HDDScan

The program is designed to check hard drives and SSDs for bad sectors, view S.M.A.R.T. attributes, changing special settings, such as: power management, spindle start/stop, acoustic mode adjustment, etc. It is possible to output the drive temperature value to the taskbar.

Opportunities and Requirements

• HDD with ATA/SATA interface.
• HDD with SCSI interface.
• HDD with USB interface (see Appendix A).
• HDD with FireWire or IEEE 1394 interface (see Appendix A).
• RAID arrays with ATA/SATA/SCSI interface (only tests).
• Flash drives with USB interface (only tests).
• SSD with ATA/SATA interface.

• Test in linear verification mode.
• Test in linear reading mode.
• Test in linear recording mode.
• Butterfly reading mode test (artificial random reading test)

• Reading and analyzing S.M.A.R.T. parameters from ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire drives.
• Reading and analysis of log tables from disks with SCSI interface.
• Launching S.M.A.R.T. tests on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interface.
• Temperature monitor on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interface.

• Reading and analysis of identification information from drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interface.
• Changing AAM, APM, PM parameters on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interface.
• View information about defects on a SCSI drive.
• Spindle start/stop on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interface.
• Saving reports in MHT format.
• Print reports.
• Skins support.
• Command line support.
• Support for SSD drives.

• Operating system: Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10(NEW).
• The program must not be run from a drive that is in read-only mode.

User interface

The main view of the program at startup

Rice. 1 Main view of the program

Main window controls:

• Select Drive is a dropdown list that contains all supported drives in the system. The drive model and serial number are displayed. Nearby is an icon that determines the expected type of drive.
• S.M.A.R.T button – allows you to get a drive status report based on S.M.A.R.T attributes.
• TESTS button - shows a pop-up menu with a choice of read and write tests (see Fig. 2).
• TOOLS Button - Shows a pop-up menu for selecting available dial controls and functions (see Figure 3).
• More button - shows a drop-down menu with program controls.

When you press the TESTS button, a pop-up menu will offer you one of the tests. If you select any test, the test dialog will open (see Figure 4).

Rice. 2 Test menu

When you press the TOOLS button, a pop-up menu will prompt you to select one of the following options:

Rice. 3 Function menu

• DRIVE ID - Generates an identification information report.
• FEATURES - opens a window of additional features of the program.
• S.M.A.R.T. TEST - opens the S.M.A.R.T. tests: Short, Extended, Conveyance.
• TEMP MON - starts the temperature monitoring task.
• COMMAND - opens the command line build window.

Test Dialog Box

Rice. 4 Test dialog box

Controls:

• The FIRST SECTOR field is the initial logical sector number for testing.
• The SIZE field is the number of logical sector numbers for testing.
• The BLOCK SIZE field is the block size in sectors for testing.
• Button Previous - returns to the main window of the program.
• Next button - adds the test to the task queue.

• Only one surface test can be run at a time. This is due to the fact that the author of the program has not yet been able to obtain stable qualitative results when running 2 or more tests simultaneously (on different drives).
• A test in Verify mode can have a block size limit of 256, 16384, or 65536 sectors. This is due to the peculiarities of Windows.
• Test in Verify mode may not work properly on USB/Flash drives.
• When testing in the Verify mode, the drive reads a block of data into the internal buffer and checks their integrity; no data is transmitted through the interface. The program measures the drive readiness time after performing this operation after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from the minimum to the maximum.
• When testing in the Read mode, the drive reads data into the internal buffer, after which the data is transmitted through the interface and stored in the program's temporary buffer. The program measures the total drive readiness and data transfer time after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from the minimum to the maximum.
• When testing in the Erase mode, the program prepares a data block filled with a special pattern with a sector number and transfers the data to the drive, the drive writes the received block ( information in the block is irretrievably lost!). The program measures the total time of transferring and writing a block and the readiness of the drive after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from the minimum to the maximum.
• Testing in Butterfly Read mode is similar to testing in Read mode. The difference lies in the order in which the blocks are tested. Blocks are processed in pairs. The first block in the first pair will be Block 0. The second block in the first pair will be Block N, where N is the last block of the given section. The next pair will be Block 1, Block N-1, and so on. Testing ends in the middle of a given section. This test measures reading and positioning time.

Task management window

Rice. 5 Task Manager

This window contains the task queue. This includes all the tests that the program runs, as well as the temperature monitor. The manager allows you to remove tests from the queue. Some tasks can be paused or stopped.

