If the HDD makes strange sounds or there are problems with writing and reading information, you should use one of the programs to check hard drive for errors. Depending on the task (checking the disk surface for damage, searching for bad sectors, fixing bugs, etc.) different software may be useful.
You can quickly check the disk for errors using standard system tools, but to restore the hard drive, you will need special third-party programs. By learning how to check the health of a hard drive using various utilities, a user of any level will be able to cope with the problems that have arisen.
The CheckDisk system service is the simplest hard drive diagnostic program that is not able to find complex errors and fix bad sectors, but is useful for fixing basic problems. It is available on all versions of Windows and can be used to check drives of any type. All users need to know how to check HDD for errors with this tool.
The GUI version of the utility is the most convenient for novice users. You can start it through the disk management menu, which can be accessed in two ways:
- in Windows XP/Vista/7 - select the "Management" item in the "My Computer" context menu, then go to the desired menu;
- in Windows 8/10 - press the Win + X combination and select the appropriate item.
In the window that opens, select the device that needs analysis, click on it right click mouse and select "Properties" from the drop-down menu. Going to the "Service" tab, you need to run the hard drive diagnostic program.
The system will check and automatically correct errors if the disk is in this moment not busy with read or write processes. Otherwise, the program will offer to test after restarting the PC. If necessary, you can see detailed information about the state of the HDD in the test results window.
The GUI version does not always save, since sometimes it is required to check the status of the hard drive from safe mode or not running at all operating system. In such cases, the console comes to the rescue, which can be started before the system starts using boot disk.
After opening the recovery console, you need to run the chkdsk / f command, which will check all connected drives. In some cases, this will help fix the error. However, in most situations, if the failure of the HDD led to the inability to start the system, a deeper check will be required. hard state disk.
To take advantage console command from inside the system:
- run command line(via Win+X or by typing cmd into the Run window);
- enter the chkdsk command with the letter of the section to be checked and additional flags;
- confirm the operation by pressing Y.
Checking the HDD via the command line will be a little faster than using the GUI version of the program, the results will be shown right here in the console.
Linux also has standard tools- hdparm and smartctl, run from the console.
Simple programs for quick HDD check
If standard utilities are not suitable, hard disk diagnostics can be carried out using simple third party programs. They allow you to get more information about the health of the HDD, but in case of serious problems they will not work, since you cannot fix the breakdowns with their help.
HDDScan is a free program that performs analysis in two modes:
- in terms of S.M.A.R.T.;
- linear processing.
The tool evaluates the speed of reading and writing in various sectors, marking "slow" cells. In the course of the analysis, the program makes sure that the tested hard drives do not overheat; at the end of processing, the user is presented with a complete report.
HDDScan good versatility. The utility allows you to check disks for errors regardless of the type of devices: it can be used to check external hard disk, and analyze a RAID array, SSD drive or memory card.
Crystal Disk Mark has only one function - it evaluates the speed of reading and writing. Despite this, it is often used, since it is still possible to check the hard drive for serviceability with just two indicators.
For the test, different algorithms are used, one of which is the sequential recording mode. The program gradually fills all the space on the drive with blocks of the size specified by the user, after which it cleans the HDD. The same technique is used by hard drive manufacturers to check product quality. Its disadvantage is that it accelerates the wear of SSD drives.
CrystalDiskInfo And DiskCheckup similar in function set, differ only in interface. They check the state of the hard drive using S.M.A.R.T. algorithms and compile a history of checks, which allows you to track the dynamics of changes. CrystalDiskInfo has more options for visualizing history. For example, you can build a graph, not just get a written report.
Another feature of these programs is a convenient notification system. Hard drive deep tests usually take a long time. If the user needs to move away from the computer, they can turn on notifications about critical errors HDD by e-mail.
Programs from hard drive manufacturers
Some HDD manufacturers have developed their own utilities for analyzing the state of the hard drive. They are intended for use with devices of the same name, it is possible to diagnose a hard drive from another company with their help, but this must be done carefully. Unlike more simple programs, these utilities have versions in different languages, including Russian. What program is better to analyze the state of the HDD?
Seagate's proprietary program exists in two versions: a standard version for running under Windows and a DOS version in iso-image format, from which you can make bootable flash drive. It is recommended to use the second option, since the check in this case will be more accurate and efficient.
SeaTools uses part of the S.M.A.R.T. For hard testing disc without giving details about each item. Three tests can be done:
- short HDD self-test;
- short express test;
- a long check in which all sectors are sequentially read.
