Best hard drive health software?

lbeachmike · 10 Mar 2021

Is Hard Disk Sentinel the best overall?

I have an SSD which had a lot of corrupt files, and I'm not sure if there's an underlying issue with this brand new Samsung QVO 870 SSD or if the file corruption was a consequence of something else.

I downloaded Hard Disk Sentinel, and it tells me everything is healthy. But I can't run any of the deeper testing (surface test, etc) without purchasing.

Want to know if that's the way to go ...

Thanks!

AddRAM · 10 Mar 2021

I think it`s the best, but it`s not free

Did you run a simple System File Check, run Command Prompt as Administrator and type sfc /scannow and hit enter.

You can also do a Repair Install.

Are you trying to update W7 to W10 ?

As it says under avatar and name.

lbeachmike · 10 Mar 2021

Yes. I did a Win7->10 upgrade and had some issues. Ultimately I found file corruption via chkdsk.

So I'd like to try the upgrade again, but want to first make sure the drive is a healthy drive.

The command you provided will achieve this? And without consequence to data on the drive?

- - - Updated - - -

I looked up the sfc command. That's not what I'm looking for.

I want to determine the health of the SSD, not the Windows installation.

Thanks.

AddRAM · 10 Mar 2021

I don`t know of any other software that will display the health of a drive like HDS does.

Try this.

CrystalDiskInfo – Crystal Dew World (crystalmark.info)

Yes, a System File Scan should find any corrupt system files and if possible it will repair them.

If you don`t want to run it then don`t.

lbeachmike · 10 Mar 2021

The Crystal Disk web page looks so spammy to the extent that it's hard to even find where to actually download their software, versus being tricked into download some malware. So they lose my trust based on that.

If I want to determine if my SSD is a healthy and reliable SSD, what should I be doing? Running the various disk tests in HDS?

pparks1 · 10 Mar 2021

I dont use anything but Windows.

jmatt · 11 Mar 2021

I have used Softpedia for 15 years for all my downloads.

CrystalDiskInfo
Download CrystalDiskInfo 8.11.2

Also, if you want more SSD opinions.

Macrorit Disk Scanner
Download Macrorit Disk Scanner 4.3.7
Check Hard Disk for Bad Sectors | Scan Disk on Windows

Samsung Magician
Download Samsung Magician 6.2.1.260
SSD Tools & Software | Download | Samsung V-NAND SSD | Samsung Semiconductor Global Website

zbook · 11 Mar 2021

To comprehensively check drives using trial or free software look for these tests:

SMART / health
Benchmark
Full error / surface scan
Long Drive Self Test (DST) / Long generic test
Chkdsk /b /v

Most tests can be performed overnight.
For larger drives or drives with significant problems testing time can be substantially longer

Some software used:

HD Tune
Hard Disk Sentinel
Crystal Disk standard edition
Macrorit
Sea Tools for Windows
GSmart Control

How to Check Drive Health and SMART Status in Windows 10

14 Best Free Hard Drive Testing Tools (March 2021)

dalchina · 11 Mar 2021

Hard Disk Sentinel (SSDs too) is a great tool. It even provides instant comment on communication problems, if any, right on its GUI, as well as a clear comprehensible statement of the number of weak or damaged sectors, and projection of life.

You can find examples of its screenshots posted on tenforums, some recently.
Random example:
the performance of my hard drive hast decreased to 96% (HD Sentinel)

It's given away a few times a year: I've posted some examples of the standard version being given away e.g. via Bitsdujour, for example. There's also a competition, perhaps annually, where you can win a Pro license and a free drive.

You can configure it to alert you to degradation - Crystal Diskinfo (free) offers that, but is dumb in comparison.

lbeachmike · 11 Mar 2021

Thanks for all the valuable feedback.

I have the HDS trial version installed and it reports that everything is great with this drive. Do I still need to buy a license and then run the more exhaustive disk tests to get more certainty about the drive's actual condition?