SeagateSeaTools
Works inside and outside Windows
completely free
SeaTools for DOS works on any operating system
Windows tool lets you test hard drives from any manufacturer
SeaTools for DOS can be difficult to use and install
The DOS version can only handle 100 errors before restarting
The DOS version may not work well with RAID controllers
Seagate SeaTools is free hard drive testing software available for home users in two forms:
- SeaTools Bootable and SeaTools for DOS support Seagate or Maxtor hard drives and run independently of the operating system on their own USB drive or CD respectively.
- SeaTools for Windows is installed on your Windows system. Use it to perform basic and advanced tests on any type of drive (internal or external) from any manufacturer.
Seagate's program is excellent. They are used by professional computer services to test hard drives, but can be easily used by anyone.
The Windows version should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP. There is also a Linux version.
For those looking for SeaTools Desktop, SeaTools Online, or Maxtor PowerMax software, please note that the above tools replace all three. Seagate now owns the Maxtor brand.
02/13hard drive scan
Applies to all hard drives
No installation required (portable)
Easy to use
Includes SMART testing
Runs on all modern versions of Windows
Only runs on Windows
No built-in help documentation or usage tips
The program cannot be installed on your computer (it automatically runs as a portable program)
HDDScan is a free hard drive testing program that works with all types of drives, regardless of manufacturer. It includes SMART testing and surface testing.
Some of the reasons I chose this app are because it's easy to use, completely portable, supports almost all drive interfaces, and seems to be updated regularly.
The official system requirements state that you need to be running at least Windows XP, so it should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 and Vista, including Windows Server 2003.
03/13G intelligent control
Choose from three different tests
Available for Windows, Linux and macOS
Allows you to view the SMART properties of a drive
Portable version available
Not all USB and RAID devices are supported
When you export information, it includes everything , not just the specific results you want to save
GSmartControl can run a variety of hard drive tests and provide detailed results, as well as an overall health assessment of the drive.
View and save SMART attribute values such as power cycle count, multi-region error rate, calibration retry count, etc.
GSmartControl runs three self-tests to find hard drive failures: the short self-test takes approximately 2 minutes to complete and is used to detect a completely damaged hard drive; the extended self-test takes 70 minutes to complete and examines the entire surface of the hard drive to find faults. The inspection is a 5-minute test designed to detect damage that occurred while the drive was in transit.
The program can be downloaded as a portable program for Windows or as a regular program with a normal installer. The latest version is available for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista, but you can get outdated versions for older Windows versions. It is also available for Linux and Mac operating systems and included in several LiveCD/LiveUSB programs.
04/13disk check
Track SMART attributes to predict hard drive failure
Can be configured to send you emails when certain events occur
Well-organized and easy-to-use interface
Small download size
Do not scan SCSI or hardware RAID
Free for home/personal use only, not for commercial/enterprise use
DiskCheckup should work on most hard drives. Displays smart information such as read error rate, spin time, seek error rate, and temperature, as well as short-term and long-term disk tests.
Details in the SMART section can be configured to send an email or display a notification when their properties exceed the manufacturer's recommended thresholds.
DiskCheckup should work correctly on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP as well as Windows Server 2008 and 2003.
05/13Samsung and Tier
The hard drive is tested regardless of the installed operating system
Not too difficult to use
Also lets you wipe data from your drive
Only tested Samsung hard drives
Not as easy to install as desktop-based programs
Must have access to a work computer to set up the program
Text interface (no buttons to click)
Has not been updated for many years
Samsung HUTIL is a free hard drive diagnostic utility for Samsung hard drives. HUTIL is sometimes called ES-Tool.
This tool can be used as an ISO image for burning to a CD or USB drive. This feature makes HUTIL independent of the operating system and overall better than testing tools designed for use in Windows. HUTIL can also be run from a bootable floppy disk.
Since this is a bootable program, you will need a working hard drive and operating system to burn it to a disc or USB device.
HUTIL will only test Samsung drives. It will load and find your non-Samsung drive, but you won't be able to run any diagnostics on the drive.
06/13Windows Drive Suitability Test (WinDFT)
very easy to use
There are two hard drive test functions
An option allows you to perform in-depth testing for better results
Allows you to test multiple drives in succession
SMART attributes can be viewed
Also lets you wipe your hard drive
Unable to scan primary hard drive where Windows is installed
There are no tutorials, instructions or tips included with the program
Unable to change where log files are saved
Applies to Windows operating systems only
No more updates
Windows Drive Fitness Test is free hard drive diagnostic software for most drives available today.