During the check, the program automatically corrects the errors it finds.
Owners of WD hard drives should be aware of how to check the performance hard drives using proprietary software from this manufacturer. Its set of features is similar to that of the program from Seagate, but somewhat expanded and allows for deeper work with the affected device.
There are two additional functions:
- deep disk formatting - the program writes zeros to all sectors, irretrievably destroying information;
- blocking access to bad sectors - the program marks bad blocks, excluding the recording of new information in them.
Unlike SeaTools, this HDD diagnostic program can be freely used with devices from any manufacturer to check the hard drive for errors - no problems have been identified with this.
Deep Testing Software
If you need not only to check the hard disk for errors, but also to fix bad sectors, you cannot do without a complex software, which performs the most in-depth analysis of the HDD status.
Victoria HDD
According to many users Victoria HDD is the best software for detecting hard drive problems. The program has received such a reputation due to its wide range of functions.
Victoria exists in two versions:
- with a graphical shell for use from within Windows;
- with a DOS shell to create a boot disk.
It is better to use the second version. Diagnosing the HDD outside the system allows you to achieve the best results, so it is always recommended to follow the principle - "if possible, test the disk from the boot disk." As a last resort, you can use a LiveCD of another OS, such as a Linux distribution like Ubuntu.
Victoria HDD has a variety of functions:
- quick and complete disk check;
- reassignment of bad sectors and their recovery;
- checking the status of contacts in the IDE or SATA cable;
- equipment performance analysis;
- viewing S.M.A.R.T. indicators.
When checking, you need to pay attention to the access time to sectors. It should not exceed 200-600 ms. You can also see the temperature of the disk during operation, but this is not so important.
HDD Regenerator
HDD Regenerator is a program for professional recovery hard drive. She not only marks bad sectors as unused, but also tries to reanimate them. For this, not a standard deep formatting method is used, but a proprietary algorithm based on the transmission of signals of different levels to the sector. Despite the professional level, inexperienced users can also use this software, since it is not difficult to test a hard drive with its help thanks to a convenient Russian-language interface.
Program features:
- ensuring the safety of data - it works only in read mode;
- support for different file systems;
- the ability to scan the surface of the disk;
- real time monitoring.
The program is not suitable for everyone, since you can check the hard drive for operability with it for free, but you will have to pay $90 for the sector recovery function.
If you do not want to pay, you can use TestDisk, a free program that can restore the partition table, boot sectors and MFT. It also detects bad sectors, can recover deleted information and fix errors. file system. The only drawback is the lack GUI, it is necessary to work from the console.
If after HDD checks and fixing all the problems the computer has not stopped working incorrectly, it is worth checking the registry. Perhaps the failures are not caused by equipment failure, but internal errors systems.
Surely, many PC and laptop users had to deal with all sorts of problems that arose with a hard drive. In this article we will try to answer the main questions regarding the operation of the hard drive and analyze specific example? what to do, when how to check the health of the carrier and whether it is worth spending your nerves and time on it.
As an example, let's take one of the most popular hard drives, which are equipped with thousands of computers and laptops - a hard drive from Seagate. The main problems of the “experimental” are the freezing of the operating system or the refusal to boot at all, various errors, creaking and clicking. So, how to check the health of the hard drive on the computer?
Soft
One of the most interesting (and free) programs for checking a hard drive from a technical point of view is HDDScan, which can be downloaded from the official website upon request in any search engine.
The first step is to check the S.M.A.R.T. hard disk (built-in technology that evaluates the hard drive with self-diagnostic equipment with a prediction of the remaining “life” time), and then a qualitative test of the media surface will be passed to identify bad sectors (bad blocks).
But before checking the status for any problems, let's take a short digression to understand how it works. HDD utilities Scan, explaining in more detail what S.M.A.R.T. is, bad blocks and why some of them cannot be “cured”, especially since users leave numerous reviews about this program, who have not fully understood what these blocks, tracks and sectors are .
Principle of operation
Winchester consists of glass and aluminum plates, which are covered with a layer of technical ferromagnetic material. That is, simply put, a hard disk is a magnetic recording device. The heads, which are located on the surface of the carrier, hover at a height of 10-13 nm and never touch the surface itself, which, by the way, is very easy to damage.
The conveyor in the last stages of hard disk production low-level formatting, which forms the "map" of the hard drive, dividing it into tracks and sectors. Also, special servo marks are applied, which are responsible for the exact hit of the head on the desired track of the hard disk.