Double clicking on an entry in the queue brings up a window with information about the current task.

Test Information Window

The window contains information about the test, allows you to pause or stop the test, and also generates a report.

Graph tab:

Contains information about the dependence of the testing speed on the block number, which is presented in the form of a graph.

Rice. 6 Graph tab

Map tab:

Contains information about the dependence of the testing time on the block number, which is presented as a map.

Rice. 7 Map tab

You can select "Block Processing Time" in milliseconds. Each tested block that took longer than the "Block Processing Time" will be logged in the "Report" tab.

Report tab:

Contains information about the test and all blocks whose testing time is greater than "Block Processing Time".

Rice. 8 Report tab

Identification Information

The report contains information about the main physical and logical parameters of the drive.

The report can be printed and saved to an MHT file.

Rice. 9 Example of an identification information window

S.M.A.R.T. report

The report contains information about the performance and "health" of the drive in the form of attributes. If, according to the program, the attribute is normal, then next to it is a green icon. Yellow indicates attributes that you should pay special attention to, as a rule, they indicate some kind of drive malfunction. Red indicates attributes that are outside the norm.

Reports can be printed or saved to an MHT file.

Rice. 10 Sample S.M.A.R.T.

Temperature monitor

Allows you to estimate the temperature of the drive. Information is displayed in the taskbar, as well as in a special test information window. Rice. 11 contains readings for two drives.

Rice. 11 Temperature monitor in the taskbar

For ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire drives, the information window contains 2 values. The second value is displayed in the taskbar.

The first value is taken from the Airflow Temperature attribute, the second value is taken from the HDA Temperature attribute.

Rice. 12 Temperature monitor for ATA/SATA drive

For SCSI drives, the information window contains 2 values. The second value is displayed in the taskbar.

The first value contains the maximum allowable temperature for the drive, the second shows the current temperature.

Rice. 13 Temperature monitor for SCSI disk

S.M.A.R.T. tests

The program allows you to run three types of S.M.A.R.T. tests:

1. Short test - usually lasts 1-2 minutes. It checks the main components of the drive, and also scans a small area of ​​the drive surface and sectors in the Pending-List (sectors that may contain read errors). The test is recommended for a quick assessment of the condition of the drive.
2. Extended test - usually lasts from 0.5 to 60 hours. Checks the main components of the drive, and also completely scans the surface of the drive.
3. Conveyance test - usually lasts a few minutes. Checks drive nodes and logs that may indicate that the drive has been stored or shipped incorrectly.

A SMART test can be selected from the SMART Tests dialog box, accessed by pressing the SMART TESTS button.

Rice. 14 SMART Tests dialog box

Once selected, the test will be added to the Tasks queue. Information window S.M.A.R.T. test can display the progress and completion status of a task.

Rice. 15 Information window S.M.A.R.T. test

Additional features

For ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire drives, the program allows you to change some parameters.

1. AAM - the function controls the noise of the drive. Enabling this feature allows you to reduce the noise of the drive due to smoother positioning of the heads. In this case, the drive loses a little in performance during random access.
2. APM - the function allows you to save drive power by temporarily reducing the speed of rotation (or completely stopping) of the drive spindle during idle time.
3. PM - the function allows you to set the spindle stop timer for a specific time. When this time is reached, the spindle will be stopped provided that the drive is idle. Accessing the drive by any program causes the spindle to be forced to spin up and the timer to reset to zero.
4. The program also allows you to stop or start the drive spindle forcibly. Access to the drive by any program causes forced spinning of the spindle.

Rice. 16 Information window for additional features of the ATA/SATA drive

For SCSI drives, the program allows you to view defect lists and start/stop the spindle.

Rice. 17 SCSI drive advanced features information window

Using the command line

The program can build a command line to control some of the drive's settings and save this line to a .bat or .cmd file. When such a file is launched, the program is called in the background, changes the drive settings in accordance with the specified ones, and closes automatically.

Rice. 18 Command line build window

Appendix A: USB/FireWire Drives

If the drive is supported by the program, then tests are available for it, S.M.A.R.T. features and additional features.

If the drive is not supported by the program, then only tests are available for it.

USB/FireWire drives supported by the program:

USB / FireWire drives that the program may support:

USB / FireWire drives that the program does not support:

Appendix B: SSD Drives

Support for a particular drive largely depends on the controller installed on it.

