Checking the disk for bad blocks. How to check a disk for bad sectors

1. How to check HDD?
2. Utilities for checking the system hard drive
3. Other ways to check the hard drive for damage
4. Disk analysis using the command line

A computer's hard drive is the main block of its memory, the part responsible for storing, distributing and moving information. Like any physical media, a hard drive has the ability to fail and become damaged, which is critically unacceptable in cases where vital information is stored on it. important information. Checking your hard drive for functionality is the first thing you need to know how to do when purchasing a computer. We will help you understand the intricacies of this process.

How to check your hard drive?

The first thing we need to do is copy the existing important files to another physical medium, be it a Flash card or a third-party HDD. If your SDD or HDD issues strange noises, clicks, or simply raises doubts about its functionality - you can resort to various methods check it before you take it in specialized service. There are a great many different applications for checking the disk for bad sectors, compatibility of software, hardware, etc. Where to start checking?

Utilities for checking the system hard drive

Microsoft is famous for its large toolkit for working with various system components, and one of them is the standard built-in CHKDSK program for checking and repairing bad sectors. In this case, we can check the disk without installing third party applications. If the disk file system has errors, chkdsk is our assistant in finding and eliminating them.

Main functions of the built-in utility:

Finding and fixing errors in NTFS/FAT file systems
Identification of physically damaged bad sectors
Checking third-party media (USB flash drives, SD cards, etc.) for faults

Starting a system scan is very simple: open the standard “Run” window in the “Start” menu on Windows, or, if you do not have basic skills in interacting with the command line, find the menu we need through “Explorer”. For this:

Find the “My Computer” section in Explorer;
Right-click on the media that requires verification
Open the section “Properties->Service”;
Click the top button “Run check”. This command only works if you have administrator rights;

Reboot the computer during the scan Windows disk automatically searches for problems and fixes problems found;
If there are no problems, the disk will be checked without fixing, but if there are problems, be prepared for the fact that checking the disk will take quite a long time;
The system checks third-party physical media immediately, without rebooting.

Note that the built-in Windows tool performs only a superficial check, and is far from completely accurate in detecting problems with media. To conduct a more thorough and in-depth analysis, you will need to download and install third-party utilities, the most popular of which we will consider below.

Other ways to check the hard drive for damage

Useful utility utilities for checking disk health and troubleshooting:

Seagate Seatools is an equally useful utility, which, however, does not have the versatility of the previous one, and is only compatible with Seagate hard drives; for other models, the analysis will be fragmentary or completely erroneous. Using Stools is quite simple - you select items for diagnostics, and the program performs automatic testing. If the analysis is completed successfully, PASS will be displayed, in other cases you will see the message FAIL. Issues such as:

HDD file system errors;
Problems in Windows boot loader disk MBR;
Hardware conflict and Windows driver incompatibility;
Availability of Bad Sectors;
The presence of Trojans, viruses and other applications that disrupt the operation of the disk.

In many cases, Seagate Tools automatically fixes problems found; in rare cases, it requires user intervention. It is worth noting that you will need to be patient before checking and correcting errors. A painstaking analysis of a hard drive is not a momentary task, and the duration of the process increases in proportion to the volume of recorded memory.

Disk analysis using the command line

This is how you can verify that your hard drive is working using simple combinations. The disc should be checked when you first purchased it. new computer, as well as after errors in installing programs or moving a large number of files. If you rarely use your computer, it is worth turning it on sometimes to overclock the physical media - each hard drive has a certain write-overwrite resource, and the method of writing data to a large media does not provide for static storage.

Even if the hard drive is fully operational and the manufacturer is reliable, it is recommended to always save copies of the most important files on third-party media. Although you can use some programs to recover lost or damaged files, this method is not absolute, and even a computer service center will not always help you recover erased data from physically damaged media.

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

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

CheckDisk System Service is the simplest hard drive diagnostic program that can't find complex errors or fix bad sectors, but is useful for fixing basic problems. It is available on all versions of Windows OS and can be used to check drives of any type. All users need to know how to check a hard drive for errors with this tool.

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

in Windows XP/Vista/7 - select “Management” in context menu“My computer”, then go to the desired menu;
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 and click on it right click mouse and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. By going to the “Service” tab, you need to run the hard drive diagnostic program.

The system will check and automatically correct errors if the disk is in this moment not busy with reading or writing processes. Otherwise, the program will offer to test after rebooting the PC. If necessary, in the scan results window you can see detailed information about the HDD status.

