Hard Drive Test that runs under windows?

[mike]

What's a good Hard Drive Tester that will run under DOS and/or windows.

I'm looking for a way to quickly evaluate the hard drive in a used
computer before I buy it. Chkdsk doesn't turn up many types of errors.
The /F option is much better, but takes forever before you get any data.

I remember an old NDD program that instantly gave you a plot of known
bad sectors...then proceeded to test for more. That allows me to
instantly reject the drive based on existing bad sectors without having
to wait for the whole thing to complete. Yes, you have to wait to find
out it's good, but you can often instantly tell if it's bad.

I like Drive Fitness Test, but you can't always rely on being able to
boot from a CD or Floppy. Is there some freeware that's more
comprehensive than Chkdsk, but will run from the active hard drive?
Needs to fit on a floppy, so the big test suites won't do. Much of the
older stuff won't run under XP.

Suggestions?

On a related topic, can I test a bare hard drive on a USB/IDE converter?
Is the USB conversion sufficiently transparent to allow a disk test to
work? Suggestions for that? Got a big swapmeet this weekend and need
to weed out the "removed from working system" and "worked before I
dropped it" used drives...

Thanks, mike

 

[Rod Speed]

What's a good Hard Drive Tester that will run under DOS and/or windows.

There isnt that much. Its generally best to use the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic.

I'm looking for a way to quickly evaluate the hard drive in a used computer before I buy it.

Probably best to inspect the SMART data from the Everest report.
That requires a bit of interpretation tho, not all manufacturers report
everything the same say.

A full smart self test is pretty useful, but the only really viable
way to do that is using smartctl and you really need linux to
run that. The Win port doesnt support the self test that well.

Not hard to use a knoppix live CD and just boot that in the system being tested.

Chkdsk doesn't turn up many types of errors. The /F option is much better, but takes forever
before you get any data.

And doesnt report the SMART data for the drive.

I remember an old NDD program that instantly gave you a plot of known
bad sectors...then proceeded to test for more. That allows me to
instantly reject the drive based on existing bad sectors without
having to wait for the whole thing to complete. Yes, you have to
wait to find out it's good, but you can often instantly tell if it's bad.

Not really that viable with modern hard drives which
map the bads away automatically in some situations.

I like Drive Fitness Test, but you can't always rely on being able to boot from a CD or Floppy.

Everest doesnt actually install, so that should be fine.

Is there some freeware that's more comprehensive than Chkdsk, but will run from the active hard
drive?
Needs to fit on a floppy, so the big test suites won't do. Much of the older stuff won't run
under XP.

Suggestions?

The SMART data from Everest. Too big for a floppy tho.

On a related topic, can I test a bare hard drive on a USB/IDE converter?

Nope. You cant even usually get the SMART data.

Is the USB conversion sufficiently transparent to allow a disk test to work?
Nope.

Suggestions for that? Got a big swapmeet this weekend and need to weed out the "removed from
working system" and "worked before I dropped it" used drives...

I'd take my own PC and plug them into that with the drive loose.

 

[Arno Wagner]

What's a good Hard Drive Tester that will run under DOS and/or windows.

I'm looking for a way to quickly evaluate the hard drive in a used
computer before I buy it. Chkdsk doesn't turn up many types of errors.
The /F option is much better, but takes forever before you get any data.

This is basically worthless, except for adrive that is almost dead.

I remember an old NDD program that instantly gave you a plot of known
bad sectors...then proceeded to test for more. That allows me to
instantly reject the drive based on existing bad sectors without having
to wait for the whole thing to complete. Yes, you have to wait to find
out it's good, but you can often instantly tell if it's bad.

I like Drive Fitness Test, but you can't always rely on being able to
boot from a CD or Floppy. Is there some freeware that's more
comprehensive than Chkdsk, but will run from the active hard drive?
Needs to fit on a floppy, so the big test suites won't do. Much of the
older stuff won't run under XP.

Suggestions?

Any SMART utility. Run short self-test and look at the SMART
attributes for a quick impression. There is no substitute for
a long SMART self-test if you want to have a reasonable diagnosis.

On a related topic, can I test a bare hard drive on a USB/IDE converter?
No.

Is the USB conversion sufficiently transparent to allow a disk test to
work?

No. Not at all.

Suggestions for that? Got a big swapmeet this weekend and need
to weed out the "removed from working system" and "worked before I
dropped it" used drives...

For that you need the long self-test. Even that may be unable to
identify dropped drives.

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

This is basically worthless, except for adrive that is almost dead.

Utter babblebot nonsense.

There is no real way to tell whether a drive without visible bad sectors
is actually without bad sectors (ie OK) or that a drive with visible 'bad'
sectors is genuinely bad.

Any SMART utility. Run short self-test and look at the SMART
attributes for a quick impression.

There is no substitute for a long SMART self-test
if you want to have a reasonable diagnosis.

Nonsense. More likely everything else is better.

No.

Wrong. Any test based on reads and writes and seeks will work.

No. Not at all.

Utterly clueless, as always. Any USB interface with BIOS support
or any test app that comes with USB driver support will do.
One can use the diskdrive vendor supplied test application or you can
use Bart Lagerwey's (generic) Disktool.

For that you need the long self-test.

Wrong again.
The diskdrive can work that out just fine from the servo system supplied
info as soon as it spins up.

 

[Cl.Massé]

What's a good Hard Drive Tester that will run under DOS and/or windows.

A lightweight SMART capable software is Speedfan, it just take up a
diskette. It is not intended for that, but can make a couple of other
diagnostics too.
It is freely available here:
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php