How to check a laptop for bad sectors. How to check a hard drive for errors and bad sectors (bad blocks)
HDDScan
The program is designed to check hard drives and SSDs for bad sectors, view S.M.A.R.T. attributes, changing special settings, such as power management, spindle start/stop, acoustic mode adjustment, etc. The drive temperature value can be displayed in the taskbar.
Features and Requirements
Supported drive types:- HDD with ATA/SATA interface.
- HDD with SCSI interface.
- HDD with USB interface (see Appendix A).
- HDD with FireWire or IEEE 1394 interface (see Appendix A).
- RAID arrays with ATA/SATA/SCSI interface (tests only).
- Flash drives with USB interface (tests only).
- SSD with ATA/SATA interface.
- Test in linear verification mode.
- Test in linear reading mode.
- Test in linear recording mode.
- Butterfly reading mode test (artificial random reading test)
- Reading and analyzing S.M.A.R.T. parameters from disks with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interface.
- Reading and analyzing log tables from SCSI drives.
- Launch S.M.A.R.T. tests on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interfaces.
- Temperature monitor for drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interfaces.
- Reading and analysis of identification information from drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interfaces.
- Changing AAM, APM, PM parameters on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire interfaces.
- View information about defects on a drive with a SCSI interface.
- Spindle start/stop on drives with ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire/SCSI interface.
- Saving reports in MHT format.
- Printing reports.
- Skin support.
- Command line support.
- Support for SSD drives.
- Operating system: Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 (NEW).
- The program should not be run from a drive operating in read-only mode.
User Interface
Main view of the program at startup
Rice. 1 Main type of program
Main window controls:
- Select Drive – a drop-down list that contains all supported drives in the system. The drive model and serial number are displayed. Nearby there is an icon that determines the expected type of drive.
- S.M.A.R.T. button – allows you to get a report on the state of the drive based on S.M.A.R.T attributes.
- TESTS button – displays a pop-up menu with a selection of read and write tests (see Figure 2).
- TOOLS Button – Displays a pop-up menu to select available drive controls and functions (see Figure 3).
- More button – shows a drop-down menu with program controls.
When you click the TESTS button, a pop-up menu offers you one of the tests. If you select any test, the test dialog box will open (see Figure 4).
Rice. 2 Test menu
When you press the TOOLS button, a pop-up menu will prompt you to choose from the following options:
Rice. 3 Function menu
- DRIVE ID – Generates an identification information report.
- FEATURES – opens a window of additional program features.
- S.M.A.R.T. TEST – opens the S.M.A.R.T window. tests: Short, Extended, Conveyance.
- TEMP MON – starts the temperature monitoring task.
- COMMAND – opens a command line build window.
Test Dialog Box
Rice. 4 Test dialog box
Controls:
- The FIRST SECTOR field is the initial logical number of the sector to be tested.
- Field SIZE – the number of logical sector numbers for testing.
- Field BLOCK SIZE – block size in sectors for testing.
- Previous button – returns to the main program window.
- Next button – adds a test to the task queue.
- Only one surface test can be run at a time. This is due to the fact that the author of the program has not yet been able to obtain stable, high-quality results when running 2 or more tests simultaneously (on different drives).
- A test in Verify mode can have a block size limit of 256, 16384 or 65536 sectors. This is due to the way Windows works.
- The test in Verify mode may not work correctly on USB/Flash drives.
- When testing in Verify mode, the drive reads a block of data into the internal buffer and checks its integrity; no data is transferred through the interface. The program measures the readiness time of the drive after performing this operation after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from minimum to maximum.
- When testing in Read mode, the drive reads data into the internal buffer, after which the data is transferred through the interface and stored in the program's temporary buffer. The program measures the total time of drive readiness and data transfer after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from minimum to maximum.
- When testing in Erase mode, the program prepares a block of data filled with a special pattern with a sector number and transfers the data to the drive, the drive writes the received block ( the information in the block is irretrievably lost!). The program measures the total time of block transmission and recording and drive readiness after each block and displays the results. Blocks are tested sequentially - from minimum to maximum.
- Testing in Butterfly Read mode is similar to testing in Read mode. The difference is in the order in which the blocks are tested. Blocks are processed in pairs. The first block in the first pair will be Block 0. The second block in the first pair will be Block N, where N is the last block of the given section. The next pair will be Block 1, Block N-1, etc. Testing ends in the middle of a given area. This test measures reading and positioning time.
