How to Check Your Storage Drives for Errors

Checking your storage drives for errors is a vital step in maintaining the health and longevity of your computer system. Here’s how you can do it:

Key Takeaways

• Use Built-in Tools for Error Checking: Windows offers the “Check Disk” (chkdsk) tool for detecting and fixing drive errors.
• Third-Party Tools for Detailed Health Monitoring: Tools like CrystalDiskInfo and HD Tune provide in-depth insights into drive health and SMART attributes.
• AI-Powered Monitoring with ULINK DA SmartQuest: This tool uses AI for predictive drive failure analysis and provides detailed health metrics.
• macOS Users Can Use Disk Utility: Mac users can use Disk Utility’s First Aid to check and repair disk errors.
• Regular Maintenance is Key: Backup data, monitor drive health, and defragment HDDs to prevent performance issues and data loss.

Table of Contents

• Using Built-in Tools for Windows
• Using Third-Party Tools
• Using ULINK DA SmartQuest
• On macOS
• Regular Maintenance Tips

Using Built-in Tools for Windows

Windows has an in-built tool called “Check Disk (chkdsk)” that can help:

1. Open “File Explorer” and locate the hard drive you want to check.
2. Right-click on the drive and select Properties.
3. Go to the Tools tab.
4. Under Error checking, click on Check.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Alternatively, you can use the command prompt:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type chkdsk C: /f/r/x (replace “C” with the letter of your drive).

Functions used:

/f: Fixes errors on the disk.
/r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.
/x: Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.

3. Press Enter.

Using Third-Party Tools

There are various third-party tools that can report drive errors.

• CrystalDiskInfo: Provides detailed information about the health and status of your drives. It does this by displaying SMART attributes. In particular, you may want to check SMART 187 (uncorrectable errors), and SMART 5 (reallocated logical sectors).
• HD Tune: Offers health checks and error scanning. This includes scans for bad sectors as well as displaying SMART attributes.
• Western Digital Data Lifeguard: Useful for WD drives, providing both quick and extended tests. This includes scanning for bad sectors, possible repairs for bad sectors, and display of SMART attributes.

Using ULINK DA SmartQuest

ULINK DA SmartQuest is an advanced tool that performs AI-based drive failure predictions, but also reports drive errors. Here’s how to use it:

1. Download and Install: Get the DA SmartQuest application from the ULINK DA website.
2. Run the Application: Open the application and let it read and upload your drive’s health data to DA Drive Analyzer’s cloud servers for analysis and failure prediction.
3. View Health Metrics: The application provides various metrics that reflect drive errors and bad sectors such as SMART attributes (especially see SMART 187 and 5), various drive log data outside of SMART (especially see Reallocated Sector Count (SATA), Number of Reported Uncorrectable Errors (SATA), Media Integrity Error Count (NVMe), Total Write Error Counter (SAS), and Total Read Error Counter (SAS), and system log data (especially see Uncorrectable Error Count). You can view these metrics in DA Portal, an online dashboard. In addition, email notifications can be set up to alert you to new drive errors.

On macOS

For Mac users, the Disk Utility can correct file system errors:

1. Open Disk Utility from the Applications/Utilities folder.
2. Select the hard drive you want to check.
3. Click on the First Aid button.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Regular Maintenance Tips

• Backup Your Data: Always have a backup of your important files.
• Defragment (HDDs Only): Regular defragmentation can help maintain performance. Use the built-in Windows defragmentation tool.
• Monitor Drive Health: Keep an eye on drive performance and any unusual noises or behavior.

Regularly checking your hard drives can help you catch issues early and prevent data loss. If you encounter any errors, it’s a good idea to backup your data immediately and consider replacing the drive if it’s failing.