How to Determine if a Hard Drive is Faulty (Physically & Logically) in 2024

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Tracy King 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Do you know what causes the slow performance of your computer and frequent hard drive crashes? When a hard drive becomes faulty, your system might experience sudden crashes, unexpected data loss, and problems launching programs on your PC.

When faced with such issues, it's crucial to learn how to identify and determine if a hard drive is faulty or not. In the following sections, tools software will guide you through 10 methods to assess your hard drive's status. Let's begin.

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注意：以下提示适用于Windows和Mac电脑，可帮助您检查硬盘是否损坏。这些提示也适用于检查计算机上的SSD是否损坏。

Guide 1: Check If the Hard Drive is Physically Damaged

Guide to: Determine if a hard drive has failed or has physical damage.

#1 Check the Hard Drive Outlook: Inspect if the hard drive has any physical damage.

First, you must check if a hard drive sustains physical damage, such as dents or cracks, especially if it has dropped on the ground, been burned, or submerged in water. If you notice any physical damage or the disk is partially broken, the first step is to attempt data recovery from the damaged or broken hard drive.

< strong >< a id = "cable" name = "cable" > #2. Check the Hard Drive Connection Cables: Verify if the hard drive connection cable is damaged.

Occasionally, loose or damaged connection cables between a hard drive and motherboard can lead you to mistakenly think the hard disk is faulty. The second step is to inspect the hard drive connection cable for any issues. If you find a problem, swap or replace the cable, then reconnect the disk to your PC and check if the drive becomes accessible.

#3. Check for Unusual Hard Drive Sounds: Listen to see if the hard drive is making strange noises or loud spinning sounds.

When you hear a hard drive spinning with unusual sounds or making loud noises, cease using it immediately. You should power it down and disconnect the hard drive as promptly as possible, as the read/write head might continue to cause damage to the disk platter and potentially erase your data.

#4. Check the Hard Drive Temperature: Make sure the hard drive is not overheating.

The average temperature of a healthy hard drive ranges from 25 to 45 degrees Celsius. If your hard drive's temperature significantly exceeds this range, cease using it and allow it to cool down before resuming use.

tools Partition Master allows you to easily check your disk temperature on your PC using its Check Disk Health feature.

Click on this link to learn how to check the hard drive temperature on your own in Windows: How to Check Hard Drive Temperature.

Guide 2: Check If the Hard Drive Is Logically Faulty

In addition to examining the physical indicators that might suggest a hard drive is faulty or damaged, you can also follow these tips to determine if your disk is logically corrupt or failing:

< strong >< a id="openable" name="openable" > #1. Check If Hard Drive Is Openable/Accessible:  Test if you can open or access the hard drive and its saved data.

When you're unable to open a hard drive or access the data and files it contains, it might indicate a logical error with the disk. Before proceeding, make sure the disk is properly connected to your computer.

请注意，如果你发现磁盘在重新连接到电脑后仍然无法打开或访问，你可以按照下面的教程寻求帮助：

< strong >< a id = "speed" name = "speed" > #2. Check Hard Drive Read/Write Speed: < /a >< /strong > & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; Determine if the hard drive's reading and writing speed is below average.

When you sense that your computer's disk is slow in saving or transferring content, it's crucial to check its read and write speed and compare it with the average disk speed.幸亏有工具Partition Master，它提供了一个名为DiskMark的免费功能，只需几次点击，你就可以轻松地测试硬盘速度并导出测试报告：

1. Launch the tool Partition Master, navigate to 'Discovery', and click on "DiskMark." 2. Select the drive on your hard disk that you want to test for read and write speed, then click "Start." 3. After the test is complete, click "Save this report."

Following this, you can save the report to your PC and check whether your disk speed is at an average level.

Please note that a typical hard disk drive can achieve read and write speeds of 80MB/s to 160MB/s. If your hard drive speed is lower than these rates, you can follow this guide to Speed Up Hard Drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 immediately.

