If the HDD makes strange sounds or there are problems with writing and reading information, you should use one of the programs to check hard disk for errors. Depending on the task (checking the disk surface for damage, searching for bad sectors, fixing errors, etc.), different software may come in handy.

You can quickly check the disk for errors using standard system tools; to restore the hard drive, you will need special third-party programs. Having learned how to check the health of a hard disk using various utilities, a user of any level will be able to cope with the problems that have arisen.

The CheckDisk system service is the most simple program for hard drive diagnostics, which is not able to find complex errors and fix bad sectors, but is useful for fixing basic problems. It is available on all versions of Windows and can be used to check drives of any type. All users need to know how to check HDD errors with this tool.

The GUI version of the utility is the most convenient for novice users. You can start it through the disk management menu, which can be accessed in two ways:

  1. in Windows XP / Vista / 7 - select the "Control" item in the context menu of "My Computer", then go to the required menu;
  2. in Windows 8/10 - press the Win + X combination and select the appropriate item.

In the window that opens, select the device that needs analysis, right-click on it and select the "Properties" item in the drop-down menu. Going to the "Service" tab, you need to run the hard disk diagnostic program.

The system will check and automatically correct errors if the disk is in this moment not busy with read or write processes. Otherwise, the program will offer to conduct testing after restarting the PC. If necessary, in the check results window, you can see detailed information HDD status.

The GUI version does not always help, since checking the status of the hard disk is sometimes required from safe mode or without starting the operating system at all. In such cases, the console comes to the rescue, which can be started before starting the system using a boot disk.

After opening the recovery console, you need to run the chkdsk / f command, which will check all the connected drives. In some cases, this will help fix the error. However, in most situations, if the failure of the HDD led to the inability to start the system, a deeper check of the condition of the hard drive will be required.

To use the console command from within the system, you need:

  • to run command line(via Win + X or by entering cmd in the "Run" window);
  • enter the chkdsk command specifying the letter of the section to be checked and additional flags;
  • confirm the operation with Y.

Checking the HDD via the command line will turn out a little faster than using the GUI version of the program, the results will be shown here, in the console.

The Linux system also has standard tools - hdparm and smartctl, which are launched from the console.

Simple programs for quick HDD check

If standard utilities are not suitable, hard disk diagnostics can be performed using simple third-party programs. They allow you to get more information about the health of the HDD, but in case of serious malfunctions, they will not work, since they cannot be fixed with their help.

HDDScan is a free software that performs analysis in two modes:

  • according to S.M.A.R.T .;
  • linear processing.


The tool evaluates the read and write speed in various sectors, marking the "slow" cells. During the analysis, the program monitors that the tested hard drives do not overheat; at the end of processing, the user is presented with a full report.

HDDScan good versatility. The utility allows you to check disks for errors regardless of the type of device: it can both check an external hard drive and analyze a RAID array, SSD drive or memory card.

Crystal disk mark has only one function - it evaluates the read and write speed. Despite this, it is often used, since it is still possible to check a hard drive for serviceability using only two indicators.

For the test, different algorithms are used, one of which is the sequential write mode. The program gradually fills all the space on the drive with blocks of the size specified by the user, and then clears the HDD. The same technique is used by manufacturers of hard drives to check product quality. The disadvantage is that it accelerates the wear and tear of SSDs.

CrystalDiskInfo and DiskCheckup they are similar in a set of functions, differ only in the interface. They check the state of the hard drive using S.M.A.R.T.-algorithms and make up a history of checks, which allows you to track the dynamics of changes. CrystalDiskInfo has more options for visualizing history. For example, you can build a graph, not just get a written report.

Another feature of these programs is a convenient notification system. Hard drive deep tests usually take a long time. If the user needs to leave the computer, he can enable notifications about critical HDD errors by E-Mail.

Programs from hard drive manufacturers

Some HDD manufacturers have developed their utilities for analyzing the state of the hard drive. They are intended for use with devices of the same name; it is possible to diagnose a hard drive from another company with their help, but this must be done carefully. Unlike simpler programs, these utilities have versions in different languages, including Russian. Which program is better for analyzing the state of the HDD?

