunction and the hard drive went to the service center under warranty. How to diagnose the hard drive read on ...
Windows Hard Drive Diagnostics
Diagnostics means operating system this is something that can and should be applied first. To do this, open the Start menu and select A computer. Click on the section with the right mouse button causing context menu and select item Properties
Disc Properties are displayed. Click the tab Service and in the section Check for errors press the button Check
This will be Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows.
The WinDlg_v1_28.zip archive is downloaded, which can be opened with the 7-zip or WinRar program as well as the file with the rar extension. Unpack and run the file Setup.exe.
Upon completion, we press Done
Launch the SeaTools program again
The search for supported drives is in progress. It is necessary to wait a little
Then, once again accept the license agreement
To diagnose the hard drive, a short and a long universal test
For reliability choose Long lasting universal and wait for its end. If the test does not go through, follow the instructions and if the program does not correct the drive, carry it under warranty.
In the Basic tests menu, there is the item Repair all. This function did not try. I'll try a suitable hard drive.
Restoring the performance of HDD Seagate
21_10_2013 A few months ago, I brought a 160GB Seagate hard drive with no warranty. A long universal test produced an error. When connected to another computer from this disk, it was possible to copy all the important information without problems.
To restore efficiency we used Additional tests
Opened a warning window in which it was said that you can activate additional tests with the key F8
Clicking on the F8 window closed and the Additional Tests section appeared. Since the data we have saved - chose Full erasure (SATA)
Another warning was issued
Scrolling the slider in this message, it was found that to run complete erasure you must click F8. After pressing, erasing started.
When the process was completed, I launched again the Long-term universal test. The test was passed. After that, we reinstalled the image of the working system using Norton Ghost. And up to this moment no one complained.
Conclusion
In the article hard disk diagnostics you learned how to check your hard disk (HDD) for errors. Here we looked at two ways: checking with built-in windows tools and checking with special utilities from the manufacturers. In a combat situation, I like using diagnostic utilities. Since this, for me, is a 100% option. If the disk passed the check, everything is fine. Otherwise, we carry it for repair under warranty. That's why in this article on choosing a hard disk, I give such a value to guarantees. It is necessary that she would be 3 years old. This is the whole 3 years the head does not hurt. Naturally, the entire warranty period with the hard drive is good to handle, as in the service center scratches are scrutinized.
The main thing that I want to convey to you. Hard disks Is an expendable material. Like cartridges on a printer. You must have at least two copies of your important data on two different drives. For example, on the internal and external hard drive. One fails, you buy a new one, restore the data from the backup and you are again happy. What would often not buy see the same guarantee. That would be for longer. Also an excellent option is to use the Windows 7 backup.
Samsung did not encounter hard disks. Utilities for these disks are not found. If someone has information, please share in the comments. While I will check them with a utility from Seagate or WD.
