How to Check Hard Disk Health Using CMD [Complete Guide]

Maintaining the health of your hard drive is essential for the overall functionality of your computer. A failed hard drive can result in the loss of critical data and significant downtime. Therefore, it's vital to regularly check the health of your hard drive to ensure its optimal condition. One method to monitor the hard disk's health is by using Windows' built-in command-line tool, CMD or the Command Prompt.

This guide will instruct you on how to inspect your hard disk's health using the Command Prompt (CMD) and how to employ professional disk management utilities to detect bad sectors and disk health. By adhering to the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to identify any impending issues with your drive and take necessary actions before it becomes too late.

How to Check Hard Disk Health Using CMD

Command Prompt, abbreviated as CMD in Windows, is a command-line interface akin to the Terminal in Linux, enabling users to execute diverse commands through the shell. CHKDSK, an abbreviation for Check Disk, is a vital CMD command.

CMD allows you to check the health status of your hard drive, but it doesn't offer a comprehensive health check. I highly recommend using alternative tools, such as tools Partition Master Free, for a more thorough assessment.

Analyze the pros and cons of both, and choose the right method to check your hard drive's health based on your needs.

Since using the CMD alternative tool can solve the problem faster and provide more detailed hard drive health and SMART data monitoring, let's begin with explaining the steps using this utility.

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Check Hard Disk Health Using CMD Alternative

Now, let's explore an alternative way to run CHKDSK on Windows. The Command Prompt can be a bit complex, and some users might prefer a more intuitive, user-friendly approach with a graphical user interface and additional built-in functionalities. This is where a third-party software, such as Partition Master, comes into play. It offers more features than the Command Prompt and streamlines the process of executing commands.

Partition Master is a reliable alternative to CMD's CHKDSK for assessing the health of your hard drive, and it provides two methods to check your hard disk:

Guide 1. Check Hard Disk Health

Guide 2: Check Hard Disk Bad Sectors

You can perform a disk surface test to evaluate the health of your hard drive and identify bad sectors. It's also straightforward to check the overall health of your hard drive, including its temperature and performance. Even beginners can easily learn to use such a tool. Let's go through a step-by-step guide.

Guide 1. Check Hard Disk Health

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and click the blue arrow to activate the "Disk Health" feature under the "Discovery" section.

Step 2. Choose the target disk and click the "Refresh" button. You'll then see the disk's health status.

Guide 2: Check Hard Disk Bad Sectors

Step 1. Launch tools Partition Master. Right-click the hard drive that you want to check and choose "Surface Test".

Step 2. The operation will be performed immediately and all bad sectors will be marked in red.

What Else Can tools Partition Master Do?

tools Partition Master is an excellent tool to scan for disk and partition errors, and it offers additional features related to disk partition issues:

• Rebuild MBR
• Check hard drive health
• Check SD card health
• Repair bad sectors on external hard drive
• Resize partition on SSD or delete partition on SSD.

If you have any disk or partition problems, you can resort to tools Partition Master, and you won't regret downloading it!

Check Hard Disk Health Using CMD

In essence, CHKDSK, as the name suggests, checks the disk for potential issues by scanning for defects and suggesting solutions. However, it assumes a basic understanding of computer operations and doesn't offer a detailed SMART health report. For more comprehensive health check information, you can utilize a third-party utility - tools Partition Master for hard drive health checking.

Follow the steps below to use the CHKDSK command from the Command Prompt to evaluate the health of your hard disk on a computer running the Windows operating system.

Step 1: Launch CMD, the Command Prompt, or the Windows Terminal with Administrative Privileges. Search for it in the Start Search Box. Right-click the main listed result and select "Run as Administrator."

Click the **Start** button, type **cmd**, and then right-click **Command Prompt** in the search results. Select **Run as administrator** to launch Command Prompt with admin privileges. 

Step 2: Type CHKDSK and press Enter. Windows will now examine your basic file system structure, name linkage, and security descriptors, and let you know of any possible problems.

Step 3. You can also use CHKDSK within CMD to fix disk errors. Instead of just typing "CHKDSK," type "CHKDSK /f /r/x" and press "Enter."

To know more about the CHKDSK command, click the button below to learn more details: (Translation: To learn more about the CHKDSK command, please click the button below for additional information:)

For new users unfamiliar with scripts or the Windows operating system, the Command Prompt and its shell can be intimidating. If you'd rather not use the Command Prompt or want to check your computer's hard drive health with a different method, proceed! You can also learn more through this video.