The download link below installs the Windows Drive Fitness Test software to a Windows operating system, but you cannot use the program to scan a drive with Windows installed. Only USB and other internal hard drives can be scanned.
If you are running Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP, you can install WinDFT on your computer.
07/13Western Digital Dashboard
Run from within Windows
really easy to use
Also displays basic information about the drive
Scan Western Digital drives only
Western Digital Dashboard is free hard drive testing software for Windows that allows you to run multiple hard drive tests.
It supports viewing Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) information. There's a "Brief Test" option that performs a relatively quick self-scan, and an "Extended Test" that checks the entire hard drive for bad sectors.
The tool can also be used to erase hard drives using the "write zero" data cleaning method.
08/13HD tuning
Test multiple types of storage devices
Includes useful tests
Information can be saved to screenshot and copied to clipboard
The program is not confusing to use
Unable to export results to text file
Officially only available for Windows 7
Allowed for home/personal use only
Not updated since 2008
HD Tune is a Windows-based hard drive tester that works with any internal or external hard drive, SSD or memory card.
You can use HD Tune to run benchmark read tests, check health using self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology, and run error scans.
Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000 are said to be the only supported operating systems, but I've used HD Tune in Windows 10 and Windows 8 without any problems.
09/13Microsoft Windows built-in error checking
No download required
Also try to fix any hard drive errors
Only runs on Windows
Lacks features found in other free hard drive testing software
Error Checker, sometimes called scandisk , is a hard drive testing tool included with Microsoft Windows that scans your hard drive for a variety of errors and corrects many of them.
It's built into all modern versions of Windows.
10 out of 13Fujitsu Diagnostic Tools
One of the easiest to use hard drive testing applications
Provides two hard drive test functions
Runs from within Windows, but if you don't have Windows, there's also a floppy version
Only tests Fujitsu hard drives
Bootable programs only run from floppy disks (not CDs or flash drives)
The floppy disk program is not as easy to install and use as the Windows version
Desktop program only runs on Windows
Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool is a free hard drive testing tool designed specifically for Fujitsu hard drives. It is available in a Windows version and a bootable DOS version that is independent of the operating system. However, the bootable version is designed for floppy disks and does not provide images for use with CDs or USB drives.
Two tests are available: "Quick Test" (approximately three minutes) and "Comprehensive Test" (time will vary based on hard drive size).
The Windows version is said to work with Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP. It may also work well in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
download :
The Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool will only perform hard drive testing on Fujitsu drives. If you have any other brand of hard drive, try one of the manufacturer-independent tests listed at the beginning of this list.
11 out of 13Free EASIS driving check
Scan results can be automatically emailed to you
Run a surface scan to check for errors
Show SMART attributes
Check for errors on internal and external hard drives
Scan results reveal useful information
There has been no update for a long time (the last officially supported operating system was Windows 7)
Only available for Windows computers
Doesn't include as many features as most other hard drive testers
The free EASIS Drive Check is a hard drive tester that includes two main test utilities - Sector Test and SMART Value Reader.
The SMART test lists more than 40 values about the hard drive, while the sector test checks the surface of the media for read errors.
Once completed, the report for any test can be read directly from the program and configured to be emailed to you or printed.
The free EASIS Drive Check is said to work on Windows 2000 through Windows 7, but I tested it successfully in Windows 10 and 8 as well.
12 out of 13Macrorit Disk Scanner
Beautiful visuals that are easy to understand
No installation required
Applicable to various Windows operating systems
Excludes features only available in paid version
Free for personal/family use only
Scan only one drive at a time
Include external links you may have accidentally clicked on
Infrequent updates
Macrorit Disk Scanner is a simple program for checking bad sectors on your hard drive. It's easy to use and you can start using it right away as it's completely portable and requires no installation.
The majority of this screen serves as a visual representation of the scan's progress and clearly indicates whether damage is present.
It runs on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP. Windows Server support is available to paying customers.
13 out of 13Ariolic Disk Scanner
Check all hard drives for bad sectors
Show which files are affected by the error
Portable (no installation required)
The interface is very clean and is not distracting or confusing to use
HFS not supported (only NTFS and FAT file systems)
Show ads after every scan
Ariolic Disk Scanner is similar to Macrorit Disk Scanner except that it performs a read-only scan of the drive to check for bad sectors. It has a minimal interface with just one button, and it's easy to know if any part of the drive contains bad sectors.
One thing that is different from Macrorit Disk Scanner is that Ariolic Disk Scanner lists files that have read errors.
I tested Ariolic Disk Scanner in Windows 11, 10, and XP, but it should work on other versions of Windows as well. The program is portable and is just over 1 MB in size.
