

ĭouble-click My Computer, and right-click the hard disk. Use the Error Checking utility built in to Microsoft Windows. For example, Windows Disk Error Checking can help to fix corrupted file system structures. Nonetheless, if the drive passes all of the SeaTools hardware tests and you still have concerns that the disk drive is the cause of problems, then you may need to perform other tests and maintenance. This way, the benefits of the long scan are enjoyed without the long duration of the whole drive scan. If found, these sectors are considered questionable and they are the first ones tested by the DST short test.

While both versions can initiate the drive's built in self test (called DST), the bootable version, SeaTools for DOS, has additional capabilities if bad sectors are found.Īn interesting aspect of disk drive technology is that since early 2000 disk drives are constantly using idle time to scan for difficult sectors.

There are two versions of SeaTools, one runs in Windows and the other runs from its own bootable operating system on a CD or floppy. That means a significant number of customers who were returning their good disk drives were forfeiting valuable data and productivity. Prior to the availability of SeaTools, many of the hard drives returned to Seagate were found to have no problems. Additionally, removing your drive will reduce your productivity until it is replaced. It is important that you not risk losing all your data by returning a perfectly good disk drive. If it passes all tests, then the problem is usually located somewhere else in your system. SeaTools thoroughly tests your Seagate, Maxtor-brand, and Quantum-brand ATA drives. More tips and information for when the SeaTools diagnostic passes but your drive is still not acting right.

