The hard drive is one of the components of your PC that require your special attention and should be taken proper care of. Hard drives are complex systems, the main components of which are magnetic platters holding the data and the head that takes care of reading the data. Such components may be under a heavy risk of breaking down whenever a laptop suddenly drops or something happens to your desktop PC. To ensure that your hard drive will serve you for good for many years to come, you should know how to check its current condition and monitor and improve its health. Let’s consider the most common ways how you can narrow your hard drive’s health.
Windows CHKDSK Command
If you are a Windows user, you can use the windows CHKDSK command to check your hard drive’s health. CHKDSK stands for disk check. It’s a windows tool for DOS, IBM, Windows, and other systems, verifying the file system’s integrity and fixing its logical errors.
Take the following steps to use the CHKDSK command:
- Go to Windows “Start”
- Type “cmd” to open the command prompt app
- Now type “CHKDSK” on the command prompt window and hit enter
- This will run a scan and show you the status of your HDD
The CHKDSK command not only shows the status of the hard drive’s health. It also fixes the errors if used with its parameters like /f, /r, /x, or /b.
BIOS
You can also test a hard drive on your PC and determine its health with the help of the Basic Input/Output System, most commonly known as BIOS.
The firmware comes along with your motherboard. It’s the first piece of software that you come across when you turn on your computer. Thanks to BIOS, your hardware is connected to the OS installed on your PC. Simply press the BOOT button to load it.
Different PC models have other ways to enter BIOS:
- For Acer laptops, it’s rapidly and repeatedly pressing F12;
- For Lenovo, it’s F12 or Fn+F12;
- For HP, it is accessed with the F9 key.
Recover data in case of fails
Forewarned is forearmed. Whenever any kind of failure happens on your device, you should always be aware of how to fix them. If your hard drive fails, you should find ways to recover your data. One of the best ways to get it done is by relying on the expert help of data recovery technicians.
