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How to check an internal drive for defects, problems, corruption, or a power issue

Published 08/20/2018 02:12 AM   |    Updated 04/25/2019 02:41 PM
How do I check an Internal hard drive for defects, problems, corruption or a possible power issue?
There are several things you can do to help diagnose or troubleshoot the problem.
  1. Power Connector
    Try plugging the drive into another power connector. If you are using a converter to change from a legacy (Molex) to a SATA power connector, try using a different converter to see if you still have a problem with the drive. If you are using a power splitter (Y-Cable), remove the splitter and connect the power directly to the drive to see if that fixes the issue with the drive.
  2. Check the data cable
    Ensure you have a known good SATA cable, and that it is firmly attached to the drive. The boot drive should be at the end of the cable. If that doesn't resolve the issue, try installing the drive with a different data cable.
  3. If Windows is already installed, try using Windows Data Lifeguard Diagnostics to test the drive
    The utility can test the drive for problems, write zeros to the drive, perform a full media scan for bad sectors, and provide the drive's serial and model number. Please see$EN_ANSWER_6226.
  4. If Windows is not installed try using Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS to test the drive
    The diagnostic utility can test the drive for problems, and return an error code to indicate the status of the test result. Please see $EN_ANSWER_7519 for error code explanations.