How to Test Hard Drive Health on Windows PC

Your hard drive is like a database that stores all your important data. If it fails and you don't have a recent backup, you can't get your data back. When you think your hard drive is nearing the end, check its health with Windows to be prepared.

Performing a disk health check on your hard drive can help you identify potential issues before they become major problems, giving you time to either prolong its life or back up your data before it's too late. There are various methods for checking disk health, allowing you to take proactive steps to ensure your data remains safe.

5 ways to test hard drive health

Way 1. Check hard drive health in BIOS

Step 1. To access your BIOS, first reboot your PC and let it switch off and on again a few times. Then, press the specific button displayed on the boot screen, which is usually Delete, F2, F12, or another key, to enter your BIOS settings.

Step 2. Once in the BIOS, the exact instructions will depend on your motherboard manufacturer, but you can usually find the NVMe self-test option in the "Settings" or "Advanced" menu, such as "Settings -> Advanced -> NVME Self-Test" on an MSI Mortar WiFi B550M motherboard.

Way 2. Use PC/disk manufacturer's tools

If you're using a computer with a hard disk produced by a big hard disk manufacturer, or a computer has a brand-developed tool, you can choose these tools to check your hard drive. For example, if you're using a newer HP laptop, there's a separate UEFI diagnostic tool that you can access by pressing F2 during boot. This allows you to run a diagnostic test on your hard drive.

To run tests on one or more drives on the PC, go to "Component Tests -> Hard Drive".

If you're using a WD, Seagate, or Samsung disk, you can download their official tool from their website to check your disk's status.

Way 3. Use CHKDSK in CMD

The Windows CHKDSK program is a built-in utility that scans your hard drive for system problems and bad sectors, and aids in examining hard disk health.

This utility scans for and fixes minor problems, and notifies you if it finds a larger issue that it can't fix itself. It can also test hard disk health and potentially repair damaged sectors and errors.

Step 1. Open "Search" and type cmd and choose "Run as administrator" under "Command Prompt."

Step 2. Enter chkdsk at the prompt and hit Enter.

Step 3. You can also use chkdsk /f /r to fix bad sectors and recover any readable data if possible.

Another option is chkdsk /f /r /x, which dismounts the drive first.

Way 4. Use the S.M.A.R.T. check

S.M.A.R.T. is a feature on modern hard drives that allows you to check their health status, and can automatically inform you if there are any problems with your disk.

Step 1. Open "Search" and type cmd and run it.

Step 2. Type: wmic diskdrive get model,status, and press "Enter".

Then you can see the disks and their status.

Way 5. Employ third-party disk health checker

If your PC or hard disk doesn't have a compatible tool, you can choose a third-party tool such as Qiling Disk Master Standard, a free disk and partition manager for Windows systems.

This software can check the health of a hard drive by reading its S.M.A.R.T. information, and if the drive's health is poor, it will alert the user and allow them to back up their data.

This software offers a range of features, including a disk speed test, PC cleaner, and hard drive defragmentation, allowing users to test their hard drive's read/write speed, scan and delete junk files, and defragment their hard drive to improve its performance.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. Install and launch Qiling Disk Master, which will automatically obtain S.M.A.R.T. information on all hard disks in the background once launched successfully.

When a hard drive's health status is poor, a red exclamation mark appears on its disk icon, and detailed S.M.A.R.T. information can be viewed by right-clicking on the drive and selecting Properties-->Health(SMART).

Step 2: There are 3 states of hard disk health.

State one: Good
The disk is in good condition and can be used with confidence.

State two: Caution
One or more disk attributes are near the threshold, except for temperature, so it's still usable but recommended to regularly back up the disk.

State three: Bad
The disk may be damaged soon and cause data loss. It is recommended to clone this disk and replace it with a new one.

You can click "View details" to see specific S.M.A.R.T. values, and any red text will indicate if a value is equal to or exceeds the threshold.

More about hard disk health

To help you know more about your hard drive and SSD, here we prepare more information.

1. How long do hard disks last?

An HDD typically lasts 3-5 years, while an SSD lasts about 5 years on average.

