Q: What is the Best Hard Drive Utility?

A:  Whenever I suspect a hard drive may be having issues, or just want to verify that a drive is healthy, I immediately install HDTune 2.55 (Free). HDTune monitors the "S.M.A.R.T." parameters on the hard drive and tells you if anything is suspicious.  It also has a complete surface analysis tool that will systematically check every block on the hard drive for errors.

Here is how to test your drive: download and install HDTune, and once it is launched, go to the "Health" tab.  Make sure the Health Status is "OK". 

Now go to the "Error Scan" tab.  Uncheck "Quick Scan" and click "Start" - let it run a full scan. Make sure all the blocks are green - even one red block is bad!

If the the hard drive health is "OK" and you have all green blocks, the hard drive is healthy.  Otherwise, make sure you have a good backup and replace that drive!

Do you have a Hard Drive Utility that you love?  Let me know!

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