Your hard drive is the soul of your personal
computer ; the place where all your most important
data is stored . While most personal computer
components can be replaced , the invaluable data on
your hard drive can’ t if you haven ’t created a
backup . For this reason , ensuring your hard drive
stays healthy is crucial , according to
www. maketecheasier . com .
Below are the best methods you can deploy to check
your hard drive ’ s health .
The HDD manufacturer ’ s tools
Most major hard drive manufacturers provide free
robust tools to monitor your hard drive health and
performance. The first step to knowing which one to
use , of course , is in knowing the make of your hard
drive .
If you don ’t know the make of your hard drive , press
the Win key, type “ device manager” and click it
when it appears in the search results .
In Device Manager, unstack the “ Disk drives” option
and make a note of the model number of your hard
drive . Next , type the model number into Google to
bring up results that will show you the make of the
hard drive .
After that , go to the manufacturer ’s support page and
search for their hard drive utility . Some of the
biggest hard drive brands include Western Digital ,
Seagate, Samsung, and Adata .
Each of these tools functions a little differently, but
most importantly , each one has diagnostic features
that let you test your hard drive health .
Windows CHKDSK tool
Windows CHKDSK Tool is a built -in Windows tool
that will scan your disk to find system errors and
bad sectors and show if there are any problems with
your hard disk . It will both scan and fix problems it
can fix and will let you know if there is a bigger
problem that it can’t fix. You can use this tool to
check hard disk health and fix bad sectors and
errors , if possible .
To use CHKDSK , right - click on the drive which you
would like to check for errors , and select
“ Properties . ” Then click on the “ Tools ” tab , and then
click on the “ Check now ” button .
A dialogue will open up with two options to fix
errors and scan for bad sectors . You can select these
options if you want to fix errors and bad sectors ;
otherwise , you can just click on “ Start” to get a basic
report of hard disk problems ( if there are any) .
This tool is very basic and focuses on finding system
errors and bad sectors . It will just let you know if
there are any big problems and nothing more , so only
use it as a basic hard disk checking and fixing tool .
WMIC
WMIC is a command -line interface that lets you
perform many administrative tasks , including
checking hard disk health . It uses the S . M. A . R . T
( Self-Monitoring , Analysis and Reporting Technology )
feature of hard disks to see status and provide a
simple conclusion , like “ OK ” or “ Pred Fail ,” etc . It is
still a very basic command that offers very little
information , but it is quick and a built- in feature of
Windows.
To check a hard disk with WMIC , press the Win + R
buttons to open the Run dialogue .
Type cmd and click “ OK ” to open the Windows
command prompt.
Type wmic and hit Enter . When the WMI interface is
ready , type diskdrive, get status and press Enter
again. You will see the status of your hard disk after
a short delay .
Third - party hard disk health checking tool
You can also use a third - party hard disk health -
checking tool that will offer much more information
than just good or bad status . These tools use the
same “ S . M. A . R . T ” feature of hard disks to fetch data,
just like WMIC . However , they provide all the details
to you, instead of just showing good or bad status .
CrystalDiskInfo
For this purpose , CrystalDiskInfo is a really simple ,
yet powerful , tool . A free - to-use tool is extremely
light and offers all the required information such as
temperature, health status , hard disk type and
features , and other attributes like read/ write error
rate and spin -up time , etc .
The standard tool comes as a four - megabyte . exe file ,
and its installer contains ads , so make sure you use
the “ Custom Installer ” option and uncheck the side
tool ( ad ) . Once installed , all you need to do is launch
the program , and you will see all the information
about your hard disk ( s ) in the main interface . The
tool will also check the hard disk health after every
10 minutes ( by default) and alert you if there is
anything wrong .
There are also other third - party hard disk health -
checking tools like Hard Disk Sentinel and HDDScan .
These are much more advanced with loads of extra
features , but for an average user CrystalDiskInfo
should work perfectly.
# Takeaway
USB- C
USB- C ( Universal Serial Bus Type -C ) is the industry -
standard connector for transmitting both data and
power . The USB Implementers Forum , the group of
companies that has developed , certified , and
shepherded the USB standard , developed the USB- C
connector . It counts more than 700 companies in its
membership, including Apple , Dell , HP , Intel ,
Microsoft , and Samsung.
This is important , because it is part of why USB- C
has been so readily accepted by PC manufacturers .
It is now found on all manner of devices from simple
external hard drives to smartphone charging cables .
But while every USB- C port looks the same , not
everyone offers the same capabilities .
Port support
USB- C ’s support for sending simultaneous video
signals and power streams means that you can
connect to and power a native DisplayPort , MHL , or
HDMI device , or connect to almost anything else
assuming you have the proper adapter and cables.
The USB- C spec even includes audio transmissions ,
but so far , it has not replaced the 3. 5mm headphone
jack on computers as it has on phones like the
Essential Phone PH- 1. This and many other high -end
Android phones , such as the Google Pixel 2 XL, use
the USB-C interface for charging and data transfer
instead of their former go- to, micro USB , even if they
also include a conventional 3 . 5 mm headphone jack .
Make sure to check the specs on any PC you are
thinking of buying , because not all USB-C ports are
alike . So far, every one supports both data transfers
and power delivery over USB- C . But while the USB- C
standard supports connecting DisplayPort and / or
HDMI displays with an adapter , not every PC maker
has connected the ports to every system ’s graphics
hardware .
Have you only one USB-C port? Don ’t fret , there are
now multiple USB -C docking solutions available , both
from PC manufacturers like Dell and HP, and third -
party accessory makers like Belkin , Caldigit, and
OWC . These docks can recharge your laptop , give you
access to extra ports including Ethernet , HDMI , USB
3 . 0 , and VGA , and add support for multiple monitors.
Why you need USB- C
The presence ( or absence ) of a USB -C port is
increasingly becoming a consideration when buying a
PC . If you buy an ultrathin laptop , it will almost
certainly have a USB- C port , which will catapult you
into the ecosystem automatically . If you ’re more of a
lover of desktops , you’ re almost certain to find the
ports there, too , particularly on high -end and gaming
desktops . In a few years , USB ports using the old
Type -A style connector will be much harder to find.
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