 

Conclusion

Ultimately, it is crucial to regularly check the health of your hard disk to ensure the safety of your data and confirm that it is functioning properly. The Command Prompt's CHKDSK is excellent for assessing the hard drive's health; however, Partition Master is a highly recommended alternative with a more user-friendly interface and extra features.

tools Partition Master not only checks the health of your hard disk but also offers disk management features such as partition resizing and disk cloning. It is a reliable and user-friendly tool to ensure smooth operation of your hard drive.

"Frequently Asked Questions: Checking Hard Disk Health Using Command Prompt"

Let's examine some frequently asked questions about this process for more information and troubleshooting guidance.

< strong >1. How Do I Check My Hard Drive's Health? To check the health of your hard drive, you can follow these general steps: 1. **Windows:** - Use the built-in "Disk Management" tool: Press `Win + X` and choose "Disk Management." Look for any error messages or warnings next to the hard drive's volume. - Run the "Error Checking" tool: Right-click the hard drive in File Explorer, select "Properties," then click the "Tools" tab and press "Check." - Use third-party software: Tools like CrystalDiskInfo or HD Tune can provide detailed S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data. 2. **MacOS:** - Open "Disk Utility": Find it in the "Utilities" folder within "Applications." - Select your hard drive from the list on the left and click the "First Aid" tab. Click "Run" to perform a disk check. - Third-party tools: Applications like Disk Drill or Disk Utility Pro can offer additional insights. 3. **Linux:** - Open a terminal: Press `Ctrl + Alt + T`. - Check S.M.A.R.T. status: Run `smartctl -H /dev/sda` (replace `/dev/sda` with your actual hard drive identifier). - Run a disk check: Use `fsck` command, e.g., `sudo fsck /dev/sda1` (replace `/dev/sda1` with your partition). - Utilize third-party tools: Utilities like GSmartControl provide a graphical interface for S.M.A.R.T. monitoring. Remember that these checks won't always predict imminent failure, but they can help identify potential issues. If you suspect problems, consider backing up your data and seeking professional assistance.

You can download a tool like Partition Wizard or utilize the CHKDSK command through Command Prompt. Here's how to check your hard drive's health using the CHKDSK command: 1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows Terminal (Admin)" from the menu. This will open Command Prompt with administrative privileges. 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: ``` chkdsk /f /r /x C: ``` Replace `C:` with the letter of the drive you want to check. If you want to check a different drive, change the letter accordingly. 3. The `/f` switch tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it finds. 4. The `/r` switch scans for bad sectors and attempts to recover readable information. 5. The `/x` switch forces the volume to dismount before checking, which is necessary if the drive is in use. 6. You'll be prompted to schedule the scan for the next restart if the drive is currently in use. Type `Y` and press Enter to confirm. 7. Restart your computer. The CHKDSK utility will run during the startup process, and it may take some time depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of issues it encounters. 8. Once the scan is complete, your computer will boot normally. If CHKDSK found and fixed any issues, it will display a report on the screen. Remember that CHKDSK might not detect all types of hardware failures. If you suspect a severe problem, consider using specialized hardware diagnostic tools provided by the hard drive manufacturer or seeking professional assistance.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon in the Taskbar and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).

Step 2. Type CHKDSK on the terminal and press Enter. Windows will now scan your computer's hard drives for any errors and inform you if it detects any.

< strong > 2. How to check SSD health using Command Prompt?

To assess the health of your Solid State Drive (SSD), utilize the WIMC command, which functions similarly to CHKDSK. WIMC, an acronym for Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line, is a command-line interface specifically designed for Windows.

< strong > Step 1. < /strong> Open the Run Dialog, press the Win + R keys on the keyboard, then type cmd, press Enter, or click the Run button.

Step 2. Next, in the command line, type wmic and press Enter. After that, type diskdrive get status, and press Enter.

If you see Status OK, the drive is working properly. You may need to repair the disc drive if you see anything else.

< strong > 3. Can HDD health be repaired?

In limited cases, running CHKDSK with the "/f" flag can help restore the health of an HDD by scanning the drive for issues and attempting to fix them. However, if the damage to the HDD is substantial, it might not be repairable, and you would need to replace the hard drive.