Best way to verify a HDD is good?

[Kelemvor]

I have a stash of Hard Drives that I want to go through to make sure they are all good and suitable to be used in a PC.

Other than popping them in a PC and running chkdsk /r, is there a better way to verify the integrity of a drive and that it doesn't have bad sectors and such?

Thanks.

 

[myocardia]

nope

 

[RebateMonger]

The best way is to run the drive manufacturer's diagnostics program on each drive. Usually, there's a "Quick Test" that looks for past SMART errors and tests some basics. That's often enough to know if a drive is usable.

 

[Kelemvor]

Got the WD Diagnostics program but apparently you can't use it if the drive is connected via a USB enclosure. That sucks.

 

[Karellan]

Look for a product called SpinRite. It has a diagnostic and repair mode.