The GUI version does not always help, since it is sometimes necessary to check the status of the hard disk safe mode or without starting the operating system at all. In such cases, the console comes to the rescue; you can launch it before the system starts using boot disk.

Once you open the recovery console, you need to run the chkdsk /f command, which will check all connected drives. In some cases, this will help fix the error. However, in most situations, if a HDD failure has made it impossible to start the system, a more in-depth check of the hard drive’s condition will be required.

To take advantage console command from inside the system you need:

launch the command line (via Win+X or by entering cmd in the “Run” window);
enter the chkdsk command indicating the letter of the partition being checked and additional flags;
Confirm the operation by pressing Y.

Checking the HDD via the command line will be 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, launched from the console.

Simple programs for quickly checking HDD

If standard utilities are not suitable, hard drive diagnostics can be carried out using simple third party programs. They allow you to obtain more information about the health status of the HDD, but in case of serious problems they will not be suitable, since they cannot be used to fix the damage.

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

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

The tool evaluates the read and write speed of various sectors, marking the “slow” cells. During the analysis, the program ensures 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: you can use it to check how external hard disk, 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 the hard drive for serviceability using just two indicators.

The test uses different algorithms, one of which is sequential recording mode. The program gradually fills all the space on the drive with blocks of a size specified by the user, after which it cleans the HDD. The same technique is used by hard drive manufacturers to check product quality. Its disadvantage is that it accelerates the wear of SSD drives.

CrystalDiskInfo And DiskCheckup They are similar in their set of functions, differing only in the interface. They check the status of the hard drive using S.M.A.R.T. algorithms and compile a history of checks, which allows you to track the dynamics of changes. CrystalDiskInfo has more options for visualizing history. For example, you can create a graph, not just get a written report.

Another feature of these programs is convenient system notifications. In-depth hard drive tests usually take a long time. If the user needs to step away from the computer, he can enable notifications of critical HDD errors via E-Mail.

Programs from hard drive manufacturers

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

The proprietary program from Seagate exists in two versions: a standard version for running under Windows and a DOS version in ISO image format, from which you can make bootable USB flash 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 the S.M.A.R.T indicators. to test the hard drive without giving away details about each item. Three tests can be performed:

short self-test of HDD;
short rapid test;
a long-term check in which all sectors are read sequentially.

As the scan progresses, the program automatically corrects any errors found.

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

There are two additional functions:

deep disk formatting - the program writes zeros to all sectors, irreversibly destroying information;
blocking access to bad sectors - the program marks bad blocks, excluding recording new information in them.

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

Deep testing software

If you need not only checking your hard drive for errors, but also correcting bad sectors, you cannot do without a complex software, which carries out the most in-depth analysis of the HDD state.

Victoria HDD

According to many users, Victoria HDD is the best software for detecting hard drive problems. The program gained this reputation due to its wide range of functions.

Victoria exists in two versions:

with a graphical shell for use from inside Windows;
with a DOS shell to create a boot disk.

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

Victoria HDD has a variety of functions:

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

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

HDD Regenerator

HDD Regenerator is a program for professional rehabilitation hard drive. It not only marks bad sectors as unused, but also tries to revive them. For this, not the standard deep formatting method is used, but its own algorithm based on transmitting signals to the sector different levels. Despite its professional level, inexperienced users can also use this software, since testing a hard drive with its help is not difficult thanks to its convenient Russian-language interface.

Program features:

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

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

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

If, after checking the HDD and correcting all problems, the computer does not stop working incorrectly, it is worth checking the registry. Perhaps the failures are caused not by equipment failure, but by internal errors systems.

Good morning everyone!

I think that many users have encountered suspicious work hard disk: long copying/reading of files, brakes, loading up to 100%, clicking, inability to read any files, etc.

This behavior of the disk may indicate serious problems with it. In order to determine what is wrong with it, you have to resort to specialized service utilities.

In this article I want to highlight a few best utilities ah, who can view the S.M.A.R.T readings. (special hard drive self-monitoring technology), check the disk surface for the presence of bad blocks and try to restore its functionality (that is, try to reassign bad sectors to backup ones, see the link below for more details).

What is a bad block, how to check a disk using the Victoria utility (in detail for beginners, with examples and screenshots), see this article -

6 best utilities for checking a disk for bad blocks

Victoria/Victoria

Developer's website: http://hdd-911.com/

One of the best utilities for checking and treating bad blocks on your hard drive. The program performs testing, diagnostics, and treatment of the disk at a low level. In addition to HDD, Victoria supports other types of media: FDD, CD/DVD, USB/Flash/SCSI, and also “sees” drives under Windows via API and ports.