Seagate's proprietary program exists in two versions: a standard version for launching from under Windows and a DOS version in iso-image format, from which you can make bootable USB drive... It is recommended to use the second option, since the check in this case will be more accurate and efficient.

SeaTools uses part of S.M.A.R.T. to test the hard drive without giving details of each item. Three tests can be done:

  1. short self-test of HDD;
  2. short rapid test;
  3. a long-term scan in which all sectors are read sequentially.

During the check, the program automatically corrects the errors found.

Owners of WD hard drives should know how to check the performance hard drives using proprietary software from this manufacturer. The set of its capabilities is similar to that of the program from Seagate, but somewhat expanded and allows for deeper work with the affected device.

There are two additional functions:

  1. deep disk formatting - the program writes zeros to all sectors, irrevocably destroying information;
  2. blocking access to bad sectors - the program marks bad blocks, excluding writing new information to them.

Unlike SeaTools, this HDD diagnostic tool can be freely used with devices from any manufacturer to check the hard drive for errors - no problems with this have been identified.

Deep Testing Software

If you need not only checking the hard disk for errors, but also fixing bad sectors, you cannot do without sophisticated software that performs the most in-depth analysis of the state of the HDD.

Victoria HDD

Victoria HDD is considered by many users to be the best hard drive troubleshooting software. The program has gained such a reputation due to its wide range of functions.

Victoria comes in two flavors:

  • with a graphical shell for use from within Windows;
  • with a DOS shell to create a bootable disk.

Better to use the second version. HDD diagnostics outside the system allows you to achieve the best results, therefore it is always recommended to follow the principle - “if possible, I test the disk from the boot disk”. As a last resort, you can use the LiveCD of another OS, for example, a Linux distribution like Ubuntu.

Victoria HDD has a variety of functions:

  • fast and complete disk check;
  • reassignment of bad sectors and their restoration;
  • checking the status of contacts in an IDE or SATA cable;
  • analysis of equipment performance;
  • viewing S.M.A.R.T.-indicators.

When checking, you need to pay attention to the access time to the sectors. It should not exceed 200-600 ms. You can also see the temperature of the disk during operation, but this is not so important.

HDD Regenerator

HDD Regenerator is a professional hard drive recovery software. It not only marks bad sectors as unused, but also tries to reanimate them. For this, not a standard deep formatting method is used, but a proprietary algorithm based on the transmission of signals of different levels to the sector. Despite the professional level, inexperienced users can also use this software, since it is not difficult to test a hard drive with its help thanks to a convenient Russian-language interface.

Features of the program:

  • ensuring the safety of data - it works only in read mode;
  • support for different file systems;
  • the ability to scan the surface of the disk;
  • real-time monitoring.

The program is not suitable for everyone, since you can check the hard drive for performance for free, but you will have to pay $ 90 for the sector recovery function.

If you do not want to pay, you can use TestDisk - a free program that can restore the partition table, boot sectors and MFT. It also detects bad sectors, can recover deleted information and correct errors. file system... The only drawback is the lack of a graphical interface, you have to work from the console.

If, after checking the HDD and fixing all the problems, the computer does not stop working incorrectly, it is worth checking the registry. The failures may not be due to hardware failure, but to internal system errors.

The most common reason for a slow HDD (hard disk drive) today is bad sectors. To eliminate this kind of errors, it is necessary to detect them in time, and then programmatically correct them. But initially it is worth considering the reasons for their occurrence, as well as the types of such malfunctions.

Symptoms of bad sectors

Of course, no one will just start checking the hardware, because when everything is working properly, then there is no reason to look for problems. This is usually preceded by:

  • Errors that occur in Windows during various file manipulations (copying, moving, etc.);
  • Slow computer performance;
  • Sudden PC restarts.

Reasons for the appearance of errors

Errors in HDD operation, software and physical plan can occur for many reasons. One of the most common is a sudden power outage and shutdown Windows work... This is usually preceded by a power surge. If at this time the HDD was not active and the data was not read or written, bad sectors are unlikely to appear, which cannot be said about the situation when copying was carried out. Similar situations also arise if an incorrect shutdown of the computer was performed, when the power button is held for several seconds.