Task management window
Rice. 5 Task manager
This window contains the task queue. This includes all the tests that the program runs, as well as the temperature monitor. The manager allows you to remove tests from the queue. Some tasks can be paused or stopped.
Double-clicking on an entry in the queue brings up a window with information about the current task.
Test information window
The window contains information about the test, allows you to pause or stop the test, and also generates a report.
Graph Tab:
Contains information on the dependence of testing speed on the block number, which is presented in the form of a graph.
Rice. 6 Graph Tab
Map Tab:
Contains information about the dependence of testing time on the block number, which is presented in the form of a map.
Rice. 7 Map tab
You can select Block Processing Time in milliseconds. Each tested block that took longer than the "Block Processing Time" will be logged in the "Report" tab.
Report tab:
Contains information about the test and all blocks whose testing time is greater than the “Block Processing Time”.
Rice. 8 Report tab
Identification information
The report contains information about the main physical and logical parameters of the drive.
The report can be printed and saved to an MHT file.
Rice. 9 Example of identification information window
S.M.A.R.T. report
The report contains information about the performance and health of the drive in the form of attributes. If, according to the program, the attribute is normal, then a green icon appears next to it. Yellow indicates attributes that you should pay special attention to; as a rule, they indicate some kind of drive malfunction. Red denotes attributes that are outside the norm.
Reports can be printed or saved to an MHT file.
Rice. 10 Example of a S.M.A.R.T. report
Temperature monitor
Allows you to evaluate the storage temperature. Information is displayed in the taskbar, as well as in a special test information window. Rice. 11 contains readings for two drives.
Rice. 11 Temperature monitor in the taskbar
For ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire drives, the information window contains 2 values. The second value is displayed in the taskbar.
The first value is taken from the Airflow Temperature attribute, the second value is taken from the HDA Temperature attribute.
Rice. 12 Temperature monitor for ATA/SATA disk
For SCSI drives, the information window contains 2 values. The second value is displayed in the taskbar.
The first value contains the maximum permissible temperature for the drive, the second shows the current temperature.
Rice. 13 Temperature monitor for SCSI disk
S.M.A.R.T. tests
The program allows you to run three types of S.M.A.R.T. tests:
- Short test – usually lasts 1-2 minutes. Checks the main components of the drive, and also scans a small area of the drive surface and sectors located in the Pending-List (sectors that may contain read errors). The test is recommended for quickly assessing the condition of the drive.
- Extended test – usually lasts from 0.5 to 60 hours. Checks the main components of the drive, and also completely scans the surface of the drive.
- Conveyance test – usually lasts several minutes. Checks drive nodes and logs, which may indicate improper storage or transportation of the drive.
A SMART test can be selected from the SMART Tests dialog box, which is accessed by clicking the SMART TESTS button.
Rice. 14 SMART Tests Dialog Box
Once selected, the test will be added to the Tasks queue. S.M.A.R.T information window test can display the execution and completion status of a task.
Rice. 15 Information window S.M.A.R.T. test
Additional features
For ATA/SATA/USB/FireWire drives, the program allows you to change some parameters.
- AAM – function controls drive noise. Enabling this function allows you to reduce drive noise due to smoother positioning of the heads. At the same time, the drive loses a little performance during random access.
- APM function allows you to save drive power by temporarily reducing the rotation speed (or completely stopping) the drive spindle during idle time.
- PM – function allows you to set the spindle stop timer for a specific time. When this time is reached, the spindle will be stopped, provided that the drive is in idle mode. Accessing the drive by any program forces the spindle to spin up and the timer is reset to zero.
- The program also allows you to force stop or start the drive spindle. Accessing the drive by any program forces the spindle to spin.
Rice. 16 Information window for additional ATA/SATA drive capabilities
For SCSI drives, the program allows you to view defect lists and start/stop the spindle.
Rice. 17 Information window for additional SCSI drive capabilities
Using the Command Line
The program can build a command line to control certain drive parameters and save this line to a .bat or .cmd file. When such a file is launched, the program is called in the background, changes the drive parameters according to the specified ones, and closes automatically.
Rice. 18 Command line build window
Appendix A: USB/FireWire Drives
If the drive is supported by the program, then tests are available for it, S.M.A.R.T. functions and additional features.
If the drive is not supported by the program, then only tests are available for it.
