hardware

Hdd Ssd Health Checking

💿 HDD/SSD Health Checking

This guide provides methods and tools for diagnosing the health and integrity of hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) on both PC (Windows/Linux) and Mac systems.

💻 PC HDD/SSD Health Checking

System File and File System Integrity

  • BIOS/UEFI Check: Some motherboards’ BIOS/UEFI includes a built-in NVMe health checking utility.
  • Check Disk Utility: Use the Windows command chkdsk /r /f to find and fix file system issues and scan for bad sectors.
  • System File Checker: Use sfc /scannow to scan for and fix damaged Windows system files.

Manufacturer and Advanced Diagnostics

  • Manufacturer Tools: Run a manufacturer’s HD diagnostic test (e.g., Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic, SeaTools for Seagate).
  • Verification: Use the manufacturer’s tool and/or the Seagate/Ontrack HD diagnostic utility for result verification.
  • Bootable Toolkits: Utilize diagnostic software found on bootable environments:
    • Hiren’s All-In-One Bootable USB
    • Medicat Bootable USB
    • USB Bootable Manufacturer Diagnostics Utility

SMART Data Monitoring

Use dedicated third-party software to check SSD and HDD health stats and SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) information:

Key SMART Attributes to Look For:

  • Reallocated Sector Count (Indicates bad sectors replaced with spares.)
  • Current Pending Sector Count (Sectors waiting to be reallocated.)
  • Errors in the logs or SMART testing.

🍏 Mac HDD/SSD Health Checking

1. Disk Utility (Built-in macOS Tool)

Disk Utility is the native macOS tool for managing and diagnosing drives.

Steps to Check Drive Health in Disk Utility:

  1. Open Disk Utility: Press $\text{Command}$ ($\text{⌘}$) + $\text{Space}$ and type Disk Utility, or go to Applications $\rightarrow$ Utilities $\rightarrow$ Disk Utility.
  2. Select Your Drive: In the left-hand panel, click on the top-level drive (e.g., “APPLE SSD…” or “Macintosh HD”), not the volume.
  3. Check SMART Status (Internal Drives Only): Look at the bottom of the window for the SMART Status indicator:
    • “Verified” $\rightarrow$ The drive is healthy.
    • “Failing” $\rightarrow$ The drive is in poor condition and should be replaced soon.
  4. Run First Aid: Click First Aid in the top menu, then click Run to check for file system errors and attempt repairs.

2. SMART Utility via Terminal (Built-in)

You can check the basic SMART status directly using the Terminal application.

  1. Open Terminal: Finder $\rightarrow$ Applications $\rightarrow$ Utilities $\rightarrow$ Terminal.
  2. Run the Command: 
    diskutil info disk0 | grep SMART
  3. Output: “SMART Status: Verified” indicates good health; “SMART Status: Failing” indicates imminent failure.

3. Third-Party macOS Tools

Tool Type Key Features Notes
DriveDx Free Trial (Paid Full) Best Mac monitor. Detailed SMART attributes, failure prediction, works with internal and external drives. https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx
SMARTReporter Free Monitors SMART status from the menu bar and alerts you before a potential failure. https://www.corecode.io/smartreporter/
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Free Performance Testing. Checks read/write speeds, which can indicate drive degradation. Download from the Mac App Store.