Usually, after such a shutdown, immediately upon turning on the computer for the first time to any Windows versions begins automatic check HDD by standard means, which, in theory, should detect errors and fix them. But not everything is so rosy here. The reason is that such a "native" check from Windows cannot fix most errors, so it starts running every time the computer is turned on.

Scanning by standard means

It is worth taking a closer look at the work of standard Windows 7 tools in order to understand how the HDD is checked for bad sectors. To run such a check using the "explorer" you need to go to my computer and right-click on the "mouse", select "Properties". Next, go to the "Service" tab, where we click "Check".

When carrying out such a check, it is recommended to indicate in the process parameters - automatic repair of damaged areas. But, as already mentioned, standard means can detect errors, but they do not always eliminate them, so the system will display a message that it is impossible to fix the bad sector.

You can also use the command Windows string, register special commands to perform such an action. So, "chkdisk c: / f" - will denote the start of the HDD surface check with automatic fixing. But to work with files in the NTFS system, another command is used - "chkntfs / x c:".

It is worth noting that after starting the check in this way, in the future, a constant check of the hard drive will not appear at the start of the operating system.

But before you start working on the command line yourself, it is recommended that you read the help information regarding the use of various commands.

Informer programs

There are several types of special applications in this area. The most famous programs are Everest and also CPU-Z. However, they are considered general-purpose utilities.

But a better and more functional application, which has not only the functions of an informer, but also a scanner, is CrystalDiscInfo. This program, in addition to the ability to display all the necessary information about the state of the device and its characteristics, allows some of them to change, for example, the rotation speed of the magnetic disk.

Programs for recovering the hard drive

If we are not talking about purely informational utilities or Windows tools, and specifically about applications that can detect and fix broken sectors - it is worth noting, first of all, such a program as Victoria.

In total, you can find a large number of programs for working with HDD in the Windows operating system, but it is best to use one application for specific purposes, for example:

  • It is better to use CrystalDiscInfo as a purely informational platform;
  • For a faster accurate check of the hard disk for damage and their degree - Victoria;
  • To test the surface of the hard drive - HDD Scan;
  • For the most complete recovery of the hard disk - HDD Regenerator.

It should be noted, however, that applications such as HDD Regenerator and Victoria run off-line. Windows environment, since they are launched from a separate storage medium (disk or flash drive). At the same time, "Victoria" is also able not only to check the hard drive, but also to superficially eliminate the damaged sectors, and the second utility carries out an exclusively recovery function.

In contact with

Classmates

There are many free tools for checking hard drives that can help you determine what is happening to your hard drive when you suspect there is a problem with it.

An operating system like Windows already includes tools such as a disk check for errors and the command chkdsk, but there are other tools below that are available for free from hard drive manufacturers and other developers.

Important: depending on the problem you find, you may need to replace the hard drive if it fails any of the tests listed for the hard drive. To do this, you need to follow the tips given in the program.

The Seagate SeaTools software is a free hard drive testing software available to users in one of two options:

  • SeaTools for DOS supports Seagate or Maxtor drives and works regardless of your operating system, running directly from a CD or USB drive, making this program very reliable.
  • SeaTools for Windows Is a program to be installed on the Windows operating system. It can be used to perform basic and advanced testing of any disk from any manufacturer - both internal and external.

Those users who access SeaTools Desktop, SeaTools Online, or PowerMax from Maxtor should note that the above program replaces all three of these programs. Seagate today owns the Maxtor brand.

Seagate's SeaTools software is the best in its segment. They are used to check hard drives in professional computer services, but at the same time, any user can easily use them.

The Windows version of SeaTools runs on operating systems from Windows 10 to Windows XP.

HDDScan is a freeware program for checking all types of disks, regardless of their manufacturer.

HDDScan includes several tools including SMART testing and surface inspection.

The program is very easy to use, does not require installation, supports the interfaces of almost all drives, and seems to be regularly updated.

HDDScan can be used on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP, as well as on Windows Server 2003.

DiskCheckup is a free hard drive checker that works with most drives.