USB/FireWire drives supported by the program:
| Storage device | Controller chip |
| StarTeck IDECase35U2 | Cypress CY7C68001 |
| WD Passpopt | Unknown |
| Iomega PB-10391 | Unknown |
| Seagate ST9000U2 (PN: 9W3638-556) | Cypress CY7C68300B |
| Seagate External Drive (PN: 9W286D) | Cypress CY7C68300B |
| Seagate FreeAgentPro | Oxford |
| CASE SWEXX ST010 | Cypress AT2LP RC7 |
| Vantec CB-ISATAU2 (adapter) | JMicron JM20337 |
| Beyond Micro Mobile Disk 3.5" 120GB | Prolific PL3507 (USB only) |
| Maxtor Personal Storage 3100 | Prolific PL2507 |
| In-System ISD300A | |
| SunPlus SPIF215A | |
| Toshiba USB Mini Hard Drive | Unknown |
| USB Teac HD-15 PUK-B-S | Unknown |
| Transcend StoreJet 35 Ultra (TS1TSJ35U-EU) | Unknown |
| AGEStar FUBCP | JMicron JM20337 |
| USB Teac HD-15 PUK-B-S | Unknown |
| Prolific 2571 | |
| All Drives That Support SAT Protocol | Majority of Modern USB controllers |
USB/FireWire drives that the program may support:
| Storage device | Controller chip |
| AGEStar IUB3A | Cypress |
| AGEStar ICB3RA | Cypress |
| AGEStar IUB3A4 | Cypress |
| AGEStar IUB5A | Cypress |
| AGEStar IUB5P | Cypress |
| AGEStar IUB5S | Cypress |
| AGEStar NUB3AR | Cypress |
| AGEStar IBP2A2 | Cypress |
| AGEStar SCB3AH | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar SCB3AHR | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar CCB3A | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar CCB3AT | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar IUB2A3 | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar SCBP | JMicron JM2033x |
| AGEStar FUBCP | JMicron JM2033x |
| Noontec SU25 | Prolific PL2507 |
| Transcend TS80GHDC2 | Prolific PL2507 |
| Transcend TS40GHDC2 | Prolific PL2507 |
| I-O Data HDP-U series | Unknown |
| I-O Data HDC-U series | Unknown |
| Enermax Vanguard EB206U-B | Unknown |
| Thermaltake Max4 A2295 | Unknown |
| Spire GigaPod SP222 | Unknown |
| Cooler Master - RX-3SB | Unknown |
| MegaDrive200 | Unknown |
| RaidSonic Icy Box IB-250U | Unknown |
| Logitech USB | Unknown |
USB/FireWire drives that the program does not support:
| Storage device | Controller chip |
| Matrix | Genesis Logic GL811E |
| Pine | Genesis Logic GL811E |
| Iomega LDHD250-U | Cypress CY7C68300A |
| Iomega DHD160-U | Prolific PL-2507 (modified firmware) |
| Iomega | |
| Maxtor Personal Storage 3200 | Prolific PL-3507 (modified firmware) |
| Maxtor One-Touch | Cypress CY7C68013 |
| Seagate External Drive (PN-9W2063) | Cypress CY7C68013 |
| Seagate Pocket HDD | Unknown |
| SympleTech SympleDrive 9000-40479-002 | CY7C68300A |
| Myson Century CS8818 | |
| Myson Century CS8813 |
Appendix B: SSD drives
Support for a particular drive largely depends on the controller installed on it.
SSD drives supported by the program:
| Storage device | Controller chip |
| OCZ Vertex, Vertex Turbo, Agility, Solid 2 | Indilinx IDX110M00 |
| Super Talent STT_FTM28GX25H | Indilinx IDX110M00 |
| Corsair Extreme Series | Indilinx IDX110M00 |
| Kingston SSDNow M-Series | Intel PC29AS21AA0 G1 |
| Intel X25-M G2 | Intel PC29AS21BA0 G2 |
| OCZ Throttle | JMicron JMF601 |
| Corsair Performance Series | Samsung S3C29RBB01 |
| Samsung SSDs | Samsung Controllers |
| Crucial and Micron SSDs | Some Marvel Controllers |
SSD drives that the program may support:
Additional Information
Version HDDScan 3.3 can be downloaded version 2.8
| Support: |
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 Local Disk Properties window will open, 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”
A check for bad hdd sectors will begin, 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, but 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
Regardless of your operating system (Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8), go to Computer (My Computer, This Computer), right-click on the drive you want to check, select " Properties".
