Checking the disk for errors and resolving them

Hard drive errors are the cause of many problems working with it. For example, due to such errors, the computer may freeze, turn on for a long time, and in the most advanced cases, restart. If you notice instability in the computer and are sure that its cause is a hard drive, then it's time to check it for errors. In the article below, we will tell you all about checking the hard drive for errors, as well as fixing them.

Types of errors and the reasons for their occurrence

Before talking about checking the disk for errors, it is worthwhile to figure out what kind of failures are, as well as what they can cause. All hard drive errors can be divided into physical and logical.

Physical disk errors occur when it is damaged, for example, when it is struck or dropped. So there are broken sectors that cannot be fixed. However, some of them can be "wiped" by normalizing the disk. Bad sectors on the hard drive lead to the loss of information recorded on them. Accordingly, the files of the operating system can be affected in this way, which will lead to its inoperability.

Logical errors occur when a file system is corrupted. Such damage can be caused by power surges, power outages, as well as turning off the computer from the power button. It is much easier to fix such errors, since only the logic of the disk behavior that can be restored is violated. When such errors occur, the computer may reboot, display blue screens of "death" and freeze.

Check hard drive on Windows 7

Many errors can be handled by means built into the operating system. It is worth noting that the operating time of any program that checks the disk depends entirely on the amount of media and errors in it. During the test, it is not recommended to use a PC, so as not to cause additional errors that do not need to be fixed. In addition, this will significantly reduce the program’s runtime.

Let's start checking the disk for errors in Windows 7:

1. Go to the "Start" menu.
2. Open the "Computer".
3. Next, right-click on the drive that we want to select.
4. In the drop-down menu, select "Properties".
   
5. In the window that opens, go to the "Tools" tab and select the "Check" ("Perform Scan") option.
   
6. In the tab that opens, set both possible checkboxes and click "Run." After that, the disk will begin checking for errors and correcting them.
7. Wait for the program to finish.

This method is pretty simple. However, in some cases it is ineffective. If after such a check the computer did not recover, it is recommended to use the methods presented below.

Check disk through console command

This function is also built-in and works the same as described above. However, it can come in handy in some cases, for example, when you cannot start the computer properties.

Checking the disk for errors through the console command:

1. Open a command prompt as administrator.
2. Type chkdsk D: / f / r, where D is the name of the drive.
   
3. Wait until the disk is checked for errors.

Disk Diagnostics in Victoria

Victoria is a more professional method that will allow you to thoroughly study the hard drive. The program provides many features. Therefore, we begin to check the disk for errors in Windows in order:

1. Having opened the program, the Standart tab will be immediately selected. In the window on the right, you need to select the diagnosed disk.
   
2. Next, go to the SMART tab and click Get SMART. GOOD will appear on the right, indicating the normal state of the hard drive, or BAD. In the case of BAD, it is recommended to replace the hard drive. However, do not lose hope and move on to the next point.
   
3. After receiving SMART, pay attention to the information in the large window to the left of the button. The item Reallocated sector count (item No. 5) indicates the number of reassigned sectors. Ideally, their number should be zero. However, there are often several such sectors. A large number in this field means that the disk is starting to “fall apart” and needs to be replaced. For a better understanding of the condition, a score of 5 to 1 is given at the end of each item.

If you have not thrown away your hard drive, then go to the Test tab.

Such a function will help to study the disk in detail, identifying problematic (with a long response time) and bad sectors. In the lower right corner of the settings, you can select the test mode:

• Ignore - a simple check without corrections.
• Remap - reassigns bad sectors.
• The other two modes are rarely used by ordinary users, because they are unsafe for saving data.

After selecting the mode, press the START button and wait for the end of work.

A program in Remap mode can fix most problems and normalize the disk. However, do not rejoice ahead of time. Most likely, such a procedure will not completely cure your disk, and it will continue to “crumble”. Re-test after some time and in case of disappointing results - replace it. Otherwise, you risk losing all the data on it.