The program outputs such SMART information as the number of read errors, the time it took to spin the plate pack from rest to the operating speed, the frequency of errors in the positioning of the magnetic head unit, and temperature. In addition, it can perform a quick and advanced disk scan.

You can configure the software so that SMART section information is sent by email or displayed when the drive settings exceed the manufacturer's recommended thresholds.

Hard drives with SCSI connections or hardware RAID are not supported by DiskCheckup.

DiskCheckup runs on Windows 10/8/7 / Vista / XP and Windows Server 2008/2003.

GSmartControl can perform various tests on the hard drive, displaying detailed results and giving an overall assessment of the condition of the drive.

To troubleshoot a drive, GSmartControl can perform three self-tests:

  • Quick check: takes about 2 minutes and is used to identify a seriously damaged hard drive.
  • Extended check: It takes about 70 minutes and will scan the entire surface of the hard drive to detect failures.
  • Transportation inspection: This check takes 5 minutes and is designed to look for damage that may have occurred during transport of the disc.

The GSmartControl program can be loaded for Windows both in the version without installation (portable), and as an installed program. It works on system versions from Windows 10 to Windows XP. You can also get a version of the program for Linux and Mac operating systems and the program in LiveCD / LiveUSB format.

Windows Drive Fitness Test is Free software for diagnostics of hard drives, capable of working on most drives available today.

Unfortunately, with Windows help Drive Fitness Test can only test USB drives and other internal drives.

WinDFT can be installed on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP operating systems.

Samsung HUTIL is a free utility for diagnosing Samsung hard drives. Sometimes HUTIL is called ES-Tool.

Samsung HUTIL is available as an ISO image for burning to a CD or USB stick. This approach makes HUTIL independent of the operating system and, in general, a more convenient testing tool than programs developed for the Windows operating system. You can also run HUTIL from a boot floppy.

Comment: HUTIL will only check Samsung hard drives. It will boot and find non-Samsung discs, but no diagnostics can be done on those discs.

Since Samsung HUTIL runs from a bootable disk, it requires a functioning hard disk and operating system to burn to a CD or USB stick.

The free Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic (DLGDIAG) software is designed to test only Western Digital branded hard drives.

Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic software can be downloaded as a portable version for Windows, or as an ISO file with an image to burn to boot disk, and performs a series of hard drive checks. Detailed instructions Installation instructions from Western Digital can be found at the link below.

Comment: The DOS version of DLGDIAG only diagnoses Western Digital drives, while the Windows version of this program works with drives from other manufacturers.

The Windows version runs on Windows 10 to Windows XP operating systems

Bart's Stuff Test

Bart's Stuff Test is a free Windows program that performs stress tests on hard drives.

The program does not provide as many features and does not perform as thorough hard disk testing as other programs on this list.

All things considered, Bart's Stuff Test is a good addition to your disk validation arsenal, especially if you are struggling to validate with ISO-based tools and want to take advantage of more than the default tools. Windows.

Bart's Stuff Test, as stated, works only on operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 95. However, we have tested it on the most latest versions systems (Windows 10 and Windows 8) and did not find any problems.

Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool is a free hard drive diagnostic tool specially designed for Fujitsu hard drives.

The Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool (FJDT) is available in Windows and DOS versions using a bootable floppy disk. Unfortunately, the DOS variant is oriented towards using floppy disks - images that will run from CD or USB are not available.

Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool provides two tests: "quick test" (about 3 minutes long) and "all third party test", the execution time of which will depend on the size of the hard drive).

Comment: The Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool only checks hard drives for drives manufactured by Fujitsu. If you have a disc from another manufacturer, then you should try to use the vendor-independent programs at the top of the list.

Version for Windows programs Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool should work on all operating systems from Windows 10 to Windows 2000.

HD Tune performs hard drive tests under Windows. It can work with any internal or external drives, SSD drives or memory cards.

With HD Tune, you can perform performance tests, check disk health using Self-Monitoring Analysis and Disk Performance Reporting Technology (SMART). In addition, the program can scan the disk for errors.

It works on Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000, although HD Tune has been tested to work correctly on Windows 10 and Windows 8 as well.