SSD drives supported by the program:

SSD drives that the program may support:

Additional Information

HDDScan version 3.3 can be downloaded version 2.8

As you know, all computer data is stored on a small, but often very capacious drive - a hard disk, or hard drive, HDD (Hard Disk Drive). So, like any device, the hard drive gradually wears out, which affects its performance and performance. You can notice this: if your PC (laptop, netbook) is an “experienced” comrade who has been working for more than a year, he may start to freeze, “think” for a long time when accessing certain folders, etc. These are sure signs of the appearance of "broken" sectors on the hard drive. In this case, he just needs your help in the form of checking and, if possible, correcting errors in his work. You can do this in several ways, I'll tell you about everything in order. If you decide to figure out how to check your hard drive for errors, then my recommendation is to read this article to the end, and only then start following the steps that are described in this article.

In order to properly maintain your hard drive, extend its life for many years, you need to understand some of the basics of how the drive works. Therefore, at first I will try to tell in the simplest possible language what happens inside the hard drive, and because of what it loses its “former grip” over time, and after that I will mention which programs will help you maintain and fix the hard drive. If you do not have the desire to delve into the problem literally from the inside, but plan to simply go over the instructions like "click here - click here" - move to the second part of the article with a description of the methods and programs for checking the hard drive. The first section of the material will be devoted to theory, and I will try to make it as interesting and understandable as possible. Go!

The principle of operation of the hard disk and formatting

A hard drive is a device that consists of several glass/aluminum plates coated with a ferromagnetic material. Above the surface of each plate (disk), at a distance of about ten nm, there are magnetic heads that read and write information to the disk.

In the production of hard disks, the final stage is the application of tracks, sectors and marks to the magnetic surface of the disk. This process is called low-level formatting. Thus, service information is applied to the disk. In simple terms, the “magnetization” of service information is higher than that with which we will subsequently fill the disk. That is why user data, files can be written and erased many times, but service information cannot.

IMPORTANT: if you read / heard somewhere that low-level formatting will help fix hard drive errors, and you can do it using any program, remember: this operation is performed once and only at the factory using expensive equipment. It is impossible to perform low-level formatting using software at home! Of course, you can format it, but this will not be the formatting that we would like.

Sometimes I resort to such formatting (there are special utilities), but I do this procedure to format the disk when other programs refuse to do so. Ask why is this happening? Because some programs, if they cannot format the disk, write a message, for example, “Formatting the hard disk could not be completed”, and if you use special programs that format several times in the same area, then sometimes this option works - when the disk does not lend itself to simple formatting.

The hard drive is equipped with some kind of operating system (not Windows, which we all know and use). With the help of labels and OS commands applied to the disk, the drive “understands” where exactly the magnetic head needs to be delivered at the current time for reading / writing. The table of tracks, sectors and marks, as well as the OS of the disk - Firmware, firmware - is stored in a special section, closed from the BIOS and the operating systems familiar to us, zone. Therefore, if you suddenly wonder if you need to update the hard drive firmware, you should know: you don’t need to do this. After all, a hard drive is not an iPhone, and it does not need updates for the normal operation of a modern hard drive.

Bad HDD sectors - physical, logical, software

We are getting closer and closer to the problem - the loss of performance by the hard drive.

So, the disks are marked into tracks and the tracks are divided into sectors. By the way, the minimum size of a hard disk sector available to a user is 512 bytes. What happens if a sector suddenly becomes unreadable? The hard drive controller gives the command to make a few more reading attempts (at this moment, on the other side of the monitor, we can notice how the PC is slightly “dumb”), and if the operation was unsuccessful, the system marks the sector as faulty (bad block ), and the information that should have been written to this sector is written to another working sector in the backup partition. At the same time, information is entered into the label table that now this sector is considered non-working. The process of redirecting from bad sectors to spare ones is called "Remapping", or in slang "remap".

Note: imagine: the magnetic head cannot always move continuously along the tracks sector by sector - due to bad sectors, it has to jump to the backup track and back again and again. For this reason, by the way, you can hear extraneous sounds, crackles from the HDD. Naturally, the more bad sectors on the disk, the slower the hard drive works.

