00:00Welcome to GameScanTech.
00:03In this tutorial, we re-going to cover a critical aspect of computer maintenance,
00:09checking the health of your solid-state drives and hard disk drives.
00:14A failing drive can lead to data loss and system instability,
00:19so it's essential to monitor its condition.
00:23Proactively checking your drive's health can save you from a major headache down the road.
00:28We will walk through three straightforward methods to diagnose your drives using built-in Windows tools
00:35and a popular third-party application.
00:38These methods are simple enough for anyone to follow.
00:42So let's get started.
00:44First, we'll use a built-in Windows tool called the Command Prompt.
00:50This method provides a quick, basic health status.
00:55Check to begin.
00:57Open your start menu and type C.
01:00Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
01:05Once the black window appears, type the following command exactly as shown.
01:10Wimic disk drive get status.
01:13That's W-M-I-C space DSK-D-R-I-V space G-A-T space.
01:21Now press Enter.
01:24This system will poll your connected drives and report their status.
01:30If you see OK for each drive, it means Windows has not detected any immediate problems.
01:37If it shows pre-fail or another error, it has a strong indicator that your drive is at risk
01:44and you should back up your data immediately.
01:47This is a very basic check, but it's a great first step.
01:52For a much more detailed analysis, we'll use a free tool called Crystal Disk.
01:57This program reads the SMA-RT data from your drives.
02:03SMA-RT stands for Self-Analysis and Reporting Technology
02:09and it tracks various indicators of drive reliability.
02:14First, you'll need to download and install Crystal Disk Info from its official website.
02:22Once installed, open the program.
02:24The main window immediately displays the health status of your selected drive at the top left.
02:30You'll see a rating like Good, Cochon or Bad.
02:34Below this, you'll find a list of specific attributes like reallegated sectors, count power-on hours and temperature.
02:44A good status means the drive is healthy.
02:47If you seek caution, it means the drive is deteriorating.
02:52Pay close attention to attributes highlighted in yellow.
02:56Bad indicates critical failure is imminent.
02:59This tool gives you a comprehensive overview that the simple command prompt check cannot provide.
03:06The third method involves another built-in Windows utility, Defragment and Optimize Drives.
03:12While primarily used for performance optimization, it can also offer insights, especially for hard disk drives.
03:20Go to your start menu and type Defragment and Optimize Drives, then open the application.
03:27In the window, you'll see a list of your drives.
03:32Select the drive you want to check and click the Analyze button.
03:37Windows will assess the fragmentation level of the drive.
03:41For a hard disk drive, a high fragmentation percentage can sometimes correlate with performance issues,
03:48though it's not a direct health indicator like smart data.
03:52For SSDs, this tool performs a trim command when you click Optimize, which helps maintain performance and longevity.
04:03Running this tool regularly helps keep your drives running efficiently.
04:07It's less of a diagnostic tool and more of a maintenance utility.
04:12But it's still a valuable part of a complete drive care routine.
04:17To summarize, we've covered three effective ways to check your drives' health.
04:22The Wimic command offers a quick, basic status check.
04:27CrystalDiskInfo provides a deep, detailed analysis of your drives' mark data, which is the most reliable method.
04:35Fine, Parli, the Defragment, and Optimize Drives tool helps maintain performance and is an important part of regular system care.
04:45By using these methods, you can stay ahead of potential drive failures and protect your valuable data.
04:53Taking a few minutes to check your drives every month is a small investment that can prevent a big disaster.
05:02If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and consider subscribing for more tech tips and guides.
05:09Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions for future videos.
05:14We'll see you in the next one.
Comments