

In case everything went well with the last diagnostics utility, your drive is now repaired and operating as it should. Rescan the damaged drive and use the repair functions to restore damaged drive function. This is the time to use the diagnostics tools provided by your hard drive manufacturer. However, if you have found issues with your drive, you need to move forward and attempt to repair what you can.

If you have no indication of errors or bad sectors your drive is functioning normally and, hopefully, will last until your next scheduled checkup.

Most of the free utilities supports all internal and external drive formats including Solid State Drives, USB memory sticks, and card readers as well as supports most operating systems. Utilities like HD Tune are free and they will check your hard drive’s health and provide scans for errors and bad sectors. There are various diagnostic utilities available to download and when it comes down to it, the choice is up to your preference as to which one is best for you. Most of these programs are capable or returning an early warning notice about the health of your drive, but are much more involved than a simple checkup needs.Ĭonsider using a drive diagnostic utility instead. Before you lose your data, plan for regularly scheduled “checkups.”Įvery drive manufacturer provides utilities that will check the health of your drive and offer differing levels of repair options. You do not have to wait until there is an obvious issue before taking steps to save your drive. Think about the health of your hard drive. So how can I limit the risk? Check The Health Of Your Drive There may be important files or updates made between scheduled backup points. However, backups may not cover all of the data that is lost.

The first step is always to make sure there is a backup plan in place and that recovery steps are quick and relatively painless. The question is not if it will fail, but when it will fail and the only thing you can do is take the proper steps to limit your risk. You probably heard this before? But, your hard drive will fail. However, there are ways to prevent your data being lost!