There are several types of bad sectors:

1. Physical bad block. Such sectors arise as a result of physical, mechanical damage to the hard disk - shedding of the ferromagnet, cracks, chips. It is logical to assume that their occurrence is due to physical impact - vibration, shock or high temperature (overheating), dust penetrating inside the disk. A physical bad sector cannot be fixed by any software, the only solution is to enter it in the defect table and assign it a “deputy” on the backup track. Therefore, do not knock on your laptop and also be attentive to the computer system unit, which is usually placed under the table.
2. Logic bad block. They are the result of a violation of the logic of the hard drive and are divided into two categories: correctable and unrecoverable.
   1. Unrecoverable logical bad block. In this case, service information is violated - the sector label, address, etc., which is sometimes possible to correct, but only available to narrow specialists with expensive equipment.
   2. Correctable logical bad block. Along with the information, an additional parameter is written to the sector - a checksum, or Error Correction Code (ECC), which allows you to restore information even in the event of a failure. It happens that you turn off the computer (for example, from the socket while the system was still working), the information was written to the hard disk, but the checksum was not entered into the table. In this case, HDD recovery programs come to the rescue, which, “without asking” sectors, forcibly write zeros to them, and, accordingly, new checksums. After that, the sector returns to work, and the disk is formatted without problems using standard Windows tools. If formatting is not done, then the hard drive will repeatedly access the disk and, due to an incorrect checksum, your computer or laptop will freeze.

1. Software bad block. The name itself tells us that such blocks occur during the operation of the program, which means that with the help of any program such bads can be fixed. Here we include incorrectly marked sectors and other "small things", which are corrected by the usual formatting.

IMPORTANT: I'm sure you all know this very well, but just in case, I'll say it: formatting will destroy all your data on the disk. Therefore, before formatting a disk, make sure that all the necessary information from it is copied to another medium. Otherwise, you will simply lose it.

Standard utilities in Windows for checking hard drives

With the theory sorted out, let's move on to practice. There are several applications for working with "problem" hard drives that have proven to be powerful and reliable tools. About all in order.

By tradition, I will say a few words about standard Windows tools. The functionality, of course, leaves much to be desired, but for the prevention of disk errors it will do. To check the disk using the OS, open "Explorer", right-click on any of the disks and select the "Properties" line from the menu.

In the window that opens, go to the "Service" tab and see that we have few options - you can check for file system errors or run defragmentation. We will not stop at the check (we press the button and check), but I will say a few words about defragmentation. As the name implies, this process is the reverse of the process of disk fragmentation as a result of a remap (this was discussed in the theoretical part of the article above). Simply put, defragmentation is the ordering of the disk table and spare sectors for faster access to the latter and speed up the response of the hard disk as a whole. It is recommended to run a disk defragmenter occasionally. However, remember: any operation of checking or repairing a hard drive is a lengthy process, so you need to stock up on time.

Conclusion: you need to check the disk for errors in the file system and you can also defragment the disk.

Another way to check the disk using standard means is through the command line. Run it - press "Win" + "R" on the keyboard, then enter "cmd" and click "OK". Next, we write the command “chkdsk C: / f / r”, where “C:” is the letter of the drive being checked, “/ F” and “/ R” are parameters indicating that it is necessary to automatically fix errors, as well as check for bad sectors and try recover information.

Attention! If you fail to use this command, namely, you do not have enough privileges to use this command, then a little lower I will tell you what to do in this situation.

Note: the method that I described above rarely saves, so I highly recommend the chkdsk utility, which saved me more than once.

Also keep in mind that if your physical disk is divided into logical disks, for example, C, D, etc., then you need to check all your logical disks.

If the disk you are checking is currently in use, the system will prompt you to schedule a disk check the next time you restart your PC, you need to press the Y key: "Y" - "Yes" ("Yes"), and "N" - "No" ("No" ). After that, you must reboot your device.

If the disk is free, then a check will be carried out, the results of which the program will display on the screen. Perhaps the program will ask you to disable the volume (local disk), in this case, just press the "Y" key on the keyboard. Below is an example of this message:

If you run the “chkdsk /?” command, the program will display a complete list of options that can be used with this utility, but in most cases, the method described above is enough for diagnostics.

If the utility writes that you do not have privileges to execute the command, then you need to run it as an administrator. Make it simple. For users who have Windows 8 or 10 installed, press the "Win" + "X" keys, a menu will open where you need to select "Command Prompt (Administrator)". After that, you can safely enter the command you need. If your computer has Windows 7 or XP installed, then you need to find "cmd" or "command prompt" through the search, right-click on it and select run as administrator.

By the way, you can return to the disk check results later, even after closing the command line and restarting the PC. For this:

1. Press "Win" + "R", write in the line "eventvwr.msc", click "OK".
2. In the "Event Viewer" window, open "Windows Logs", right-click on the "Application" item and select "Find ..." from the menu that appears.
3. We enter "chkdsk" in the search bar and find the corresponding entry in the log.

