Sooner or later, many of us noticed a gradual deterioration in the performance of our computer and a drop in the speed of copying/moving files. This happens for several reasons, the most common of which is a malfunction of the system’s hard drive. From our new article you will learn how to check a disk for errors yourself, and what may be required for this.
Unlike modern solid-state SSD drives, HDD hard drives were developed long before the advent of the first personal computer. An interesting fact is that the basic principles of its operation have not changed for 50 years. Only the operating speed and memory volume increased, the connection interface changed, and the dimensions decreased.
The main components of this data storage device are magnetized disks driven by an electric motor. Information from the disk surface is read by a moving head, which transmits it to the device controller for subsequent processing. If everything is clear with damage to moving parts (they can be easily noticed by the characteristic noise or even complete failure of the HDD), then problems with sectors of the magnetized area can only be identified with the help of special programs. An indirect sign of “broken” sectors is slower data transfer, frequent crashes and errors, the appearance of BSOD, and partial loss of recorded information.
When you first suspect that the disk has begun to crumble, you don’t have to immediately look for a powerful HDD analysis utility. To get started, the built-in Windows tools will be enough, namely: the Check disk program. If the hard drive malfunctions, it can start automatically when you restart the computer, but this time we use it forcibly.
To check the status of your hard drive:
Place a check mark next to it "Check and repair bad sectors" and click "Launch".
The duration of the scan depends on the condition and performance of the device, as well as the size of the local disk. At the end of the process, the program will mark damaged sectors as unused and correct errors in accessing the contents of the drive.
Note! When you run "chkdsk" on the system partition "C:", you will need to reboot the system, after which the search will begin automatically.
As stated above, scanning the system partition «
C:" will not start without rebooting your PC, so you will see a prompt to start the action the next time you start it. To confirm, enter “Y”. 
In most cases, the standard utility does an excellent job of checking and restoring the hard drive. Its main disadvantages are minimal information content and the lack of additional functions for a complete analysis of the HDD state. To determine the degree of wear of the device, temperature conditions, and the speed of individual operations, specialized utilities are needed, which will be discussed below.
Our review opens with the miniature healing utility Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic from the hard drive manufacturer of the same name. The developers did not show “corporate egoism” and optimized their product for devices from all well-known brands, which makes DLGDIAG a universal, simple and affordable tool for any system.
To check the HDD for bad sectors using Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic:
To check the status of the hard drive and get acquainted with the data of the SMART system, click on the icon under the number 1. The utility will provide comprehensive information about the performance and technical resource (“health”) of the device. If all your values are marked with green checkmarks, your HDD is in good condition. 
To eliminate possible hidden problems, we recommend using a thorough scan, in which every cell of the marked area will be scanned. During the search process, DLGDIAG will correct errors, block access to slow sectors, and thereby extend the life of the device. However, if the report looks like the screenshot below, then an urgent replacement of the hard drive will be required to avoid loss of information on it.
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic has the following advantages:
We also couldn’t help but mention the disadvantages:
The multifunctional HDD Regenerator combine is one of the most advanced automatic hard drive diagnostic systems on a PC. The program supports all existing HDD and SSD devices, modern interfaces and file systems. It can perform SMART analysis of devices, check and fix broken clusters, and restore the functionality of a severely worn out hard drive.
The main feature of this software is its work in real time. HDD Regenerator informs the user about the temperature of the hard drive, read and write errors, the need for restoration work and other important information.
Important! Let us immediately warn you that correction of damaged areas is possible only after purchasing a license costing $99.99. Only diagnostics are free.
To check the hard drive with HDD Regenerator:
The search and fix process looks like this: 
Advantages of HDD Regenerator:
Main disadvantages:
The last participant in our review is Victoria HDD. The professional-class utility, which has long declared itself, uses its own algorithms for searching and restoring the hard drive. The software differs from competitors in the abundance of settings and diagnostic parameters, as well as excellent information content. To troubleshoot, Victoria HDD queries only the hard drive controller, without interacting with the BIOS, which has a good effect on the compatibility of the utility and the system.
To start using Victoria:
The utility detected two bad cells.