In the properties window, go to the " tab Service" and click the " button Run check".
Check both boxes
Automatically fix system errors.
Scan and repair system sectors.
and press " Launch".
If you check the system volume (the disk on which the operating system is installed, usually drive C), you will see the message " Windows cannot verify the hard drive that is currently in use", click " Disk check schedule".
Then restart your computer/laptop; during boot, the process of checking and correcting errors on the disk will begin. It will last from several minutes to an hour (depending on the size of the partition and the physical characteristics of the hard drive). When finished, the operating system will boot.
Checking the hard drive using the chkdsk utility.
CHKDSK (short for check disk) is a standard application in the DOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems that checks a hard drive or floppy disk for file system errors (for example, the same sector is marked as belonging to two different files). CHKDSK can also fix file system errors it finds. (from Wikipedia)
In order to run the chkdsk utility, you need to run a command prompt with administrator rights, to do this:
IN Windows XP click - "Command line"
IN Windows 7 click "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" "Command line" and select "Run as administrator".
IN Windows 8.1 right click on "Start" - "Command Prompt (Administrator)".
As a result, a command line console will open.
First of all, let's find out the syntax of the chkdsk utility:
CHKDSK [volume[[path]filename]] ]
Volume Specifies the mount point, volume name, or drive letter of the drive being checked, followed by a colon.
file name Files checked for fragmentation (FAT/FAT32 only).
/F Correcting disk errors.
/V For FAT/FAT32: output the full path and name of each file on the disk. For NTFS: display cleanup messages (if any).
/R Search for bad sectors and restore surviving contents (requires /F).
/L:size For NTFS only: Set the log file size (in KB). If a size is not specified, the current size value is displayed.
/X Pre-dismount the volume (if necessary). All open handles to this volume will be invalidated (requires /F).
/I NTFS only: Less strict checking of index entries.
/C NTFS only: skip checking for loops within folder structures.
/B NTFS only: Re-evaluate bad clusters on disk (requires /R)
The /I or /C options reduce Chkdsk execution time by skipping some volume checks.
Of all the command attributes, the two most often used to check a disk for errors are /f and /r. The final command looks like this:
chkdsk C:/F/R
With this command we will check partition C, correct errors on the disk and restore information from damaged sectors (if any).
After entering this command, you will be prompted to check the volume the next time the system reboots, click Y and a key Enter.
Now you need to reboot the system, when loading you will see a window prompting a check, do not click anything, just wait 10 seconds.
Checking for hard drive errors using Victoria.
The Victoria program is designed to check for errors on hard drives with IDE and Serial ATA interfaces. The program is a completely ready-made solution for a comprehensive, in-depth, and at the same time, the fastest possible assessment of the real technical condition of the HDD.
First of all, download the ISO image of the program from official website . Unzip the downloaded archive and burn it to a CD/DVD, as described in the article How to burn to CD/DVD . After this, boot from the burned disk, how to do this is described step by step in the article How to boot from a CD/DVD disk or USB flash drive .
After booting from the disk within 10 seconds, select the program for your device (Victoria for the computer will load by default).
The program interface will launch. Press the F2 key so that the program itself finds the disk; if this does not happen, you must do it manually. To do this, press the "P" key. The same will have to be done if the system has several hard drives and you need to select one of them. If you have hard drives with a SATA interface, then in the Select HDD port menu that appears, select - " Ext. PCI ATA/SATA". Move using the cursor keys "up", "down", and select using the "Enter" key.
Next, to check the disk surface, press the F4 key. In the HDD scan menu window: select the necessary scan parameters. By default, it is proposed to scan the entire disk from the beginning of "Start LBA: 0" to the end of "End LBA: 20971520". I recommend leaving these default values. The next menu item – I recommend leaving “Linear reading”, since it is intended for the fastest and most accurate diagnosis of the surface condition. In the fourth point, I recommend choosing the mode BB = Advanced REMAP since this mode checks the disk most efficiently and corrects errors on it without deleting information.
After this, a check for hard disk errors will start and bad areas will be corrected. This procedure can take from several tens of minutes to several hours. Depends on the volume and spindle speed.
When finished, remove the disc from the drive and restart the computer.
Video of checking a hard drive using the Victoria utility. Error elimination - DRSC+DRDY is missing or the screw does not remove BUSY
Perhaps the most important component of a PC is the hard drive (HDD), since it contains all the information created by the user. Of course, any HDD needs timely maintenance, namely checking for errors and bad sectors, in order to avoid the loss of important information.