Well, we figured out the standard verification tools, now let's go through the software from third-party manufacturers.

If you do not boot Windows, then connect the hard drive to be tested to another computer. Thus, you will boot from another hard drive, and you will check your own (which may have errors).

Checking Your Drive with Seagate SeaTools

This program, as the name implies, was released by the manufacturer of the HDD of the same name - Seagate, but this does not prevent it from being "omnivorous" and working with any disks. You can download from the official site, the software is free:. At the time of this writing, you need to click on the link "Diagnostic software SeaTools for Windows", which is located on the left. After downloading and installing the program, you need to run it.

Next, select the drive that you are trying to restore to normal operation (checking the box on the left) and click "Basic Tests". Here you can select options for working with the hard drive. In the picture below, I showed what verification options this utility has. You can use all the options that this program offers. You can click on the picture below to view the program interface:

Like any self-respecting utility, there is a bootable disk image (Seagate for DOS), launching from which will allow you to use the check functions before loading the OS. For example, when the system does not boot. It is advisable to check the hard drive in this mode. Because in this way you will not have problems when checking.

In addition, the program has a "Help" section, which is completely in Russian.

Checking Western Digital Drives

The next utility is more narrowly focused and is designed to work exclusively with Western Digital HDDs. Her name is Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. To download the program, go to the manufacturer's website http://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en , find the program in the list and download it. Next, run the program, right-click on the desired disk and select "Run Diagnostics".

Traditionally, there is a version of the bootable iso-image and the capabilities are similar to the previous software, the interface is elementary.

Disk analysis with HDDScan

I will mention another worthy representative of the "army" of fighters with hard drive errors. Here, it is worth noting the function of checking in the linear recording mode - “Test” - “Erase”. When launched, the program forcibly writes data sector by sector, thereby returning most of the bad sectors to work (this was also mentioned above). By the way, if it is possible to disconnect the hard drive from your PC and connect it to another one with HDDScan installed on board, then use this verification option. This way you will achieve the maximum efficiency of the check. You can download the program on the website. After downloading, you need to unpack the archive, go to the unpacked folder and run the HDDScan.exe file.

To run the test, select your hard drive on the left, then click on the picture of your hard drive and select "Surface Tests".

In the window that opens, leave everything by default - "Read" and click "Add Test". So, we launched the scan, now we can double-click on the “RD-Read” entry to open a window where there will be detailed information about working with the hard drive.

If you have a lot of delays - from 20ms and above, then this means that your disk is already very bad and you need to think where to copy all the important data that is on hire. In the future, you need to replace the bad hard drive with a new one. It is advisable to use the program on another computer so that no processes interfere with checking your disk.

Hard drive recovery in Victoria

So we got to, perhaps, the most popular tool for "revitalizing" magnetic data storage devices. This program is sometimes very problematic to download from the official site and therefore I will give you a link to another site where you can download this program http://www.softportal.com/software-3824-victoria.html. I always try to give links only to official sites, but sometimes developer sites do not open for some reason and therefore I had to link to a third-party resource. This site is popular and therefore you don't have to worry about viruses.

After downloading the archive, unpack it and run the program as administrator. Be sure to take this step!

At the beginning of work, select the “Standard” tab, and in the window on the right, select the desired disk, and then click on the “Passport” button. In the log window below you will see how your HDD was determined. If an entry appears in the log, it means that the program was able to read information from this hard disk.

If this did not happen, and you saw "Get S.M.A.R.T. command... Error reading S.M.A.R.T!" - probably, the HDD controller is not working in the mode that we need. To change it, you will have to go into the BIOS and go through the following path: "Config" - "Serial ATA (SATA)" - "SATA Controller Mode Option" - change from "AHCI" to "Compatibility" (IDE). Save the BIOS changes and continue working with the program.

Note: do not forget to return everything to its place after finishing work with Victoria.

So we got to the disk test: go to the "Test" tab, click "Start".

In the course of the check, the cells in the left window will be filled with multi-colored rectangles. It is in our interest that they all be gray - this is the color of a healthy sector. But the blue and red ones are an indication of the bad sector of the disk. If, after the check, there are especially many blue cells, then you need to run the check again, first turning on the “Remap” option (located at the bottom right). As a result of such a check, the program will try to isolate broken blocks (I also talked about this in theory), hiding them. It is also worth noting that the orange and green rectangles mean that there are sectors on your disk where there are very large delays. If they are present, then this is also very bad.

