Disk monitoring
It is recommended to regularly monitor the condition of your disks using appropriate tools. An example of a tool for checking SSD and HDD disks is the “CrystalDiskInfo” program. By monitoring the health and temperature of your disks, you can diagnose disk problems more quickly and protect your data from loss.
CrystalDiskInfo is a free tool for monitoring the status of disks. This program provides information about the health of the disk, temperature, and numerous other parameters related to the operation of the media. Here is a guide on how to use CrystalDiskInfo to diagnose and monitor disks.
Installing CrystalDiskInfo
1. Downloading the program:
o Go to the CrystalDiskInfo website https://crystalmark.info and download the appropriate version of the program (standard or portable).
2. Installation:
o After downloading, run the installation file and follow the instructions. If you want to avoid installation, you can download the “portable” version.
3. Running the program:
o After installing or unpacking the portable version, run the program.
2. Program interface
When launched, CrystalDiskInfo displays basic information about connected HDD/SSD drives. The most important elements of the interface are:
• Health Status: Shows the current status of the drive. It can take the following values: “Good”, ‘Caution’, “Bad”.
• Temperature: The current temperature of the drive is displayed next to the health status.
• S.M.A.R.T.: Data from the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) monitoring system, which provides insight into the condition and performance of the drive.
3. Explanation of the S.M.A.R.T. parameter
CrystalDiskInfo displays many disk parameters, but here are some of the most important ones to monitor:
1. Reallocated Sectors Count:
o Indicates the number of sectors that have been moved to the spare pool due to damage. If this value increases, it may indicate problems with the disk.
2. Current Pending Sector Count:
o Indicates the number of unstable sectors awaiting transfer to the reserve. A high value may suggest that the drive is in poor condition.
3. Power-On Hours:
o Shows how many hours the drive has been in operation.
4. Temperature:
o Temperature monitoring is crucial. The optimal temperature for drives is usually below 50°C. If the temperature is high, it may lead to a shorter drive life.
5. Uncorrectable Sector Count:
o Indicates the number of sectors that could not be corrected. A value greater than 0 is cause for concern.
6. Total Host Writes (for SSD):
o This is the amount of data written to the SSD. The higher the value, the closer the drive may be to the end of its write cycle.
4. Drive Health Assessment
CrystalDiskInfo automatically assesses the health of the drive and classifies it as:
• Good: The drive is working without problems.
• Caution: The drive is beginning to show signs of problems.
• Bad: The drive is in very poor condition, data loss may occur, suggesting immediate action, such as backing up and replacing the drive.
5. Customizing CrystalDiskInfo
• Monitoring mode: CrystalDiskInfo can run in the background and monitor disks in real time. To enable this, select Features → Resident (to run the program in the background).
• Alarms: You can set notifications if the drive temperature exceeds a certain level or the drive health deteriorates. To do this, select Features → Notification Options → Alarm Sound.
,,Regularly checking your disks with CrystalDiskInfo allows you to detect problems at an early stage, which can prevent data loss and allow you to plan for disk replacement at the right time."
Summary
CrystalDiskInfo is a simple but very powerful tool for monitoring the status of hard drives and SSDs. Regularly checking your drives with it allows you to detect problems at an early stage, which can prevent data loss and allow you to plan for a drive replacement at the right time.