The advantages of Victoria HDD are:
Disadvantages of the utility:
The situation when a hard drive suddenly begins to “crumble” is very common, since the quality of most modern magnetic drives leaves much to be desired. At risk are devices with many years of operating experience and which have indecently high wear. However, you shouldn’t immediately go to the store and choose a new hard drive - there is a chance to restore the functionality of your existing drive using one of the methods we mentioned above.
Standard Windows tools are universal and suitable in all cases. We recommend that you always start checking by launching Check disk using either of the two options.
If a positive effect is not achieved, use one of the three utilities from our review. For those who don’t want to bother with settings, Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic is perfect. Those who want to test their disk to the maximum can use Victoria HDD (free) or HDD Regenerator (if you have an extra $100).
Don't be afraid to experiment, and you will definitely learn how to check your computer's disk for errors.
CHKDSK is a standard application for checking a hard drive for errors, detecting bad sectors on a hard drive, and correcting file system errors. The CHKDSK application (short for Check Disk) is built into the Windows operating system.
The Chkdsk.exe program finds file system errors, bad sectors on the hard drive, and eliminates detected problems. If checking the disk for file system errors reveals problems, the CHKDSK check runs when the computer is turned on.
There are some differences when using Chkdsk.exe in different versions of Windows:
Problems with the Windows operating system affect its performance. File system errors occur in the following situations:
Bad sectors may appear on the surface of the hard drive. When checking a disk using chkdsk, bad bad sectors of the hard disk are marked as damaged, and the system no longer reads or writes information from bad sectors of the disk. The system will try to recover data from damaged sectors (clusters, directories), if possible.
The chkdsk disk scan runs in two modes:
If your computer does not boot due to a problem, you can check your hard drive using the Windows installation DVD. After booting from removable media, in the system recovery options, select the command line to run a disk error check.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the CHKDSK application using the Windows 10 operating system as an example.
The easiest option for checking the file system for errors is to run the CHKDSK program in the graphical interface using system tools.
Follow these steps:
In Windows 7, additional scanning options are available; to launch them, you need to check the boxes next to the items:
When checking file system errors, the status is scanned:
For detailed information, click on the "Show Details" link.
In the Event Viewer window, click Details.
In the “Event Properties” window, in the “General” and “Details” tabs, detailed information about the result of the disk scan is available.
The information obtained about checking the disk for file system errors can be copied into Notepad or another text editor for further study.
The chkdsk command to check a hard drive with the specified parameters is executed from the command line:
A sample command template looks like this: ["chkdsk" (application name)], space, [drive letter of the drive being checked followed by a colon ("c:", "d:", "f:", etc.), path, or filename], space, [command options].
Command parameters have the following meanings:
In most cases, to check the file system and eliminate bad sectors on the hard drive, it is enough to use the “F” and “R” flags.
In some cases, disk check runs when you turn on the computer, before loading the Windows operating system. In most cases, you need to wait until the check is completed; a restart will not follow.
Constantly checking the disk every time the system starts, indicates the presence of problems and the need to eliminate them. You may need to consider replacing your hard drive. There are programs, for example, that constantly monitor the status of computer disks.
To disable Chkdsk from starting when Windows boots, you can use 2 methods: changing values in the operating system registry, or using the command line.
Disabling disk check on the command line:
You can disable automatic disk check when loading the operating system in the following way:
The CHKDSK system application, built into the Windows operating system, is used to check the file system for errors and to detect bad sectors on the computer's hard drive. Using the utility, you can fix system errors and eliminate the negative impact (disable writing and reading) on the system due to the presence of bad sectors of the hard drive.
CHKDSK command and How to run CHKDSK on Windows 10.
Few people pay attention to this, but it is very important to keep yours intact and in order so that in one “wonderful” moment you do not lose data, be it music, videos, photographs or documents that you have collected over several years.
Let's find out how to care for yours in the article.
First way:
Click Ctrl+E to open the Explorer window. In the left navigation bar, click "This computer", and then in the main part of the window in the section "Devices and drives" Right-click on the drive you want to scan.