Note: I described how to work with Victoria in one of my previous articles, the link to it is provided just above.

Main features:

support for IDE/SATA controllers;
ability to view S.M.A.R.T. disk;
the ability to control acoustic noise;
tests to check the mechanics and surface of the disc;
obtaining full technical disk information;
ability to work under Windows and DOS;
Supports work on laptops;
support for low-level HDD formatting;
Benchmark functions.

HDDScan

One of best programs for checking hard drives under Windows. Allows you to quickly assess the condition of the hard drive, check the drive for bad sectors, view S.M.A.R.T. attributes.

In addition, the program allows you to manage power, adjust the acoustic mode, and monitor the temperature of the drive (data can be displayed on the taskbar).

Main features:

Support for SSD drives;
Support HDD with interfaces: ATA/SATA, SCSI, USB, FireWire or IEEE 1394;
Drive test in linear verification, linear reading and linear writing modes;
Reading and analysis of identification information from hard drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interfaces;
Changing the AAM, APM, PM parameters on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interfaces (useful for those whose hard drive is very noisy during operation);
Works in all popular Windows OS: XP, 7, 8, 10.

HDTA2

HDAT2- system utility, necessary for diagnosing and “treating” hard drives. One of the main differences between this utility and “Victoria” (presented above) is its support for a much larger type of disk (note: supported interfaces: ATA/ATAPI/SATA, SSD, SCSI and USB).

HDAT2 can operate in 2 modes:

disk level: diagnostics and “treatment” of bad sectors on identified drives. By the way, in addition to diagnostics, you can get any information about the disk (which can only be obtained programmatically);
file level: search, read and check records in file systems FAT 12, 16, 32. Ability to check, delete and restore records of bad sectors and flags in the FAT table.

Important!

I recommend using HDAT2 from a boot disk or flash drive. Work from under Windows program It will most likely be incorrect. On the developer's website, use the version "CD/DVD Boot ISO image"- it must be correctly written to a flash drive/disk, like any bootable media. You can read about this in one of my articles: .

MHDD

Developer's website: http://mhddsoftware.com/

MHDD is a service utility for accurate diagnostics and repair of drives (HDD). The utility allows you to work with disks at a low level, through the ports of the IDE controller. The program has a fairly high speed of scanning and “curing” the disk from “soft”-bad sectors.

Main functions:

accurate and very fast diagnosis of the hard drive condition, optimal algorithm fixes bad sectors;
the ability to adjust the noise from the drive (AAM);
viewing S.M.A.R.T. readings;
error logs;
the ability to delete all information on the disk without the possibility of restoring it;
an attempt to warm up the drive and test it under extreme conditions;
the ability to test several hard drives at once.

Macrorit Disk Scanner

Macrorit Disk Scanner is a good and working tool for checking your hard drive for bad sectors. By the way, I want to especially note that the utility scans the disk very quickly- 1.5-2 times faster than, say, the famous Victoria! True, it will not help “cure” the disk - it simply does not have the functionality that Victoria has.

You can scan the entire disk or a specific range of sectors (useful on large disks when scanning may take too much time).

The utility allows you to work with all popular types of drives: IDE, HDD, SSD, SCSI, FireWire, RAID, SD cards, etc.

Macrorit Disk Scanner main window

Generally, good alternative previous programs, especially when you need to quickly and easily find out the status of the disk.

Ashampoo HDD Control

Developer website: https://www.ashampoo.com/ru/rub/pin/0365/system-software/hdd-control-3

A multifunctional program for monitoring the status of all your drives in the system. Thanks to minute-by-minute monitoring of the status of your disks, the program will prevent the loss of information by warning you in time about any problems.

By the way, anyone who has used products from Ashampoo knows that their programs are designed so that any novice user can work with the program simply and easily. HDD Control is no exception to this rule; anyone who wants it can figure it out...

Main functions:

monitoring the status of drives online;
the ability to test the drive (several tests are available to get a “complete picture” of the drive’s condition);
notification of dangerous disk conditions leading to failure or possible loss of information;
possibility of disk defragmentation;
support for drives with interface: IDE, ATA, hard drives connected via USB and Firewire;
supports disks connected via RAID controllers;
viewing disk information: registration number, cache size, number of partitions, etc.;
It is possible to quickly clean the disk from junk files;
the ability to export data on the disk status and tests performed.

