The fact that the hard disk in a computer system is one of the most important components is not discussed. And the problems that arise with it can harm the whole system both in terms of its operability and in terms of maintaining important information. Like any other “iron” component, the hard drive, unfortunately, has a limited service life and is not immune to various errors and malfunctions. To avoid their consequences, the disk must be periodically checked and eliminated the problems that arise at the initial stage. But how to check the hard drive, and in such a way as to completely fix the errors? Read about this and much more in the material presented below. Immediately, we note that you can, of course, check hard drives with optimizer programs, but their tools look much weaker than what will be described later, so we will not consider them.
Why do I need to check the hard drive, and how can it be done?
Before considering the description of the tools used for checking and eliminating errors and other problems that are used for hard drives of any type, first we need to say a few words about why all this is needed.
To begin with, we should distinguish between types of checks. Some types may relate to the detection of exclusively errors of a program nature, for example, when files (in the recording and overwriting) are incorrectly saved in selected sectors, when the appearance of errors can only be associated with the file system present on the hard disk. Other types may be intended for deeper scanning using plate surface verification tools. If such damage is detected, this automatically means that the primary structure of the disk (tracks and sectors), which is created with low-level formatting at the factory, is violated. Naturally, a damaged surface cannot be used to save information, which means that it must be isolated so that the operating system does not subsequently access it, simply ignoring the damaged sectors. If too much damage is detected at the physical level, this will indicate that the Winchester has begun to "crumble" and should be replaced. There is, however, one tool that is believed to be able to recover a damaged hard drive even in such a situation, but we will dwell on it a bit later.
In general, if we talk about how to check the hard drive for performance, you can use both the operating system and third-party applications for these purposes. Immediately note that hereinafter exclusively software methods for identifying and eliminating problems will be considered, and not physical ones that can be used in specialized service centers.
How to check the hard drive for errors using Windows?
Now we turn directly to the consideration of the main methods and types of verification applied to stationary hard drives or their external counterparts. Some users quite unreasonably argue that the tools of the Windows systems themselves look much weaker than similar third-party programs. Of course, there is some sense in this, because applications for checking hard drives from their creators themselves, who know their products better than others, allow you to perform many tests that are simply not available to operating system tools. However, if we approach them from a general point of view, it is completely obvious that some of the system’s built-in tools are superior to other software developments (for example, command-line tools).
But let's see how to check the hard drive for health in the simplest way.
In Windows, for this, in the most ordinary “Explorer”, through the PCM menu on the dedicated drive or logical partition, you need to go to the properties item and click on the button on the service tab, after which it will remain until the process is finished.
Note: the tool for monitoring the state of the hard drive in the latest versions of Windows by default constantly works in the background, therefore, in the absence of errors or damage, the system may give a notification that at the moment the selected drive or partition is not required to be checked.
How to check the hard drive in Windows with advanced options?
In the latest versions of Windows operating systems, verification is performed using automatic settings and does not require user intervention. Moreover, the process itself after a preliminary scan can be activated only after a complete reboot of the system.
But in earlier systems, you can take advantage of additional settings in which automatic error correction and restoration of bad sectors are set, as well as a surface test is used.
Checking the hard drive through the command line: options and benefits of checking
Now let's see how to check the hard drive for bad sectors and related errors, using the toolkit for the command console. Just it is this very tool that can be launched even from removable bootable media, when due to damage to the hard drive or for some other reason, even the operating system does not start.
In general, the standard chkdsk verification command is used with the letter of the drive or partition to be tested. But, if you apply additional attributes, the toolkit can be significantly expanded.
You can view all possible additions to the main command by entering the string “chkdsk /?” (without quotes). For most situations, attributes in the form of the sequence “/ x / f / r” or its combinations are mainly used. At the same time, it does not matter in what order the given attributes are indicated.
System File Recovery Technique
Speaking about how and how to check the hard drive, one cannot fail to mention one of the most powerful tools that works only from the command line, but is designed to scan Windows system files and then restore them if physical damage is detected during the check ( violation of integrity) or even absence.
Of course, we are talking about the sfc / scannow command. It is she who is one of those tools that allow you to restore the operating system, and it is completely inoperative and with a command console call when starting from removable media.
Victoria HDD program
Windows tools were sorted out a bit. Now let's see how to check the hard drive in terms of using third-party software. Victoria HDD created by Belarusian developers is recognized as one of the most powerful programs. The application can be used in two types: with verification from under Windows and with a series of tests in DOS mode with the corresponding interfaces. It is believed that scanning in the DOS version identifies and fixes problems with hard drives much better. It will not be possible to describe all the features of this utility simply physically, so the average user, after selecting a disk and conducting tests, should pay attention to the scan results.
The presence of too many sectors, marked in orange and green with an access time of 200-600 ms, indicates that the hard drive has begun to “crumble”, and it is urgent to apply some cardinal actions to prevent the progression of this process and use the recovery of damaged sectors.
HDD Scan Package
This program allows you to check the hard drive a little faster than the previous utility. Actually, this application looks much more modest in its capabilities, however, for quick verification it will suit all users without exception.
In this utility, the possibility of conducting the so-called SMART tests deserves special attention, although, unfortunately, it only detects errors, and it does not know how to fix them.
Seagate SeaTools and Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Applications
A few more words on how to check the hard drive for sectors with possible damage. These utilities are designed for hard drives of two manufacturers (Seagate and Western Digital). Actually, they are designed exclusively for each model range.
If you install the hard drives of these manufacturers on the computer, the use of these programs is most preferable. Agree, who knows their products better than their creators themselves? In any case, you can use standard testing in a running operating system or write the corresponding image to a removable device, and then boot from it in DOS mode, similar to how Victoria HDD works, and then run the desired verification option.
Check and restore hard drives with HDD Regenerator
Finally, let's see how to check the hard drive with the subsequent physical restoration of the surface. This seems almost impossible, however, according to the creators of the HDD Regenerator application themselves, it is capable of completely remagnetizing the disk surface using a software method while restoring damaged tracks and sectors. Is this really so, it will be possible to verify only with the practical use of this package.
By the way, it works exclusively in DOS mode, which may seem somewhat inconvenient to many, and recovering a hard drive takes a lot of time. On the other hand, for all the applications presented above, it is recommended to use the start in DOS mode for conducting checks.