How to test or recover a possibly bad HDD?

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
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Is there a program out there that I can boot form that will check out a hard drive and see if the drive is usable or not? I have a stack of old drives laying around and don't know which might be good or bad.

I know each manufacturer has their own diagnostic but is there somethign more robust and that I can use on any drive? Mainly to just have it go through the drive and look for bad sector and whatnot, maybe flag them as not usable so the drive will just skip them and the rest of the drive would still work fine?

THanks.
 

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
Originally posted by: Kelemvor
Is there a program out there that I can boot form that will check out a hard drive and see if the drive is usable or not?

I know each manufacturer has their own diagnostic but is there somethign more robust and that I can use on any drive? Mainly to just have it go through the drive and look for bad sector and whatnot, maybe flag them as not usable so the drive will just skip them and the rest of the drive would still work fine?
>> SpinRite 6.0 <<

 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
81
So if SPinRite can't read the drive, then it's pretty much dead eh?
Programs comes up and says it can't read certain parts so it won't run. Guess I should throw this drive out then eh?
 

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
0
0
A "chkdsk /r" scan of the drive scans both the surface and the logical condition of the drive and should be pretty good indication, too. And it's free.
 

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
Originally posted by: Kelemvor
So if SPinRite can't read the drive, then it's pretty much dead eh?
Yes, if SpinRite can't fix and/or read the drive, it's ready for...
1. Send to a data recovery company and spend hundreds of dollars to have your data recovered.
2. Junk it.
3. Sell it to the guy in the For Sale/Trade forum that makes roses out of the platters.