One thing we all know about machines and devices is that they usually don’t last forever. No matter how careful one is, they all wear out over time and therefore will one day be inoperable. The same is the case with all components of the computer.
Courteous image: okuryu
If devices like RAM, web camera, touchpad are not working, it can be replaced at the nearest service center but what if your hard drive fails! Of course you can buy and install a new hard disk without any effort but what about the data disappearing forever. Can’t take the chance, right? (yes, you can do it if you back up your data and create system images regularly, but it’s still a big hassle)
The best way to prevent (or to know before it happens) a disk failure is to perform periodic checks on it. Diagnosing hard disks for bad sectors now and then is a good practice. The chkdsk command can do this but for a better understanding of the situation we recommend you to try SeaTools.
SeaTools, from Seagate is a free software that helps users to check and analyze their hard disk at the hardware level for errors and bad sectors. Although it’s a tool from Seagate Labs, it works perfectly on any hard disk regardless of manufacturer.
Some suggestions before you start diagnosing your hard drive
- Please close all other applications before running the diagnostics. Make sure there are no unnecessary processes running in the background using task manager.
- If you’re diagnosing a laptop, make sure it’s not running on batteries. Make sure it is plugged into a power source.
- If you have any external drives connected to your computer that you don’t want to diagnose, safely remove it before continuing.
- I also recommend sitting with a cup of coffee or some snacks before starting. Yes, it’s a (usually) time consuming process.
Diagnose hard disk for bad sectors and other problems
Step 1: Download and install SeaTools for Windows on your computer. The installation is very simple; all you need to do is follow the instructions in the Setup Wizard.
Step 2: After the program is successfully installed, launch the program with administrative rights (right click, click run as administrator). On the main interface of the program, you will be shown a list of all detected drives (Internal or external) along with their respective Serial Number, Model Number, Firmware Version and Status.
Step 3: Select the disk you want to check for errors by ticking the box next to it. Now click on the basic test and select the type of test you want to run. The long general test gives you the most detailed information but can take hours to complete.
Note: Please don’t use advanced tests if you don’t have any idea about it. I myself did not try it because of this warning message.
Step 4: Now SeaTools will start diagnosing your disk. This process will take some time depending on your disc face. You can run some errands in the meantime or enjoy your coffee if you’re sitting with one person.
Step 5: After completing the analysis, if you see a green message written in the drive status column, then you do not need to worry, your drive is still pink and has no bad sectors at all. If bad sectors are detected during the test diagnostics, it will pause with a FAIL status and issue a SeaTools Test Code.
If SeaTools gives you a red indication regarding the health of your hard disk, you should back up all your important data immediately and consider replacing your hard disk.
My judgment
SeaTools is a nice and simple tool to use, but perhaps a bit confusing (I mean the results it produces and how it runs the tests). In my opinion, the program will provide more insight into all kinds of tests and make the scan results more vivid and clear from the user’s point of view. However, it is a must-have tool for Windows users.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