In the context menu, select “Properties”, and then in the window that opens, select the tab "Tools". At the very top there should be an option that says "This option checks the disk for file system errors." Click the button next to it that says "Examination".
Another window will appear. It may say that Windows didn't find any errors, but you can still check your drive. If so, click "Scan Disk" and the scan will begin.
Second way:
CHKDSK can also be run from the command line. Unlike older versions, you do not need to restart your computer to launch the utility. To get started, go to Start > Windows, and then right-click Command Prompt.
In the context menu that opens, select Advanced > Run as administrator. To run the check disk utility on a PC with one disk, you only need to type chkdsk and press Enter on your keyboard; The program will check your disk for errors, but will not fix them.
In order for the utility to not only scan, but also correct errors, you should add the following commands:
- /f - (correction)
- /r - (restore readable information).
Thus, the complete command to scan the disk for errors and fix them would look like this: "chkdsk /f/r"- pay attention to the spaces as they are critical.
If you have not one drive in your system, but several, for example, 2 with names C and D, and you need to scan only one drive for errors, for example, D, then the command will look like this: “chkdsk D: / f / r", but again, don't forget about spaces.
There are also the following parameters for launching the chkdsk program:
/F- corrects errors automatically, immediately during scanning;
/V- displays all spaces and names of files on the disk, and for disks with the NTFS file system displays a message about cleaning, if any.
/R- search for bad sectors and recovery of the information they contained. This option includes the effect of the /F option.
/X- used if it is necessary to disable a volume before checking it. Once unmounted, all current descriptors for that volume will be invalid. Requires the mandatory use of the /F switch;
/I- cancels hard checking of index elements. Applies only to the NTFS file system. This parameter speeds up the check, but makes it weaker, i.e. it won't be as thorough;
/C- cancels the check of cycles inside folders, also applies only to the NTFS file system and speeds up the check.
/L:size- this parameter works with the log file size, bringing it to the specified value in kilobytes (also only for NTFS).
/B- allows you to re-evaluate bad clusters, must be used with the /R parameter and only for NTFS.
You will see the results of the disk check on the screen, and also, if you did not have time to remember or read them, they will be saved in the root directory of your disk being checked and in the Windows log, which is located at: Windows Log - Application - Source Wininit
The event properties will contain all the details of the disk check.
Now that you know how to use the check disk utility, be sure to run a scan once a month or so to monitor the health of your hard drive.
Also read the article about This is a very important topic!
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Hard disk (HDD) is the most important element of a computer on which all the necessary information, programs and user files are stored. Like any other component, over time the hard drive wears out, its normal operation is disrupted, and failures begin to occur. Along with physical wear and tear, which leads to the appearance of so-called bad sectors (bad blocks), logical errors associated with the file system, indexes and the main file table often arise.
For the time being, you may not observe any problems with your hard drive, but this does not guarantee that one day the hard drive will not die. Therefore, it is important to periodically (once or twice a year) check your hard drive for errors and bad sectors that require repair. Regular monitoring will allow you to track the condition of the media and respond in a timely manner to changes in its condition. Of course, you should not neglect such a proven method of protecting information as backup. The most valuable data must be duplicated on a backup storage device.
In most cases, HDDs operate smoothly for several years without requiring special attention. However, in case of improper operation (physical impact, lack of proper cooling), the resource of the storage medium is significantly reduced. In rare situations, there may be a manufacturing defect or sudden failure.
Failures in the hard drive may be indicated by loading the operating system for too long, the unreasonable disappearance of files and folders, and slow startup of applications. Obvious symptoms of a hard drive losing its functionality are slowdowns in programs and long periods of copying files. If the computer constantly hangs, and nothing but restarting helps, then in the process of identifying the causes, checking the hard drive should be the first point.
You can test the media using standard Windows tools. The easiest way is to select the desired hard drive in Explorer, right-click on it and go to the “Service” tab.
Next, click the “Run scan” button and set the scan parameters in the window that opens. If both checkboxes are checked, Windows will automatically correct all system errors and restore damaged sectors during diagnostics.
The results of the audit can be found in the report.