IMPORTANT: if the disk check results are disappointing, I recommend copying the information to a backup disk, or be ready to replace it. Since the disk began to “lose” sectors, then most likely this process will continue. How long the disc will last you is impossible to predict. If there are no necessary files on this hard drive, and you use it only for working on the Internet, then of course you can not buy a new storage medium. If next time you have problems with this hard drive, it means that it is already unstable, and you will need to buy a hard drive.

I have tried to describe theory and practice as simply as possible. Of course, it will be difficult for an ordinary user to study the material in 5 minutes, and therefore give your disk enough time to resolve the issue of its unstable operation.

In this article, I gave as an example the utilities used by computer wizards, and if you use other programs, then there is nothing to worry about. After all, the most important thing in your case is the result. Namely, to understand what to do with your media - to restore or it's time to buy a new hard drive.

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Good luck in testing and only high-quality hard drives!

Video that will help you work with Victoria:

Now you will learn about a small, but very useful HDD Scan program. As the name suggests, this program is designed to scan the hard drive on a computer.

But, besides this, the program is able to carry out FULL diagnostics of the hard drive, evaluate the status of any data drive (it supports IDE / SATA / SCSI hard drives, RAID arrays, external USB / Firewire drives and even flash cards)!

HDDScan will allow you to find out the number and even the firmware version of the hard drive installed on your computer and find bad sectors of any scanned hard drive.

The program will show how exhausted the resource of the hard disk is, what problems the tested hard drive has and more! This utility will fix hard drive surface errors.

It has a very nice modern interface design.

Here: you can download the program for checking hard drives (gcontent)download HDDScan (/gcontent)

And below on the page you will see a video tutorial on working with this program for scanning and restoring hdd (hard drives).

Checking hard drive sectors

This is no longer a problem even for beginners. In general, HDDScan is an almost indispensable program! In terms of quality of work and functionality, at the moment there are almost no analogues to it.

Since, the good old and time-tested programs for checking hard drives, such as MHDD and Victoria (read more in the article: How to fix bad sectors on a disk in Windows) are no longer able to recognize modern hard drives, and even more so - to perform their comprehensive diagnostics ...

After you download this program to your computer, unzip it.... enter the folder with the program and run the executable file, which is mentioned at the beginning of the video lesson.

You don't have to install the program (another plus!), and besides, it takes up negligible space on your hard drive. But despite this, it is so functional that one has only to wonder how we managed without it before :-)))

How to check the hard drive of a computer for operability

The interface of the HDD Scan program is made in English. However, the program is so easy to use and will be understandable even for novice users.

Well, after watching this video tutorial on working with this utility for checking hard drives that are currently connected to the computer, there will be no questions left :-)))

Turn on the speakers and press "Play" ....

Checking hard drive sectors for errors

Quite often, many computer users experience a deterioration in the performance of hard drives during use.

Even in the best scenario, this leads to a decrease in performance and the appearance of bad areas on the surface of hard drives, but this can also cause the loss of all information that is on the hard drive!

Specialized programs and utilities for diagnosing and recovering data on hard drives, like the free HDDScan program presented here, are designed to help in such cases.

Checking an external hard drive

Using the HDD Scan program, you can easily scan not only internal, but also external hard drives that are connected to your computer.

It is designed to check hard drives under Windows. The utility works from the environment of the Windows operating system - this means that you do not have to bother and create any boot diskettes.

Very comfortably! It is simply desirable during the launch and operation of the program, it is desirable to disable the antivirus and programs running in the background and occupying resources, for example, download managers.

hdd hard drive recovery

As you probably noticed when watching the video, starting from the 14th minute it is shown how you can try to fix it, that is, simply remove the bad sector of the hard drive if you do not want to replace the hard drive completely (buy a new one).

We start testing the surface with the "full erase" parameter. This usually helps to get rid of these types of bad blocks on the surface of the hard drive.

Attention! Before doing this, copy all important data from the HDD you want to test. In general, if you want to try to recover bad sectors on the disk, then watch the video tutorial again from the 14th minute.

Conclusion: the best way to carry out a complete diagnosis of a hard drive today is the HDDScan program, which works from the Windows environment and at the same time allows you to perform a comprehensive assessment of the reliability and surface condition of any hard drive, including even external USB drives.

The hard drive is an extremely important hardware component of a PC. Therefore, the user may need to solve problems related to testing the hard drive for errors, as well as correcting them. What tools can be used for this? What are the most common errors in the operation of a hard drive?

