Often unstable computer operation is associated with errors in the HDD file system. To cope with this problem, you need to check for errors on your hard drive. Among other things, it would be nice to know about the state of the hard drive if during the PC it makes strange sounds, such as clicks or rattle. If information about damage to the hard drive is obtained in advance, you can save all user data until the device fails.
Victoria
First of all, you need a specialized program. One of the best and most reliable is Victoria. With it, on any operating system, a hard drive can be checked for errors. Whether you have Windows 7 installed, XP or 8, Victoria will work stably under each.
The application is absolutely free and can be downloaded from the developer's site. However, it is distributed in two versions. The first is standard binary packages to run on the OS. The second is an ISO image to run without the need to load an operating system. This is convenient when Windows refuses to work due to HDD errors.
If the HDD has a capacity of about 700 GB, it will take at least one or two hours to check the hard disk for errors. Windows 7 will complete this procedure with built-in tools much faster. However, the quality of testing and the amount of data obtained with the help of Victoria will be incommensurably higher.
Testing
Download the app first. It is supplied in the archive. Extract it to any empty directory and double-click on the executable file. If the work is done in Windows 7 or 8, you need to right-click on the exe-file and then select "run with administrator rights" in the context menu .
Checking your hard drive for errors should begin with a few preparatory steps. After starting the program, go to the "Standart" tab. In its right part you can see all the drives located in the computer. Select the HDD you want to test. Then click on the "Passport" button. If no troubles happen, the name and model of the hard disk will be displayed at the bottom of the window.
After that, go to the tab with the name "SMART" and click on the inscription "GetSMART". If the status next to the button changes, then everything is done correctly. Typically, the word “GOOD” is displayed in this area, but “BAD” may also appear. In both the first and second cases, the sensor data was read correctly.
Possible mistakes
It happens that the HDD controller works in AHCI mode. In this case, the SMART attributes cannot be read in any way; therefore, the hard disk cannot be checked for errors. The program will send the message "Error reading SMART" to the log. Also, next to the button, which is responsible for reading data from sensors, “Non ATA” will be displayed, and the area under the text itself will be highlighted in red.
To enable Victoria to work with the hard drive, you need to change the BIOS settings. To enter them, you should press the "DEL" button several times while the very first messages appear on the screen when the computer boots. The way the BIOS setup utility is launched may vary for different motherboard models. If the "DEL" key does not lead to a positive result, you should familiarize yourself with the information that is easy to find on the developer's website.
After entering the BIOS, go to Config (maybe Advanced) - Serial ATA - Controller Mode, and then change the setting to Compatibility. Remember that after completing the hard drive check, the settings should be returned to their original state.
Continue Verification
After reading the SMART information correctly, go to the “Test” tab and click on “Start”. After that, error checking on the hard drive will begin. In the main program area, rectangles that were previously monophonic will be painted in different colors. On the right, the total number of sectors sorted by access time will be written.
The main attention should be paid to the numbers near the blue and red marks. They mark dead or broken sectors. That is, those that cannot be accessed, or it takes a lot of time to read them. Thus, when accessing them, the computer seems to freeze.
Recovery
To try to recover bad sectors, the error check on the hard disk should be run again, but now set the switch located at the bottom right to the "remap" position. The program will mark the "bads" as non-working, entering their addresses in a special area on the HDD.
Be carefull! If bad sectors began to appear on the hard drive, most likely, after recovery, the drive will continue to “crumble”. It is advisable to replace it, or at least make a backup copy of all important data by copying it outside the HDD.
Embedded Tools
Built-in OS tools can also be used to check the hard disk for errors. Windows 8 allows you to run it in a few clicks.
- First open File Explorer by clicking on the "My Computer" icon.
- Then right-click on any section and select "Properties".
- Go to the tab with the name "Service", and in it click on the inscription "Run scan."
- A window will appear on the screen in which it is desirable to put both possible checkmarks.
- Click on the "Start" button.
- HDD can not always be checked by the built-in means of the operating system during its operation. In this case, Windows will ask the user whether to perform the procedure after rebooting. Just click on the “Scan Schedule,” and then restart your computer.
- Report lines will appear on the screen while the hard disk is checking for errors. Windows 7, the program in which it is running, uses the same testing tools as in graphical mode, but it gives incomparably more information about the process. In this case, you can see which files are being restored and which errors are found.
Checking the hard drive for errors through the command line
The command line is a powerful tool that is used by many system administrators to solve various system problems. Its main advantage is the launch of testing even when the graphical shell refuses to start. In this case, it is worth using the "safe mode with command line support" by pressing the F8 key during Windows startup, but even before the logo appears on the screen.
If the standard mode works fine, follow these steps to start the scan:
- Press the "Windows + R" combination on your computer keyboard.
- In the input line of the window that opens, type "cmd.exe" and click on the "OK" button.
- The command line appears on the screen. To start the test, write "chkdskX: / f / r" into it. Instead of the letter “X”, click the one that is used in the operating system to indicate the section that requires testing.
- After entering the OS, it is possible that the inability to complete the procedure without a mandatory reboot of the PC may be referred to. When a message appears, simply press the "Y" key and restart the computer. After that, error checking on the hard drive will start automatically.
Remember: when completing the HDD check, you should wait for it to finish. Switching off this process should be performed only by means built into the program. If the procedure cannot be stopped in any way, do not try to interrupt it by turning off the computer or by pressing "RESET". These actions can lead to additional errors and data corruption on the hard drive. The most dangerous thing is the inability to recover information after an incorrect shutdown.