You can also audit your hard drive using the utility chkdsk called from the command line. In fact, such a check will not differ much from the above option.
So, launch the command line by selecting the required Start menu item. Then enter the command in the window: chkdsk G: /f /r
All information about found errors and bad sectors will be displayed as the diagnostics are carried out.
There are many programs and utilities for finding bad sectors and fixing HDD errors. We will list only the most famous ones.
Perhaps the most popular hard drive checking tool. The program can be launched both in Windows and in DOS mode from a bootable USB flash drive.
The interface provides five tabs: Standard, SMART, Tests, Advanced and Setup. First of all, go to the section Standard, where in the list of devices we select the hard drive we are interested in. The Drive passport area will display basic information about the HDD.
Next, select the tab SMART and press the “Get SMART” button. SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analisys and Reporting Technology) is a hard drive self-monitoring technology. Those. The hard drive monitors its operation during operation, recording information on a set of parameters that allows one to assess the condition of the media. It is this service information that we are trying to obtain.
After clicking “Get SMART”, either the inscription GOOD on a green background or the inscription BAD! will appear to the right of the button. on red. The second option will indicate that the media is in unsatisfactory condition and will most likely have to be replaced. For a more detailed study of SMART statistics, let's pay attention to the list of parameters on the left. Here we are primarily interested in the attribute 5 Reallocated sector count, indicating the number of sectors remapped. If there are too many of them, then the disk has begun to “crumble,” that is, its surface is rapidly degrading and it is urgent to make a copy of all data. In this case, there is no point in restoring the hard drive.
Chapter Tests makes it possible to check the hard drive for bad sectors, as well as try to “cure” or reassign unreadable blocks. For simple testing of the hard drive, set the switch to Ignore and start the test with the Start button. Sector health is assessed by measuring response time. The smaller it is, the better. Each response time range has its own color code. The slowest blocks are marked in green, orange and red. Sectors that could not be read at all are marked in blue. If there are a large number of “slow” and unreadable blocks, the hard drive should be replaced.
The Victoria program allows you to restore bad sectors, but we will not consider all the nuances of the procedure. Moreover, “treatment” often contributes only to a slight extension of the service life of the storage medium. To reassign bad blocks, perform a check with the mode enabled Remap. If the restoration was successful, do not rush to rejoice. Re-diagnostics of the disk after a certain period of operation. The appearance of new bad blocks will indicate that the degradation of the hard drive is irreversible, and it’s time to find a replacement.
This is another handy program for identifying hard drive problems. After launching the application, select the drive that needs to be checked in the Select Drive list.
Below we click on the “S.M.A.R.T.” button and get acquainted with the provided report.
Now let's diagnose the disk surface. Click on the round button to the right of the drop-down list of media and select Surface Tests in the menu that opens.
Click on the Add Test button, thereby adding a test to the list and starting its execution.
You can receive information about the progress of testing in Graph, Map, and Report modes. All blocks are also distributed into groups with corresponding color markings depending on access time.
At the end, a final report is generated.
Perhaps this is all we wanted to tell you about the methods of checking a computer’s hard drive for functionality. We hope the information provided will be useful to you and help you save important data.
Windows malfunctions, emergency shutdown of the computer, experiments with disk space management software, the consequences of viruses - these and other problems can lead to the automatic launch of the standard Windows Chkdsk utility, designed to correct errors in the file system of hard drives. Incorrectly completed operation of the operating system with files leads to file system errors, and sometimes even damage to the file system.
In emergency cases, the Chkdsk utility turns on itself before Windows starts, scans disk partitions and corrects errors. However, the fact that there are problems with the file system may not make itself felt during normal use of the computer and only become apparent when trying to manage disk space. So, for example, when trying to shrink a disk partition using standard Windows tools, we may receive the following notification: “It is possible that the volume selected for compression is damaged. Use Chkdsk to troubleshoot the problem, and then try shrinking the volume again."
In this case, disk check will not start automatically. How to run Chkdsk manually in Windows 7, 8.1 and 10? How can I use Chkdsk to fix disk errors if this problem is the reason the operating system is unable to boot?
Inside Windows, the Chkdsk utility can be launched in several ways.