Sectors
The unit of measurement of a hard drive is a sector that consists of 512 bytes of data, and in order to format the media at a low level, special and very expensive equipment is required - “Servowriter”, therefore it is performed only in the factory, and all information recorded with this equipment, will never be overwritten in any service. If someone promises to check the status of the hard drive and fulfill it, you should know that this cannot be done at home.
The manufacturer writes only service information to the sectors: the physical address of the sector itself and the address marking indicating the beginning of the track. This information is very often called the hard disk layout, and it is needed for the correct operation of the media, so that the hard drive heads accurately hit the desired sector and track for reading and writing data.
After purchasing a hard disk, the user has access to almost its entire volume, with the exception of service information, which contains the MBR (main boot record) and built-in utility utilities. The disk area where this data is located has a greater magnetization, preventing the user from accidentally or deliberately deleting service information.
firmware
Data on sectors, tracks and their numbers are presented in a special table that is not available for BIOS and any OS. This table is located in the service area, which is a kind of mini-operating system and, together with Firmware controls all actions of the hard drive. Some users are wondering: is it necessary to update or completely change the built-in firmware before checking the health of a hard drive on a laptop or on a regular PC? The answer is unequivocal: no. All modern media do not need any firmware update.
All information that is recorded in the service area, along with the firmware, is a disk passport: S.M.A.R.T. attributes, a table with detected defects, bad blocks that cannot be corrected, and reassigned sectors.
Sector types
Before checking an external hard drive for serviceability, it is important to know that there are three types of bad sectors in total: physical, logical and software. When trying to read a bad sector, the operating system tries several times to load the data again, and if this fails, the OS recognizes the sector as bad and writes all the necessary information to the normal sector, which is on the backup track. Such a process is called Remapping, or in the common people Remap.
Moreover, it is up to the hard drive controller to decide whether or not to postpone the remap, and not the user or third-party software, which can only “hint” the hard drive about the need for a remap. Before checking for serviceability, the built-in utilities always check the table of defects, which includes all bad sectors that were either reassigned by the system or marked as unrecoverable.
In total, there are two tables with defects - the factory one (Primary List), which reflects the results of initial tests on the conveyor with already marked bad blocks, and the current one (Grown List), which is filled as current problems accumulate.
Bad sectors. How to fix them?
Before being serviceable, you need to know about the types of bad sectors and the possibility of their further rehabilitation in case of damage.
According to reviews, physically defective bad blocks cannot be restored by any formatting. The only thing that can be done is to reassign bad sectors with spare ones from spare tracks. A significant disadvantage of this method will be a decrease in the speed of the hard drive, since the heads will have to travel a greater distance and make additional movements to search for information on backup tracks.
Physical bad sectors are hard disk defects that are of a mechanical nature: a broken magnetic layer on the media surface, chips, scratches, etc. Very often, such problems occur after a hard drive hit, when one or more heads were damaged and, closely attaching to a magnetic drive scratched its surface. Overheating or vibration, according to reviews, can also cause bad sectors. In this case, the bad block must always be replaced and reassigned with a normal sector from the backup track.
Creak and click
If before you often heard a creak or click inside system block, then the reason in most cases lies in the positioner of the hard drive head. The carrier tries to read the information over and over again, wearing out the positioner in a certain position, as a result of which a small creak occurs.
The reason for the occurrence of clicks may be the reassignment of tracks of bad sectors to backup ones. They are not always nearby, so the heads often and abruptly change their direction from side to side, resulting in specific clicks.
Another one of possible causes clicks and squeaks are a violation of the factory markings as a result of the mechanical impact described in the section above. Servo tags can be destroyed, and the head can no longer accurately hit the sector it needs, which is why repeated attempts by the carrier to read the information and get into its “rut” are heard.
According to reviews, the only panacea for squeaks and clicks available to a simple user is the built-in utilities of the operating system, which, if it does not help get rid of the problem, will at least make the hard drive work for some more time.
How to check the hard drive for good sectors?
Logical bad blocks that occur as a result of errors in the sector logic can be divided into correctable and faulty ones. Consider in which case it is impossible to fix a logical bad block.
As mentioned above, each sector of the hard disk, in addition to user data, carries a part of the service information about the markup and physical addresses that determine the beginning of the sector. If this information has been damaged for various reasons (mechanical or physical impact), then it can be restored only in the factory, which is very problematic for an ordinary user.
