Question Does CrystalDiskInfo reliable to check HDD health?

[Vayne77]

Title

 

[USAFRet]

It is ONE tool to use.
There is also the manufacturers diagnostics.
As well as other tools. HDDSentinal, HDDTune, etc, etc.

But...a drive that shows 100% health today can still die tomorrow.
Seriously. I've personally had that happen.

The only true way to protect your data is a good backup routine.
If the drive dies, you replace it.

If it is still under warranty, free replacement.
Otherwise, $$ replacement.

Your data should never be at risk, or trusted to some software that says "100% Health".

 

[Vayne77]

It is ONE tool to use.
There is also the manufacturers diagnostics.
As well as other tools. HDDSentinal, HDDTune, etc, etc.

But...a drive that shows 100% health today can still die tomorrow.
Seriously. I've personally had that happen.

The only true way to protect your data is a good backup routine.
If the drive dies, you replace it.

If it is still under warranty, free replacement.
Otherwise, $$ replacement.

Your data should never be at risk, or trusted to some software that says "100% Health".

Any tips to make HDD live long?

 

[fzabkar]

I would use Victoria for Windows to perform a full surface scan. It will identify "slow" sectors. The manufacturers' tools would not feature in my tool chest, unless I needed a test code for RMA purposes.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Most programs should be reading the same smart data, meaning they should report the same values.

For a HDD, mount it properly and make sure it isn't jostled around or dropped. That will maximize lifespan.

Always, always, always have a backup.

 

[Vayne77]

Most programs should be reading the same smart data, meaning they should report the same values.

For a HDD, mount it properly and make sure it isn't jostled around or dropped. That will maximize lifespan.

Always, always, always have a backup.

Backup is a bit complicated when I have 10TB+ of contents

Which backup you use usually? Cloud or external HDD?

 

[USAFRet]

Backup is a bit complicated when I have 10TB+ of contents

Which backup you use usually? Cloud or external HDD?

Done right, nothing is too large.

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

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