Tools like Windows Error Checking and the chkdsk command are included in your Windows-based operating system already, but some others, like those below, are available from hard drive manufacturers and other developers. Depending on the issue, you may need to replace your hard drive if it fails some part of one of these tests. SeaTools Bootable and SeaTools for DOS support Seagate or Maxtor drives and run independent of your operating system on their own USB drive or CD, respectively. SeaTools for Windows installs on your Windows system. Use it to perform basic and advanced testing of any kind of drive—internal or external—from any manufacturer. For those looking for SeaTools Desktop, SeaTools Online, or Maxtor’s PowerMax software, please note that the two tools above have replaced all three. Seagate now owns the Maxtor brand. Seagate’s SeaTools programs are excellent programs. They are used to test hard drives by professional computer services, but are easy enough for anyone to use. The Windows version of SeaTools should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. There’s also a Linux version. The program is easy to use, is completely portable, supports almost all drive interfaces, and seems to be regularly updated. The official system requirements state that you need to be running at least Windows XP, so it should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista, including Windows Server 2003. SMART info like reading error rate, spin-up time, seek error rate, and temperature is displayed, as well as short and extended disk tests. Details in the SMART section can be configured to send an email or display a notification when their attributes exceed the manufacturer’s recommended threshold. Hard drives that have a SCSI or hardware RAID connection are not supported and can not be detected by DiskCheckup. DiskCheckup should work fine with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, plus Windows Server 2008 and 2003. View and save SMART attribute values like the power cycle count, multi-zone error rate, calibration retry count, and many others. GSmartControl runs three self-tests to find drive faults: Short Self-test takes around 2 minutes to complete and is used to detect a completely damaged hard drive, Extended Self-test takes 70 minutes to finish and examines the entire surface of a hard drive to find faults, and Conveyance Self-test is a 5-minute test that’s supposed to find damages that occurred during the transporting of a drive. This program can be downloaded for Windows as a portable program or as a regular program with a normal installer. The latest version works with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista, but there’s an outdated edition you can get for older Windows versions. It’s also available for Linux and Mac operating systems, as well as included in a couple of LiveCD/LiveUSB programs. The download link below installs the Windows Drive Fitness Test software to the Windows OS, but you can’t use the program to scan the drive that has Windows installed. Only USB and other internal hard drives can be scanned with Windows Drive Fitness Test. Install WinDFT to Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Samsung’s HUTIL tool is available as an ISO image for burning to a CD or USB drive. This feature makes HUTIL operating system independent and a better testing tool, in general, than those designed for use within Windows. It’s also possible to run HUTIL from a bootable floppy disk. Because Samsung HUTIL is a bootable program, you’ll need a working hard drive and OS to burn it to a disc or USB device. The DOS version can run regardless of the OS that’s installed, while the Windows edition installs on Windows 11 and Windows 10. There aren’t a lot of options in this program, and it’s not as thorough as some other tests on this list. All things considered, though, it is a decent addition to your hard drive testing arsenal, especially if you’re having problems testing with an ISO based tool above but want something besides the Windows default tool. It’s said to work only with Windows XP through Windows 95. However, we tested the latest version in Windows 10 and Windows 8 without any errors. The Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool is available in both a Windows version and an operating system independent, bootable DOS version. However, the bootable version is designed for floppy disks—an image that works with a CD or USB drive is not available. Two tests are available with Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool, a “Quick Test” (about three minutes) and a “Comprehensive Test” (time will vary based on hard drive size). The Windows version is said to work with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It might also run just fine in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Download For: You can run a benchmark read test with HD Tune, check the health status with Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology, and run an error scan. Only Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000 are said to be the only supported operating systems, but we used HD Tune in Windows 10 and Windows 8 without any issues. The SMART test lists more than 40 values about a hard drive, while the sector test checks the surface of the media for reading errors. The report of either test can be read straight from the program when complete, configured to be sent to you by email or printed off. Free EASIS Drive Check is said to work with Windows 2000 through Windows 7, but we successfully tested it in Windows 10 and 8 as well. It’s built into all modern versions of Windows. The majority of this screen is used as a visual representation of the progress of the scan and clearly indicates if there’s damage. The official list of operating systems that run this program include Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP. The program is portable and just over 1 MB in size. One thing that’s different from Macrorit Disk Scanner is that Ariolic Disk Scanner lists the files where read errors occurred. We tested Ariolic Disk Scanner in Windows 10 and XP only, but it should also work with other versions of Windows.