What are the problems with the hard drive?

Before considering how to test a hard drive, let's look at what might be the reason for performing the appropriate test. What problems might arise in his work?

To use the utility in question, you need to go to the "Computer" section, then right-click on the hard drive icon. There may be several of them, in which case it makes sense to check each one in turn. After right-clicking on the hard drive icon in the menu that opens, select the "Properties" option. In the window that appears, go to the "Service" tab. Then click on the "Perform verification" button and follow the instructions.

In some versions of Windows, the utility in question is not configured to test logical drives that host OS system files. But in this case, the "Check Disk" program provides an option: initiating testing of the hard drive during the subsequent boot of the operating system. You can select it and immediately restart Windows: during the startup process, the system itself must ask the user for permission to check the disk on which the system files are located.

So, now we know how to test a hard drive using the popular built-in Windows tool - the Chkdsk program. This solution allows you to effectively fix file system errors. But what if the alleged failure of the hard drive is associated with the appearance of bad sectors on it? How to test a laptop or desktop hard drive for appropriate damage?

For these purposes, the widest range of solutions can be used. Some of the most popular programs include:

• Data Lifeguard Diagnostic.
• HDD scan.
• Ashampoo HDD Control.
• Victoria HDD.
• AIDA64 (formerly Everest).
• MHDD.

Let's study their features.

Hard drive testing: Data Lifequard Diagnostic

This program is developed by the Western Digital brand, which is one of the most famous manufacturers of hard drives in the world. How to test the hard drive for errors using this software?

The corresponding program works in several modes. The most informative from the point of view of displaying information about errors on the disk is the Extended Test mode. In particular, it can be used to find damaged sectors on the surface of hard disk platters. If they are detected, the program will prompt the user to use an algorithm by which bad sectors will be excluded from those used by the hard drive to write and read files.

Hard drive testing: HDD Scan

Another popular solution for checking disks is the HDD Scan program. How to test the hard drive of a laptop or desktop computer with it?

The application in question also contains several tests. Among those that may be useful to us is the Surface Tests. It, like the previous solution, allows you to analyze the surface of the disk platters for bad sectors. It is noteworthy that the program in question allows you to detect not only bad sectors, but also those that have problems with reading and writing. So, HDD Scan can reveal areas on the surface of hard disk platters, where the reading speed can be dozens of times inferior to normal values. In practice, this may mean, as in the case of bad sectors, it is desirable to exclude the corresponding sections from those used by the hard drive to write files.

Disk testing: Ashampoo

Another popular program is Ashampoo HDD Control. How can I test my hard drive for errors with it?

It is worth noting that the application in question contains a fairly large number of tools for checking the hard drive, as well as working with detected disk problems. Of these, you can use, for example, the option for testing the surface of the device plates - Test Surface.

Based on the results of the corresponding one, it shows sectors that have high reading rates, as well as bad sectors.

Victoria HDD

The next popular solution for checking hard drives is Victoria HDD. It can be noted that this program allows you to both test the hard drive on Windows 7 (8 or any other), and check the hard drive through the DOS command line.

This feature increases the versatility of the considered solution. In addition, the corresponding software has very good functionality.

So, the program allows you to test a hard drive for bad sectors, reassign their use, classify hard drive surface areas into different categories depending on the speed of reading files from them.

If the English graphical version of the program in question is used, you must run it, then go to the Tests tab. It contains tests on the surface of the hard disk platters. If necessary, you can configure the program's actions when bad sectors are detected:

• ignoring the problem (with its subsequent reflection in the test results);
• sector reassignment;
• removal of sectors;
• recovery of damaged areas of the disk.

If necessary, you can use each of the specified modes of the program in turn.

Hard drive testing: AIDA64 program

Many users are interested in the question of how to test a hard drive. Old versions of the corresponding software are now available on various portals on the Internet. The fact is that in the latest modifications the program is called differently, its name sounds like AIDA64.

It should be noted that this type of software is one of the most functional solutions in terms of equipment performance testing. So, for example, using the program in question, you can test the speed of a hard drive, and not only. Using it, you can also measure the performance of RAM, processor, flash drives.

The functionality of the program includes various stress tests that involve checking in the maximum load mode on the corresponding type of tests can also be carried out for the computer hard drive.