A “bad sector” is an unreadable sector on a hard drive. It can be natural: the factory state of some sectors of any hard drive, an inevitable manufacturing defect, or acquired - a successful power failure, a shock, a leak. Few people are interested in the appearance of bad sectors one by one; this is a routine that SMART successfully grinds up.
The emergence of interest in bad sectors is usually associated with the fact that you have a partially or completely unreadable disk. From this point of view, the classification is simple:
- Broken sectors are permanent, for example, those associated with surface damage - something that cannot be restored.
- Broken sectors are temporary, associated with non-fatal errors in logic, which is what you can try to pull out; strictly speaking, the question of the operability of the restored sectors remains open.
The number of bad sectors on the disk can be:
- Constant within normal limits (live hdd). No action required.
- Constantly above normal (usually the consequences of a blow). Sometimes it can be done with manual intervention.
- Growing (crumbled due to age or design). Requires urgent replacement of the hard drive.
Reasons for the appearance of a bad HDD sector
To put it simply, the modern hard drive is a product of the evolution of the gramophone. The record spins, the head reads the record sector by sector, the control unit glues files from the read pieces. The head hovers above the surface of the plate, and when it stops, it falls. There are readable and unreadable sectors on the tracks; a sector itself is the minimum part of the track, Wikipedia will confirm.
This model is sufficient to demonstrate the main problems:
- Damage to the surface of the disk—mechanical contact of the plate with the head—may cause the disk to shed, or may remain a fixed area.
- A partial change in the surface properties (magnetization) of a sector (a typical reanimated sector) can be extended by referring to neighboring sectors.
- Various logic errors, SMART arbitrariness, fs errors (everything corrects itself during operation and based on the results of self-diagnosis).
- Shedding of the magnetic layer from the surface is known as a sign of old age, but may be a consequence of loss of tightness.
Contrary to popular belief, a blow to the case of a working HDD is not as bad as vibration. The head is held above the surface by such cunning magic that touching the surface requires a significant force, which is unlikely to occur upon impact, but is easily achieved by resonance.
How to check a disk for bad sectors and errors
It is worth remembering that the disk is checked for reading, checking sectors for writing will erase everything that was on the disk! Well, it’s also worth keeping in mind that for a proper test, the disk must be free from other tasks at the time of testing. Checking a hard drive for bad sectors is not a common task; Windows does everything that is necessary automatically.
Windows has long had a utility that checks and corrects hard drive errors, chkdsk. You can find the utility in the disk properties, the button is called “check disk”.
Any self-respecting manufacturer, when releasing a disk, puts on the website a diagnostic utility that not only monitors the condition of the HDD, but can also carry out service actions designed to alleviate its suffering, sometimes even up to calibration. Checking hard disk sectors is a must for this class of programs.
In addition, there is a zoo of diagnostic, repair, “professional” tools, in which the devil himself would break his leg for a long time. And quite a large number of truly professional programs for analysis and repair. It is worth noting that most of them are destructive, that is, with their help you can kill a working hard drive in a way that not every master can restore.
Programs for checking your hard drive for bad sectors
For those who do not believe in chkdsk, graphical programs for checking the hard drive, or rather more or less gentle tools that do not punish for the wrong key, are HDD Regenerator, HDD Health. Graphical utilities show a health graph, tell you what parameters are being tested and, importantly, have adequately labeled buttons that make it easy to understand the program. Linux users are less fortunate; most utilities are console-based and require an understanding of the parameters.
Among the utilities from the manufacturer, it is worth remembering Seagate SeaTools - a convenient, powerful program, all its power is manifested only on native hard drives, but checking hard drive sectors is also available for “outsiders”
Checking HDD using Windows 7 and 10
Checking your hard drive for errors using Windows always involves running chkdsk in recovery mode. This launch can be done using the button in the disk properties.
“My Computer” -> “Properties” -> “Tools” → “disk check” “Run check”.
Or, if the button is missing, this occurs in some editions of Windows 10, this check can be easily launched from the command line as an administrator using the command
chkdsk c: /f where c: is the letter of the drive being checked. Checking the hdd for bad sectors in the case of a system partition will begin after a reboot, since checking requires exclusive access to the disk.
You should not run this command often, but the check window that appears at every boot is the reason for the question: “how to check a hard drive for errors” and the answer to this question, since it is usually associated with disk problems.