The Free EASIS Drive Check program, designed for checking hard drives, has two built-in check utilities - checking sectors and reading SMART attribute values.

Checking SMART Attributes allows you to create a list of more than 40 parameters describing work hard disk, and sector checking will check the surface of the media for read errors.

The execution report of any of these tests can be seen directly in the program after its completion. In addition, you can configure the program so that the report is sent to email or printed.

According to the description, EASIS Drive Check works on operating systems from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, but it has been tested to work on Windows 8 and 10 as well.

The error checking program is sometimes called the scandisk program. This hard disk checker is included with the operating room. Windows systems, and allows you to search for various errors on the hard disk.

This tool can also try to fix a number of hard drive-related problems.

Macrorit Disk Scanner is a very simple program that checks for bad sectors on your hard drive. It's easy to use, quick to install and also available in a portable version.

The main part of its window is used to visualize the scanning process and clearly indicate the location of the damage.

The visual display of how much time is left until the end of the scan is especially well implemented in Macrorit Disk Scanner. some hard drive checker programs do not show this. In addition, you can select the option to automatically shutdown the computer upon completion of the scan.

The operating systems that Macrorit Disk Scanner can run on are Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Windows Home Server, and Windows Server 2012/2008/2003.

Ariolic Disk Scanner is very similar to Macrorit Disk Scanner in that it uses read-only to find bad disk sectors. This program has a minimal interface with a single button, and using it, it is easy to understand which parts of the disk contain "bad" sectors.

The program only has portable version, and its size is slightly more than 1 MB.

The only thing that makes this program different from Macrorit Disk Scanner is that Ariolic Disk Scanner shows files with read errors.

We only tested Ariolic Disk Scanner on Windows 10 and XP, but it should work on other versions of Windows as well.

In contact with

This beginner's guide shows you step-by-step how to check your hard drive for errors and bad sectors in Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10 through the command line or in the explorer interface. Additional tools for checking HDD and SSD that are present in the OS are also described. Installation of any additional programs is not required.

The easiest way to check HDD in Windows is to use File Explorer. In it, right-click on the required hard drive, select "Properties", and then open the "Service" tab and click "Check". In Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, you will most likely see a message stating that you do not need to check this disk at this time. However, you can force it to start.

Windows 7 has additional opportunity enable checking and repairing bad sectors by checking the appropriate boxes. You can still find the scan report in the Windows Application Event Viewer.

You can check your hard drive for errors not only using the command line, but also in Windows PowerShell.

In order to complete this procedure, start PowerShell as administrator (you can start typing PowerShell in the search on the Windows 10 taskbar or in the Start menu of previous OS, then right-click on the found item and select "Run as administrator" ...

In Windows PowerShell, use the following options for the Repair-Volume command to check the hard drive partition:


If, as a result of the command execution, you see the NoErrorsFound message, it means that no errors were found on the disk.

Additional options for checking disk in Windows 10

In addition to the options listed above, you can use some additional tools built into the OS. In Windows 10 and 8, disk maintenance, including checking and defragmenting them, occurs automatically on a schedule, while you are not using your computer or laptop.

To view information about whether any problems with the disks were found, go to the "Control Panel" (you can do this by right-clicking on Start and selecting the desired item context menu) - "Security and Service Center". Open the "Maintenance" section and in the "Disk status" item you will see the information obtained as a result of the last automatic check.

Another feature introduced in Windows 10 is the Storage Diagnostic Tool. To use the utility, run Command Prompt as administrator, then use the following command:

Stordiag.exe -collectEtw -checkfsconsistency -out path_to_report_store_folder

Executing the command will take some time (it may seem that the process is frozen), and all connected drives will be checked.

And after the completion of the command, a report on the identified problems will be saved in the location you specified.

The report includes separate files containing:

  • Chkdsk check information and error information collected by fsutil in text files.
  • Files windows registry 10, containing all the current registry values ​​related to the connected drives.
  • Windows Event Viewer log files (events are collected within 30 seconds when using the collectEtw key in the disk diagnostic command).

For an ordinary user, the collected data may not be of interest, but in some cases it may be useful for diagnosing problems with the operation of drives. system administrator or another specialist.