No matter how good the readings are after testing and diagnosing the disk, do not forget to back up important documents and files. As they say, once a year the stick shoots...

It’s better to spend 5 extra minutes on backup than to waste days and weeks of work.

Today we will discuss the topic: How to check your hard drive for errors and bad sectors in Windows 7

There are several ways to check your hard drive.

Checking the hdd for bad sectors using Windows

First of all, you can check your hard drive for bad sectors using standard diagnostic tools of the operating system itself. To do this, you need to go to the “Computer” tab, select the hard drive and, right-clicking on it, select the “Properties” tab

The Properties window will open. local disk, where you need to go to the “Service” tab and click on the “Run check” button

The following local disk check window will open in front of you - there you should check the boxes for the actions that you would like to perform, and then click the start button.

If, during the check, you selected the main disk on which the system is installed, a warning from the system will appear on the monitor, where you will have to agree.

The next time you start the computer, the hard drive will be checked for bad sectors and errors.

If another drive was selected, the hard drive check window will appear, after which a notification about the completion of the check will appear.

How to check hdd for errors and bad sectors in windows 7 via cmd?

The next method is slightly different from the first. Go to the Start menu and enter “cmd” in the search field. Right-click on the result found, and then select “Run as administrator” from the drop-down menu

In the console window that opens, you should enter the command: “chkdsk d: /f /r” and press “Enter”

The check for broken parts will begin. hdd sectors, after which the result will be displayed.

A program to check your hard drive for errors and bad sectors

Additionally, there are external programs to monitor and repair your computer's hard drives. One of them is HDDScan.

You can download this program from the official website, and in this article we will look at how to check your hard drive for bad sectors using it. So, click on the program icon. The main window will appear where you will see the program work area

Click on the “New task” button, which is located in the middle, and select “Surface test” from the drop-down menu

In the next window, select one of the test options and click the “Add test” button

Let's take a quick look at what each test means:

Verify - Reading is in progress into the internal buffer of the drive without transmission via the SATA, IDE or other interface. The operation time is being measured.

Read - Data is being read, transmitted, checked and the operation time is measured.

Erase - the program writes blocks of data to disk one by one, measuring the operation time (All data in the blocks will be deleted).

Butterfly Read - just like the Read test, only the order of reading blocks is observed: reading starts simultaneously from the beginning and end of the range, block 0 and the last one are tested, then block 1 and the penultimate one.

For average testing, the Read test is usually suitable: after you check your hard drive, double-click on the test checking window and see the graph and test status

The most common reason slow work HDD (hard drive) today have bad sectors. To eliminate these types of errors, they must be detected in time and then corrected programmatically. 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 works 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;
Errors when starting Windows;
Sudden PC reboots.

Reasons for errors

Errors in the operation of the HDD, software and physical plan can occur for many reasons. One of the most common is a sudden power outage and stopping Windows operation. This is usually preceded by a power surge. If at this time the HDD was not active and no data was being 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 the computer was shut down incorrectly when the power button was pressed for several seconds.

Usually, after such a shutdown, immediately when you turn on the computer for the first time for any Windows versions An automatic HDD check begins using standard means, which in theory should identify errors and correct them. But not everything is so rosy here. The reason is that such a “native” check from the Windows OS cannot correct most errors, so it starts running every time the computer is turned on.

Scanning using standard means

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

When carrying out such a check, it is recommended to specify in the process parameters - automatic correction of damaged areas. But, as already said, standard means can detect errors, but do not always eliminate them, so the system will display a message about the impossibility of repairing the damaged sector.

You can also use the command line Windows string, write special commands to perform such an action. So, “chkdisk c: /f” will mean starting a HDD surface check with automatic correction. But for working with files in NTFS system another command is used - "chkntfs /x c:".

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

But before you work on your own command line– It is recommended to read the help information regarding the use of various commands.

Informer programs

There are several types special applications, this direction. The most famous programs are Everest, as well as 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 you to change some of them, for example, the rotation speed of a magnetic disk.

Programs for hard drive recovery

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

Total can be found a large number of programs for working with HDD in operating system Windows, 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, more accurate check of the hard drive for damage and its degree - Victoria;
To test the surface of the hard drive - HDD Scan;
For the most complete recovery of your hard drive - HDD Regenerator.

It is worth noting that applications such as HDD Regenerator and Victoria work outside of work Windows environment, since they are launched from a separate storage medium (disk or flash drive). At the same time, “Victoria” is also capable of not only checking the hard drive, but also superficially eliminating damaged sectors, while the second utility performs exclusively a recovery function.