What to do if you detect bad sectors on your hard drive
Not so long ago, hard drives were released on which it was possible to manually reassign sectors, and this is why many people are convinced that formatting from Bios cures all illnesses. But alas, now calibration is so complicated that it is carried out once at the manufacturer. It should also be understood that most changes in surface condition are irreversible and nothing can be restored. It can often be reassigned without loss of capacity, although it all depends on the condition of the “patient”.
Options for hard drive states and subsequent actions:
- The disk is working, works well, is stable, the percentage of bad ones is not growing - make a backup, forget that there are bad sectors on it and enjoy life.
- The disk is basically working, the number of bad sectors is not growing, but when accessing a certain area there are problems - try to divide it into partitions without affecting the problem area, save for a new one.
- The disk is not working, strong brakes, smart and BIOS warnings - change the hard drive.
Programs for recovering HDD drives
Victoria and Mhdd, any of these programs allows you to conduct a complete diagnosis and save the drive from many problems. They are launched from DOS and require careful study of the manual before starting, as they can irreversibly destroy the data or logic of the hard drive! In general, do not start without knowing what you are doing, especially since such hard drive maintenance has long been entrusted to the controller and in most cases he copes with it. If it's not broken, don't fix it; this old advice is most relevant when it comes to the broken sector.
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Many users of computers, smartphones, cameras, cameras and other electronic devices have at one time encountered…
The hard drive in a computer is the most important component in the operation of the system, because the operating system and all data are stored on it.
Over time, the hard drive wears out. Hard drives are susceptible to falls, vibrations, and impacts, especially when the hard drive is running. For these reasons, unreadable areas are formed on the hard drive. They are usually called bad sectors or BADs.
We will look at how to check a hard drive for bad sectors and how to fix them in more detail in the article below.
To put it in a more understandable language, the surface consists of many cells, and a specific unit of information is recorded in each cell. By summing these cells we get a file.
Over time, the disk wears out or when there is physical impact on the hard disk, some cells stop working, that is, they cannot be read and nothing can be written to them. These cells are called bad sectors.
Determining whether a bad sector is an Internet connection is very simple. If writing or reading to this cell takes more than 500 milliseconds, then such a sector is considered broken.
How to check a hard drive for bad sectors?
To check your hard drive for bad sectors, you can use specialized programs. Currently there are 2 good programs for these tasks. The first is Victoria and the second is MHDD
The Victoria program has a version for running under DOS, as well as for Windows, and the MHDD program has a version for running under DOS.
But it is recommended to check the hard drive for bad sectors from under DOS, booting from a bootable flash drive. When checking in DOS, you will get a more accurate result than when checking in Windows, and the chances of healing bad sectors are much higher if you do it under DOS.
These two programs not only check the hard drive for bad sectors, but are also capable of restoring these sectors, bringing them into working condition, unless of course there are very many such sectors.
How to recover bad sectors on a hard drive
Each hard drive has a special reserve area with additional cells. Thus, if the testing program finds a bad sector, then it changes the address of the bad sector to the address of a new sector from the spare area. This procedure is called Remap, this is where the phrase “Remap the BED” comes from.
In S.M.A.R.T. hard drive, you can look at the parameter called 05 Reallocated Sector Count. This parameter will show the number of sectors already reassigned. More precisely, how many sectors have already been reassigned from the reserve area.
You need to understand that the reserve area is not large, so if there are a large number of bad sectors on the hard drive, then such a hard drive will have to be replaced with a new one.
Recovering bad sectors of a hard drive program
Now we will consider in detail programs for restoring bad sectors of a hard drive. Victoria and MHDD programs.
Victoria hdd how to fix bad sectors
To start fixing bad sectors using Victoria hdd, you first need to download the program to your computer. The program does not require installation, just run the executable file.exe
On the Standard tab, you need to select the disk with which you will perform further actions. To do this, click on the desired disk with the left mouse button.
The next step is to go to the “Tests” tab, in which we enable the correction of bad sectors Remap and to start, press the “Start” button, after which the scanning will begin.
In a special area, information on sectors will be displayed, as well as approximately how much time is left until completion.
The number of bad sectors is determined by the sum of sectors that are highlighted in orange, red and blue.
MHDD Program
Like the program above, it does a good job of checking for bad sectors and also repairs them.
This program runs only under DOS, but there is nothing scary or complicated about it. To do this, you need to prepare a bootable USB flash drive with DOS, this can be done in minutes. I will write how to do this in future articles.