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are more susceptible to damage and malfunction compared to Solid-State Drives (SSDs) due to their reliance on physical moving parts. A drop or physical shock to an HDD can cause the mechanical components, such as the read/write heads, motors, and platters, to fail, resulting in the disk becoming unusable.

Although SSDs are more stable than HDDs, their lifespan is affected by two key factors: the total number of terabytes written over time (TBW) and the drive writes per day (DWPD). This means that the time it takes for data to be erased on an SSD is limited, and once it reaches its capacity, the years it's been in use are not the biggest factor in determining its lifespan.

2. Common signs of a hard disk failing

You can receive some warning signs before your hard disk's health begins to deteriorate, typically a few weeks before it dies. These symptoms include, but are not limited to, unusual noises, slow performance, and sudden shutdowns. It's essential to act immediately and regularly back up your data to prevent data loss.

• Boot times are becoming more protracted.

• System crashes, especially when they occur often.

• The Blue Screen of Death is a type of error screen that appears on Windows operating systems, often due to a critical system failure or hardware issue, particularly if it occurs repeatedly.

• During starting, the BIOS generates errors.

• Files that are missing (which means segments are failing).

• Increased file loading times in File Explorer.

3. What can you do when a hard disk is failing?

When a hard disk is failing, there are some solutions that can help prevent data loss.

1. Make a backup of all critical files, especially if your hard disk is failing, as the drive may not be able to perform a full disk image. Start by backing up the most crucial data.

2. Save work frequently, especially when working on a deadline, to prevent losing progress due to hardware failure or other issues. This can be done by saving files to an external drive or cloud storage service, ensuring that important data is backed up in real-time.

3. You have two options to free up space on your device: either purchase a new hard drive and install it on your present computer, which is ideal if your gadget is still relatively fresh, or consider upgrading to a new computer if your device is outdated.

4. Should I replace a new disk or buy a new PC?

Upgrading or buying a new PC is generally determined by the age of your computer. If it's only a year or two old, buying a new hard drive is more cost-effective. For older PCs, check if the hardware is compatible with modern programs and new Windows systems; if not, it's usually better to upgrade to a new PC to avoid getting a new hard drive while other hardware fails or becomes obsolete.

If you're replacing your hard drive, consider cloning your current disk to avoid reinstalling everything. To do this, upgrade to Qiling Disk Master Professional, which offers a convenient cloning feature. This edition even allows you to clone a larger disk to a smaller one, making the process a breeze. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and click your way through the cloning procedure – no complicated steps required.

There are a few things you can do to prepare for the process of installing your new disk. First, make sure your computer is turned off.

Step 1. Install and run Qiling Disk Master Professional. Click "Tools" tab page and select "Clone Disk".

Step 2 In the subsequent window, select the target HDD (here we choose disk 1), and click "Next".

Step 3. Now, select the SSD drive as the destination disk. Then click "Next" to continue.

Step 4. In this window, you can edit partitions on the SSD drive and tick "Optimize the performance of SSD" or keep the defaults.

Step 5. Finally, click "Proceed" on the main interface.

Now you can either wipe your old disk to reuse it as your data disk or dispose of your old hard drive if it doesn't work well.

To sum up

To test hard drive health, you can try the methods mentioned in our post. Alternatively, you can use Qiling Disk Master, which offers an all-around disk check and management features. If you're using Windows Server, you can opt for the Server Edition of Qiling Disk Master to conveniently manage your Server computer, including Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003.

Related Articles

• How to Check and Fix Hard Drive Errors in Windows 10/11?
  Learn how to check and fix errors in Windows 10/11 system, hard disk, and external drive that not function properly due to bad sectors, sudden shutdown or metadata corruption.
• How to Check If Hard Drive Is Failing in Windows 10 & 11
  In this post, you can learn how to check if hard drive is failing in Windows 10, and how to fix the common errors with related tools.
• How to Check the Performance of Your PC and Speed it up?
  If you don't know how to check the performance of your PC and speed it up, then this post will help you with detailed steps of PC testing and speed your PC up with some tricks.

Is this information helpful?   Yes   No

This information is not relevant.

This information is not easy to understand.

This information is not deep enough.

What can we do to improve this information? (Optional)

Refresh Please enter the verification code!