How to Check if a Disk is Healthy on Windows: A Step-by-Step Guide

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The hard drive is the heart of a computer, where all your data is stored. While you can easily swap out other hardware in your system, if you need to replace your computer's hard drive, you'll need to back up your data to another drive to keep it safe. Thus, it's important to regularly check the health of your hard drive to ensure its longevity.

There are several ways to check the health of your hard drive, including built-in Windows features and third-party software. This guide will walk you through the most common issues that can arise with your hard drive and how to fix them on your computer. We'll explain five effective methods for checking your disk's health, and you can choose which one suits you best.

How to Check if a Disk is Healthy on Windows - 5 Ways

In this article, we'll explore five practical ways to check your hard drive's health. If you suspect that your hard drive is showing signs of poor health or is nearing the end of its lifespan, let's get started:

Method 1: Check Disk Health with Partition Master Tool

Method 2: Check Disk Health Through CMD (Using WMIC Commands)

Method 3: Check Disk Health with CHKDSK Command

Method 4: Check Hard Drive Health by Defragmenting and Optimizing Drives

Method 5: Check Disk Health Through BIOS

So we'll start with the first one, and the simplest one.

Method 1: Check Disk Health with Partition Master Tool In the Windows operating system, you can use third-party tools like tools Partition Master to examine the health of your hard drive. Here's how: 1. First, visit the tools website and download and install the Partition Master software. 2. After installation, launch the Partition Master application. 3. In the main interface of the program, you'll see a list of all connected hard drives on your computer. 4. Select the hard drive you wish to inspect, and then click on the "Check" or "Scan" button on the right side. 5. The tool will initiate a scan to look for any potential errors or bad sectors on the hard drive. 6. Upon completion of the scan, Partition Master will display the health status of the hard drive and any issues it detects. 7. If any problems are found, follow the software's instructions to repair them or take appropriate actions. Please note that this is a general guide, and the specific interface and steps might vary slightly depending on the software version. Before performing any disk operations, make sure to back up important data to prevent potential data loss.

Ranking top on the list is this tool owed to its straightforward and effective method of disk health check. Apart from the simple disk status, tools Partition Master also offers additional detailed information. It's a user-friendly and lightweight tool packed with advanced disk health features that provide accurate information. It enables users to track the health status, boot time, read/write speed, temperature, and more.

Please download the tool Partition Master, and then follow the given steps to check your disk's health status.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click the blue arrow, and activate the "Hard Disk Health" feature in the "Discovery" area.

Step 2. Select the target disk and click "Refresh". Then, you can view the status of the disk.

Select the target disk

With this tool, you can effectively check disk and manage disk partitions.

Method 2: Check Disk Health via CMD (WMIC Command)

WMIC stands for Windows Management Instrumentation Command, another effective way to use a command-line interface. It's a built-in Windows feature that allows you to perform various operations, including checking the health of your hard drive.

It uses Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) to analyze the health of your hard drive. When it's done, it will give you simple results like “OK” or “Pred Fail.” Here's how to use WMIC to check your hard drive:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys to open the "Run" dialog box.

Step 2: Type cmd and press Enter to open the Windows Command Prompt.

Step 3: Type the following command in the Command Prompt and press Enter.

"wmic" stands for "Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line," which in Chinese translates to "Windows 管理Instrumentation命令行工具." It's a command-line tool in the Windows operating system used to access and control different system management info provided by Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Step 4: It will create a WMI interface. Now type or paste the following command, and press Enter.

Get disk drive status

When finished, you'll see the status of your hard drive. If the Health Status says “Pred Fail,” this could indicate a problem with your hard drive. Back up your data to a USB device or another external drive as soon as possible and seek technical support.

Method 3: Check Disk Health with the CHKDSK Command

The `CHKDSK` command is an built-in Windows utility used to scan and repair hard disk errors. This tool also helps users assess the health of their hard drive. It ensures the integrity of the file system and allows for the fixing of bad sectors and possible errors. To check your disk's health using the CHKDSK command, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the Windows logo, then type cmd.

Step 2: Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Now, type chkdsk in the window that appears, and hit Enter. It will start a basic scan.

Step 4: If the basic scan doesn't find any errors, you'll need to run the command with the /f switch to try and fix any errors it finds.

This will take longer than a regular chkdsk command, so be patient.

You can also use the chkdsk /f /r command to fix bad sectors on the disk and recover readable data.

Method 4: Check your disk health with “Defragment and Optimize Drives”

Use the built-in “Defragment and Optimize Drives” tool to quickly check the health of your Windows computer.

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Disk Defragmenter, and press Enter.

Step 2: Select the “Defragment and optimize drives” option from the search results.

Step 3: Select your hard drive and click "Optimize." This will scan for fragmented files and optimize your disk's health.

Method 5: Check Disk Health Through BIOS

Another way to check the health of your disk is through the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) settings. Here's how:

Step 1: Restart your computer and press any function key from F2 to F12, depending on what is available on your system. Different computers/laptops have different keys to access the BIOS.

Step 2: Search for your hard drive manufacturer along with "boot menu" to find your key.

Step 3: To check the health of your HDD, access the Boot Menu and select “Diagnostics.”

Step 4: If you have an MSI motherboard, go to [Settings] > [Advanced] > [NVME Self-Test].

All the methods enlisted to check disk health are effective, but you might get annoyed with the time-consuming process of the built-in Windows utility. Therefore, we recommend using the first method mentioned above – the Partition Master tool to get an in-depth and accurate health detail of your computer's disk.

"Hard Drive Health Check Video Tutorial"

This video will reveal five effective ways, including the above method, to help you check your computer's hard drive health. Here are the details:

Conclusions

This article introduces five methods to check the health of your hard drive. The first and simplest method is to use the Partition Master tool, which provides an in-depth overview of your hard drive's health and can fix errors in your disk partitions. Additionally, if you notice any signs of failure in your hard drive, remember to back up your data regularly to avoid unforeseen circumstances. Share your experiences in the comments section and let us know which method works best for your needs.

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How to check disk health? FAQ

If you have more questions about checking your disk's health, this section might be helpful. Proceed to read on and explore the answers below:

1. How do you know if your hard drive is failing?

Here are some signs that can indicate a hard drive is in poor health:

• Jammed spindle motor
• Sudden deceleration
• Frequent error messages
• System crashes
• Abnormal sounds or overheating
• Damaged data, files, and folders

How can I keep my disk healthy?

When properly used and maintained, a computer hard disk can have a long lifespan. For instance, it needs adequate airflow to prevent overheating. Additionally, you should regularly clean your system to maintain its optimal performance.

How can I check the health of my hard drive in CMD using UTF-8 encoding?

You can check your hard drive's health via CMD, or you can check SSD health on Windows 10 via CMD. Here's how:

Step 1: Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter.

Step 2: Type chkdsk and press Enter. Wait for the scan to finish.