Check disk for errors: MHDD program

According to IT experts, the MHDD program is one of the most functional solutions for checking hard drives for errors. Considering which program to test the hard drive with, experts can opt for the MHDD solution, because:

• it includes a qualitative test of the surface of hard disk platters;
• it can be launched in a bootable format - for example, from a USB flash drive, which allows you to test the hard drive before installing any operating system on it;
• the program includes a large number of useful tests, as well as disk repair tools;
• related software for free.

Of course, the solution in question can also work from the operating system. The specific way in which it is better to use it depends on the nature of the disk problem that has arisen, on the hardware configuration on a particular PC, on the specifics of the operating system used, if it is pre-installed on the computer.

MHDD program: testing the disk

Consider a number of practical nuances of using the corresponding popular program. Let's agree that the user has a need to use the boot version of this software. To do this, you need to make a device with which the program will be launched, for example, a USB flash drive or CD.

After the device is ready, you need to configure the boot from it in the BIOS. By the way, the question of how to test a hard drive through BIOS is also asked by many users. Computer manufacturers may well implement the necessary options in the appropriate software interfaces to test the performance of hard drives.

When working with the MHDD program, a nuance should be taken into account: the solution in question does not work with hard drives that are connected to the computer in Slave mode. If this is the case, the disks must be reconnected, and only after that should they be tested.

After launching the program installed on a bootable flash drive or CD, you need to select a specific drive that will be tested. Then enter the SCAN command on the command line, which initiates a media check. If you do not need to set any additional scan parameters, you need to press F4 to run the corresponding test.

However, additional parameters may still be required. For example, if we talk about the Start LBA option, it is used to specify specific blocks on the hard drive from which the program should check the disk. In turn, the End LBA option is intended to specify those blocks that are checked at the end of disk testing. However, by default, the program checks the entire surface of the hard drive platters.

How to test a hard drive for errors and then reassign bad sectors using the interfaces of the MHDD program? Very simple: the Remap option is used for this. If you select the Erase Delays option, the program will ignore bad sectors, which will speed up the disk scan if there are a lot of bad sectors on its surface.

The MHDD disk scanning program works quite informatively: the scanned sectors are displayed on the user's screen in real time. In a separate section of the interface of the corresponding software, the number of different blocks is counted.

Summary

You can check the status of the hard disk either using the built-in Windows tools or using special programs. At the same time, the tools of the first type are designed mainly to correct errors in the file system, the second - to identify and correct bad sectors using available methods.

Specialized ones can be supplied in both graphical and console versions. Some of the relevant solutions can be used in a boot modification: it can be used even if the computer does not have an operating system installed.

It can be noted: how to test an external hard drive is practically the same as the procedure for testing a built-in hard drive. For this, the same solutions can be applied, the main thing is to correctly connect them to the PC. But this is possible only if the computer supports those communication interfaces through which an external hard drive is supposed to be connected.

The ability to store data with you and use it at any workplace allows small drives connected to a computer via a USB port. Consider three main types of such devices.

Hard magnetic disks

Initially, they were exclusively internal, but the need forced some to get out of the system unit. In another, more compact, adapter block from a hard drive format (IDE, SATA) to USB.

Consider how to check an external hard drive for performance:

• connect to a turned off computer;
• launch and wait for download;
• in the "My Computer" folder, check for a new disk.

If the HDD is not added, restart the computer by pressing DEL or ESC to bring up Setup. If it does not detect the device, then it is most likely faulty. Either HDD, or adapter, or both. To determine more precisely, you can remove the hard drive and connect it to another adapter or directly to the hard drive controller.

Solid State Drives

The first SSDs, like HDDs, were internal and, for external use, an adapter was used. Now this method is rarely used, due to the large number of initially external devices.

Consider how to check the SSD for performance:

• we connect to the computer and wait for the operating system to detect new equipment;
• open the drive in the "My Computer" folder and work with it.

If the system does not respond to the connection, try restarting the computer. You can try formatting the SSD. () If the situation has not changed, then the disk is most likely faulty.

Flash Drives

The closest relative, more precisely, the ancestor of SSD. Differs in smaller capacity and dimensions, as well as the absence of a connecting cable. These include memory cards: SD and microSD - connected to USB via a card reader.

Testing external drives with software

An approximate and often sufficient check of devices can be carried out by standard system programs - formatting and copying. The process should run smoothly and evenly, without error messages.
For a deeper check that allows you to identify hidden defects and speed characteristics of drives, there are many programs that perform these functions in whole or in part. They usually have a simple interface where you just need to select a device and run a test. If there is a problem, it will be indicated.