But if, before checking the hard drive for serviceability, you did not hit or overheat it, that is, the service information in the sectors is not broken, you can restore the data and the health of the media using the checksum of each sector (ECC - error correction code). Each unit of the media contains this data, and it is this data that is used by utilities for the rehabilitation of the hard drive.
If you believe the reviews, all sorts of software errors a hard disk, such as an incorrectly marked sector or track, is “treated” by conventional formatting or software built into the operating system.
Summarizing
After we figured out the principle of operation of the hard drive and outlined the points that can be fixed and which cannot, you can safely start testing the disk with the HDDScan utility and see the results, drawing the appropriate conclusions for yourself. There are a lot of positive reviews about this software on the Internet, so it can be recommended to both novice users and experienced professionals.
After you know the current state of S.M.A.R.T., you can make a prediction - repair this drive or purchase a new one.
Frequent errors in the system or even reboots with a “screen of death” force a thorough analysis of all computer components. In this article, we will talk about the easiest way to check bad sectors on a hard drive, as well as assess its condition without calling expensive specialists.
All further actions will be performed using special software. You do not have to use each software in turn, because it will be enough to choose only one option. First, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with all the presented methods in order to finally choose the ideal solution for yourself.
Method 1: HDD Health
The simplest and fastest program that can quickly check the hard drive for health is HDD Health. The local interface is very friendly, and the built-in monitoring system will not let you miss serious problems with the memory device, even on a laptop. Both HDD and SSD drives are supported. The usage process itself is as follows:
Unfortunately, the program, in addition to informational purposes, will not help the user in any way in correcting errors. It is suitable for one-time assessment and monitoring, but to fix the problems found, you will need to turn to Method 2 or other programs.
Method 2: Victoria
Victoria is rightfully considered one of the the best programs for testing and recovering hard drives with bad sectors. It does not require installation, because the developers immediately created portable version, which is launched from the archive. The process of checking the drive here is as follows:
- Download the archive from the official Victoria website, open it and run the executable file.
- Move to tab Standard.
- Here click on the button "Passport" to view hard drive information, and then select the device you want to check.
- Drive information is also displayed in the status bar at the bottom.
- In the tab "SMART" you can get basic information about disk health. To do this, click on the button "Get SMART".
- The output of information will not take much time. However, after you get a table with values and status marks. Check it out to be a little aware of the health of the device.
- Then move to the main tab Tests.
- Leave all settings as default for now, just run the scan.
- Blocks of different colors will start to appear in the window. The range up to green is considered normal, then blocks are considered unstable, and blue marks indicate the presence of errors (most often these are bad sectors). Latency information is displayed in the section on the right.
- Upon completion of the scan, you should separately familiarize yourself with the number of red and blue blocks. If it is large enough, then the disk is considered unstable.
- Recovery occurs due to the reassignment of bad sectors, during the check they are simply hidden. This is done through testing with the attribute set "Remap". You will learn more detailed information about recovery a little later.
Additionally, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that some users may experience problems running tests in Victoria due to established regime AHCI. To avoid difficulties, it is recommended to select the IDE (Compatibility) mode in the BIOS. Look for all the necessary information on this topic in the materials listed below.
If during the analysis you found a large number of bad sectors and want to restore the drive using the same software, we recommend that you read the instructions in our other article at the following link. There, the author described in detail this process, explaining each action that is required to be performed.
Method 3: HDDScan
Another program similar to Victoria, but with a more modern interface is called HDDScan. We recommend using it in the case when there are some difficulties with Victoria or she does not suit you for certain reasons. The testing process here is not much different.
- To get started, you can get basic information about the health of the drive by selecting it and clicking on "SMART".
- The information here is displayed at about the same level as it was shown in Victoria.
- Next, return to the main menu and run one of the types of tests. You will learn more about them below.
- Leave the analysis settings unchanged.
- To display detailed information double-click the left mouse button on the task line.
- As you can see, the scan map is almost the same as in the previous version, only the color marks are slightly different in delay.
- Upon completion of the analysis, you can read a detailed report, where in the form of a graph and additional information indicates the status of the drive.
Now let's take a closer look at each testing option, because it is important to choose the right technique in order to get accurate information:
- Verify- scanning sectors without reading data on them;
- read- checking sectors with reading data (accordingly, it will take much longer);
- Butterfly- reading blocks in pairs, one from the beginning and one from the end;
- Erase— write blocks filled with sector number (delete all user data).
The program, like the first one, only diagnoses problems. Above, we have already given links to articles, thanks to which the recognized failures can be eliminated.
