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You’ll now see your drive(s) listed, along with a status by each one - “OK” if it’s, well, OK, or “Pred Fail” if its on its way out. Input the text “wmic diskdrive get model,status” then press enter/return. To do this on Windows, launch the Command Prompt by opening the Start menu and typing “cmd” - click Command Prompt when it appears. Though this feature should automatically notify you if there are any issues with your drive, you can check it manually if you think something’s not right. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology,) which allows you to quickly see their health status. tool Modern hard drives have a feature known as S.M.A.R.T. Thankfully, if you think your hard drive may be on its last legs, there are a few ways to perform triage on it, giving you time to either extend its life or back everything up before the worst happens. A caveat of hard drives, however, is that they’re relatively delicate pieces of hardware that aren’t as durable as SSDs, with many kicking the bucket after just a few years of usage.
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But if you’re as big a digital hoarder as I am (I still have music albums that I refuse to part with as they took me about a week to download on dial-up in the 90s…) having a hard disk either inside your computer or plugged in as external storage is a lot cheaper than forking out for a load of fancy SSD space. Yes, SSDs offer superior speeds than their clunky counterparts.
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Though the best computers almost always contain SSDs as their primary drive, traditional hard drives are still the most cost-effective choice if you have a lot of things to store - and knowing how to check your hard drive’s health should extend its lifespan. Or if you’re using macOS, learn how to use macOS – basic tips and tricks.
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If you’re a Windows user, learn how to enable God Mode in Windows 11 or 10. Now that you know how to check your hard drive’s health, you can check out our guide on cloud storage and external hard drive to see if clearing your drive is a better option.
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Instead, you’ll need clone your diskUse a program like EaseUS Todo Backup, which has a free version for Windows or a paid version with a free trial for macOS users. However, if you have any installed programs or system information that you want to view, they will likely be ignored if you choose this method. The easiest way to do this is copy/paste or drag everything from disk to secondthis is best practice if your drive only contains media files such as songs or movies. copy or clone the contents of your disk to another driver. It’s worth checking to see if your data is already backed up in the cloud, as Windows’ OneDrive and macOS’ iCloud both offer those services you might not have noticed.Īlternatively, if your connection isn’t up to the task or you’re racing against time before the meltdown occurs, you might want to do this. The easiest way to do this might be to use a cloud storage service as it doesn’t require any additional hardware and is relatively simple. What do you do if you find that your drive is dying after performing the checks? The first thing you’ll want to think about is how to back up all your data.

(Image credit: Microsoft) What if your disk fails? If you’d rather own it, it’s worth seeing if your drive manufacturer has their own tool like Western Digital’s Drive Utilities or Seagate’s handy SeaTools.

This is where stand-alone programs that can offer more comprehensive information come in handy.ĬrystalDiskInfo for Windows is a free tool that can dig a little deeper into your disk status, while macOS users should take a look at DriveDX, which costs $19.99 but comes with a free trial. Remark: This information will not appear if you are using a post 2015 machine with an SSD installed.Īlthough the SMART tool is quick and easy, it only tells you if your drive is good or about to die.

Click on drive you want to check and will read the status” confirmed” or “ unsuccessful” in “ SMART Status“or lower left” IThe ” icon is at the top right. To do this on macOS, to open more disk utility get to your vehicle Appsat the time Vehicles. You will now see your reader(s) listed with each of their statuses – “ OKAY“if yes, okay, or” Pre-failure“If he’s on his way. Entrance Text “ wmic disk drive model, get status“at the time press enter/return. To do this on Windows, To start up more command prompt by opening more the start menu and he writes “ command”- Click Command Prompt when it appears. Although this feature automatically alerts you if there is a problem with your driver, you can check manually if you think something is wrong. Modern hard drives have a feature known as SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) that allows you to quickly see their health status. How to check the health of your hard drive