To run Chkdsk, in the system explorer on drive C, right-click and open “Properties”.
In the disk partition properties window that opens, go to the “Services” tab, and in it click the “Check” button (or “Run check” for Windows 7).
In versions of Windows 8.1 and 10, if everything is in order with the disk file system, in the window that appears next, we will see a notification that checking is not required. But if you wish, you can start checking the disk with the Chkdsk utility by clicking “Check disk”.
If the system suspects file system errors, this window will contain a button to start scanning and repairing the disk.
For Chkdsk to work relative to drive C, you must restart the computer. You can do this immediately or delay running the scan until the next reboot.
After restarting the computer, we will be able to observe the operation of Chkdsk.
In Windows 7, launching Chkdsk is slightly different: to the preinstalled option of automatic error correction, you can add another possible option - checking and repairing bad sectors of the hard drive. When activating this option, it is worth considering that in this case Chkdsk may take longer to run.
As with Windows 8.1 and 10, in version 7 the system drive C cannot be scanned within a running operating system. To start the scan, the computer must be restarted. Click “Schedule disk check”.
When checking a non-system partition of a disk, if it is used by some programs, the situation is simpler than with the system partition. In the window with a notification that the disk is currently in use, you just need to click the “Disconnect” button to, accordingly, disable this partition for the duration of the scan.
To run Chkdsk using the command line, first, accordingly, launch the latter.
In the command line enter a command like this:
In this command, instead of drive C, we each time substitute the letter of the desired partition on which the scan is required. If Chkdsk needs to check the system partition C, as with the GUI, you will need to restart the computer. When a message appears in the command line about the impossibility of locking the specified drive, you need to enter “Y”, then restart the computer.
In addition to the /f parameter, which is responsible for correcting disk errors, Chkdsk can be run with the /r parameter, designed to search for bad sectors and restore data. As a result of Chkdsk running with this parameter, hard disk clusters with unreadable sectors will be listed as damaged (bad blocks) and their functions will be transferred to a new cluster. Therefore, it is recommended to run Chkdsk with the /r parameter only when the usual error correction - running the utility with the /f parameter - does not bring the necessary results. Using the same drive C as an example, the command would look like this:
If Windows freezes at a certain point in the boot process, one of the possible causes of this problem is file system errors. In this case, you need to run Chkdsk by booting from the rescue media. As such, you can use regular installation media with versions of Windows 7, 8.1 or 10. With its help, we will launch the Chkdsk utility inside the command line. At the first stage of starting the system installation process, press the command line launch keys – Shift+F10.
In the command line that opens, before running the Chkdsk command, you need to clarify which letters define the disk partitions. This is easy to do using a notepad. I launch it with the command:
Click the notepad menu “File”, then “Open”.
In the explorer that opens, remember the new drive designations. As a rule, in Windows 8.1 and 10, the C drive partition (as it exists inside the running operating system) is listed as D, since the letter C is assigned to the first technical partition of the system. And all other sections are shifted by one letter of the alphabet.
Having decided on the letters of the disk partitions, close Notepad, then, returning to the command line, enter a command like this:
As with Chkdsk inside Windows, you must first try to fix disk errors by running the utility with the /f parameter. And only if the problem is not solved, only then run the command with the /r parameter, as indicated in the previous paragraph of the article.
In cases where Windows is unable to boot, you can pre-burn an emergency Live disk with a selection of various tools to restore the operating system. Among these, for example, is AdminPE based on WinPE. Its image for recording on a disk or flash drive can be downloaded from the official website of the project Adminpe.Ru. Using AdminPE, you can launch a command prompt and enter the Chkdsk launch commands discussed above. But in this Live disk, the Chkdsk utility has its own interface and is launched using a script. The shortcut to launch the utility is placed directly on the desktop.
In the drop-down list to check the disk, select the desired disk partition. Next, activate the checkboxes for restoring damaged sectors and forcibly disabling a partition (volume). Let's check the launches.
AdminPE's tools include a number of other utilities for working with hard drives, as well as the well-known programs Hard Disk Sentinel and Victoria.
