How to Test a New Hard Drive

Whether building a new computer or simply upgrading your existing machine, you will want to test your hard drive as soon as you connect it to your PC. If you have a Windows-based computer there is a very simple way to check your hard drive from the moment it is installed.

Instructions

Testing Hard Drive

1. Open your "My Computer" screen in Windows. In Vista, it is simply called "Computer."

2. Locate and right-click the hard drive you want to scan. This will open a small menu with many options. Click "Properties" to open the hard drive properties window.

3. Select the "Tools" tab, and then click the "Check Now" button.

4. Check the options for the disk scan. One option will attempt to repair any errors on the hard drive, while the other will attempt to "recover bad sector." Once done, click the "Start" button to begin the scan.

5. Allow between one minute and two hours to complete the disk scan. This scan will test your hard drive to ensure that there are no corruptions. When done, exit the scan window and restart the PC if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are running on a Linux-based computer or you want to try other options, use the diagnostic tools provided by your hard drive manufacturer.

• Back up your files before attempting to test your hard drive, in case the test fails and you are required to attempt to repair.

References

• Microsoft Support
• Malek Tips