If you have any problems during the check or if you need advice, write in the comments, and I, in turn, will try to help you.

Comments (113) on Checking hard disk for errors in Windows

  • 05/20/2017 at 13:56

If you have any suspicions that there are some problems with the hard drive (or SSD) of your computer or laptop, or you just want to know what state it is in, you can do this using various programs to check HDD and SSD.

This article describes the most popular free programs for checking your hard drive, briefly about their capabilities and additional information that will be useful if you decide to check your hard drive. If you do not want to install such programs, then first you can use the instructions - perhaps this method will already help solve some problems with HDD errors and bad sectors.

The free Seagate SeaTools program (the only one presented in Russian) allows you to check hard drives of various brands (not only Seagate) for errors and, if necessary, fix bad sectors (also works with external hard drives). You can download the program from the official website of the developer https://www.seagate.com/ru/ru/support/downloads/seatools/, where it is available in several versions.


  • SeaTools for Windows is a utility for checking the hard disk in the Windows interface.
  • Seagate for DOS - iso image, from which you can make a bootable USB flash drive or disk and, having booted from it, check the hard disk and fix errors.

Using the DOS version allows you to avoid various problems that may arise when checking in Windows (since operating system also constantly accesses the hard disk, and this can affect the check).

After launching SeaTools, you will see a list of hard drives installed in the system and will be able to perform the necessary tests, get SMART information, and run automatic recovery bad sectors. All this you will find in the menu item "Basic tests". In addition, the program includes detailed manual in Russian, which you can find in the "Help" section.

Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Hard Drive Tester

This free utility, unlike the previous one, is intended only for Western Digital hard drives. And many Russian users have just such hard drives.

Just like the previous program, Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic is available in a Windows version and as a bootable ISO image.


Using the program, you can view SMART information, check hard disk sectors, overwrite the disk with zeros (erase everything permanently), view the test results.

You can download the program on the Western Digital support website: https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=ru

How to check the hard drive with built-in Windows tools

In Windows 10, 8, 7 and XP, you can perform a hard disk check, including a surface check and fix errors without resorting to using additional programs, the system itself provides several options for checking the disk for errors.

Checking the hard drive in Windows

The easiest method: open Explorer or "My Computer", right-click on the hard drive you want to check, select "Properties". Go to the "Service" tab and click "Check". After that, all that remains is to wait for the end of the check. This method is not very effective, but it would be nice to know about its availability. Additional ways -.

How to check the health of a hard drive in Victoria

Victoria is perhaps one of the most popular programs for hard drive diagnostics. With it, you can view information S.M.A.R.T. (including for SSD) check HDD for errors and bad sectors, as well as mark bad blocks as not working or try to restore them.

The program can be downloaded in two versions - Victoria 4.66 beta for Windows (and other versions for Windows, but 4.66b is the latest update this year) and Victoria for DOS, including ISO for creating a bootable drive. The official download page is http://hdd.by/victoria.html.


Instructions for using Victoria will take more than one page, and therefore I do not presume to write it now. Let me just say that the main element of the program in the Windows version is the Tests tab. By running the test, having previously selected the hard disk on the first tab, you can get a visual idea of ​​the state of the hard disk sectors. Note that green and orange rectangles with an access time of 200-600 ms are already bad and means that the sectors are out of order (only HDD can be checked in this way, this kind of check is not suitable for SSDs).


Here, on the testing page, you can check "Remap" so that bad sectors are marked as not working during the test.

And finally, what to do if bad sectors or bad blocks are found on the hard disk? I believe that the best solution is to take care of the safety of data and replace such a hard drive with a workable one as soon as possible. As a rule, any "bad block fix" is temporary and the degradation of the drive progresses.

Additional Information:

  • Drive Fitness Test for Windows (DFT) is not uncommon among the recommended programs for testing a hard drive. It has some limitations (for example, it does not work with Intel chipsets), but the performance reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Perhaps it will come in handy.
  • SMART information is not always read correctly for some brands of drives third party programs... If you see "red" points in the report, this does not always indicate a problem. Try using a proprietary program from the manufacturer.