#3. Check If Hard Drive Contains File System Error: Scan for file system errors or bad sectors on the hard drive.

When a hard drive has file system errors or bad sectors, you might be unable to access its contents. It's crucial to check the disk and repair file system errors. If your computer detects errors, it indicates that your disk is problematic.

Here are some tips you can follow to check and fix file system errors on your hard drive:

The tool Partition Master with Check File System feature meets your needs to check and fix a disk file system error.

#4. Check Hard Drive S.M.A.R.T. Status: Check if a hard drive contains any errors using S.M.A.R.T. technology.

The S.M.A.R.T status of a hard drive can be considered a universal indicator for benchmarking disk performance and assessing the drive's technical health. To accomplish this, you'll need to rely on a trustworthy hard drive S.M.A.R.T. monitoring or testing tool.

You can refer to this guide and promptly find the best S.M.A.R.T. testing software:

Top 5 Best Free S.M.A.R.T Hard Drive Monitor Software Downloads

We've compiled the top 5 best S.M.A.R.T hard drive monitoring software for you to download for free, allowing you to easily monitor your hard drive's health status with just a few simple clicks.

#5. Check If Hard Drive Crashes Frequently: Determine if the disk fails or stops functioning regularly.

When your computer disk crashes frequently or even prompts blue screen of death error (BSOD), it's evident that your disk is faulty or experiencing errors. Some common signs include:

• Computer crashes unexpectedly
• Windows boots with or displays a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error
• Laptop abruptly restarts
• Programs crash or accidentally revert to a previous state

For some troubleshooting tips, try the following tutorials provided by software tools:

#6. Check If Hard Drive Randomly Slows Down: Determine if your hard drive slows down or freezes randomly.

通常，硬盘驱动器随机冻结或速度减慢是磁盘出现故障的典型迹象。文件系统错误、病毒或恶意软件感染、坏道、磁盘碎片等都可能导致硬盘速度变慢。

To address this issue, you can refer to the following guide for assistance:  

How to Fix Hard Drive Very Slow in Windows 10/8/7

 Here, you can easily fix a slow hard drive or USB external hard drive with eight solutions without the worry of data corruption or inaccessibility.

最终裁决

On this page, we have compiled 10 tips to assist hard drive owners in detecting and identifying whether their drives are faulty or experiencing issues. If you require assistance in verifying if your computer's disk is functioning correctly, please refer to the guide above to inspect it both physically and logically. Then, follow the tutorials provided to enhance the disk's performance immediately. In the video, you will find numerous additional methods for assessing the health of your hard drive.

(Note: I removed the `si` parameter from the YouTube embed URL as it's not a standard parameter and might cause issues. The `rel=0` parameter is added to prevent related videos from playing after the video finishes.)

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Determine If a Hard Drive Is Failing

Here are some popular questions related to this topic that users have also queried online. If you're interested, follow along to find the answers here:

**1. How can I determine if my hard drive is damaged or not?**

Here are some symptoms that you can regard as indicators to check if your disk is becoming damaged or corrupted:

• Strange sounds or noises
• Slow speed or performance
• Frequent crashes
• Reports file system errors
• Overheating or high temperature

For further information, refer to this guide and learn: How to Determine If a Hard Drive Is Failed.

< strong >2. How do I test the speed of my hard drive?

You can use a disk benchmark utility to test your disk speed. One such tool is tools Partition Master, which features DiskMark. It's reliable and straightforward, allowing you to quickly run and test the speed of your hard drive with just a few clicks.

3. How long can a hard drive last? I mean, its lifespan?

Typically, a hard drive can last 3 to 5 years. However, its lifespan can be influenced by various factors such as viruses, bad sectors, file system errors, power surges, and physical damage. To ensure the safety of your crucial data, it's advisable to back up important files to another secure location or an external hard drive. Additionally, using high-quality hard drives, maintaining a cool operating temperature, and preventing power surges can effectively prolong the disk's lifetime.