Conclusion
Now various developers have created a fairly large number of programs that allow you to check your hard drive for errors. They work on approximately the same principle, so there is not much point in disassembling them. Instead, we recommend that you read a separate material on our website, which contains reviews of the most popular detailed solutions.
If suddenly you find that the drive you are using is not working at all, repair is indispensable here. However, only specialists can not always help in this. Certain actions are quite doable and manually. Read more about it below.
If the hard drive is not visible in the system at all, refer to the following material:
Today you were introduced to the software methods for checking the hard drive for operability. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this, you just need to choose one of the proposed software to start testing.
Hard drives are the most unreliable component modern computer. As a rule, modern hard drives last up to 3 years, after which they have to be replaced. The worst thing about this situation is that it is very difficult to predict exactly when a hard drive will fail. Because of this, inexperienced users often lose important data. In this article, we will talk about how to check the hard drive for health and correctly assess its condition. Step #1: Checking the health of the hard drive using CrystalDiskInfo If you want to check the hard drive for health, then the first thing to do is install the CrystalDiskInfo program. This free program collects all available information about the hard drive and, based on it, gives an assessment of its technical condition. If the hard drive is fully functional, the hard drive health will be reported as "Good". If with hard drive there are problems, you will get an "Alarm" rating. Well, in cases where the hard drive is on the verge of death, the program gives a rating of "Bad".
Also in the CrystalDiskInfo program, you can see the original S.M.A.R.T. (the program uses them to evaluate those states), the temperature of the hard disk, the number of times the hard disk is turned on, and the number of hours worked. Step number 2. Check the hard drive for errors using the HD Tune program. It is also very important to check the hard drive for errors. The easiest way to do this is to use free program HD Tune (or its paid version HD Tune Pro). So, in order to check the hard disk for errors, run the HD Tune program, go to the tab and click on the "Start" button.
After that, HD Tune will start checking the hard drive for health. During the check, you will be able to observe this process. Normal areas of the hard drive will be marked in green, and damaged in red.
On a fully functional hard disk, there should be no damaged (red) blocks at all. Step number 2. We check the hard drive for health manually. In addition to testing with programs, the hard drive can be checked for health manually. To do this, simply try to write a large number of small files (a couple of megabytes in size) to the disk. For example, you can try to copy a large folder of photos to disk.
If the test with writing files went well, then try to test how the disk works when reading data. To do this, try copying the data from the disk under test. Conclusions A fully functional hard drive should pass all three of the above tests without any problems. CrystalDiskInfo should be rated Good, HD Tune should show no errors, and manual write/read testing should pass without difficulty. If this is the case for you, then most likely your hard drive is in order and will work for a long time. But, of course, there are no guarantees here and cannot be. Therefore, the only way to securely protect your data is backup. The most important data (personal photos, videos, documents) should be stored on multiple hard drives.
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What is the verification for?
It is necessary to check the operation of the internal storage medium then:
- When you purchased a new PC hard drive.
- If you notice poor computer performance. This can be: the loss of folders and files, long-term copying and transferring files from one hard drive storage location to another, frequent freezing of applications.
- If there are noisy noises while working with the computer.
Examination internal storage memory is carried out through special programs. The most effective of them are scanning utilities - HDD Scan and Victoria. The first program is able to check the hard drive to the full extent and give a result that will indicate the assessment of the status of all storage media:
- IDE/SATA/SCSI;
- USB/Firewire (external drives);
- RAID arrays;
- flash cards.
HDD Scan will tell you the series and firmware number of the hard drive that is installed on the PC. The utility is able to scan and find flaws and damage on internal memory your PC. Also, HDD Scan will determine how full the hard drive resource is.
How to check the hard drive for health with HDD program Scan is available to every student to know. This is the easiest way to detect damage to the hard drive. You need to download the program to your computer and download the check. The utility offers a simple menu that does not require further explanation.
You can download the program by clicking on the “Download Version” button. After downloading the utility to your computer, unzip the files. Now go to the program folder by running the executable file. This program does not require mandatory installation, and the file with multifunctional utility takes up little space on your hard drive.
A method for diagnosing and cleaning a hard drive (Victoria)
In the process of using a computer hard drive, their performance is lost over time. In this regard, the so-called “broken sectors” can form on hard drives.
This process foreshadows the aging of the internal storage resource and it is inexorable. These problems are characterized by a decrease in hard drive performance and loss of information from the disk. Having identified the problem, it is necessary to solve it.
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