How to Check SSD Health on Windows 11

Understanding how to check SSD health on windows 11 is becoming more important in both PC and data protection. Learn 4 ways to perform an SDD health check.

Understanding SSD health check windows 11 is becoming more important in both PC and data protection.

SDDs are replacing hard disk drives (HDDs) fast because of their increased speed, reliability, and rapidly evolving technology. But, like HDDs, SSDs aren't immune to physical damage or corruption.

This article discusses how to check SSD health on windows 11. You'll also learn tips to improve your SSD's health and performance.

What Is SSD Health Check?

There's no accuracy for this term.

Typically, an SSD health check Windows 11 is meant to help monitor the status of a Solid State Drive (SDD. This can help identify any issues (damage/corruption) that need addressing.

Unlike HDDs, SSDs are fast and operate at optimum performance when new. But, as they fill with data over time, their performance decreases. For example, at 70% storage capacity, SSDs begin to decline in performance. This also slows down the PC's performance.

This is why performing a regular SSD Health Check is important to understand their state and your PC's performance level.

Why Keep Your SSD Healthy?

Performing a regular SSD health check in Windows 11 has many benefits:

Check SSDs Health status

A health check will help you understand your SSD's health status. You'll know how healthy the SSD is and detect any bad sectors. It will also show you its overall health state - whether good or bad. There are no averages.

Prevent SSD failure

SDDs have similar problems to HDDs that can cause their failure. They can include physical damage (by impact or water), faulty firmware updates, data corruption, short circuits, and faulty construction.

An SSD failure can show varying symptoms, such as:

The drive cannot write but can read only.
Inability to write or read files on the drive.
Regular and inexplicable PC crashes.
Frequent bad block errors.
File system failure and more Blue screen of death errors.

Performing an SSD health check on Windows 11 should tell you the source of your SSD's failure so that you can fix it.

Optimize SSD performance

During an SSD health check, you can improve the drive's performance by carrying out a 'garbage collection.' This includes removing anything that can be loading the drive to optimize it for different demands.

Test SSD speed (transfer speed)

The SSD health check process often reveals the SSD/Disk transfer speed. Performing an SDD health check will help you determine whether the manufacturer-given transfer speed (write/read data) is accurate and operational.

In the process, you may also understand your SSD's overall performance level and speed.

How to Check SSD in Windows 11?

You can perform an SDD health check in Windows 11 using different methods:

Check SSD health software (third-party software)
Windows 11 built-in tools

Note: Most methods that check SSD health also perform well on HDDs.

Now, let's discuss the following 4 methods to check SSD health windows 11:

Use Command Prompt to check SSD Health

The Command prompt (CMD) is a Windows built-in tool that can help you check SSD health in Windows 11. You'll use the WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command) command line to check SSD using CMD.

WMIC helps check the SSD's health alongside other SMART.

(Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) functions.

SSD's SMART feature allows your PC to self-monitor and automatically conclude the disk's state. With CMD, you can check the SSD for:

Read-write errors
Temperature
Percent
Wear leveling
Other important details.

This SSD feature warns you before your PC suffers any significant data loss.

Follow the steps below to use the WMIC tool:

Press Windows Key + R.
Type cmd, then press Enter. The command prompt will appear.
In the command prompt app, type "WMIC" and press "Enter."
Allow the WMIC interface to get ready, then type "diskdrive get status," and press "Enter."
The command prompt window will display each drive with one of these two statuses:

OK — your SSD is healthy with good performance.
Pred Fail — your SSD is unhealthy and may crash anytime.

Note: If the SSD health check results in a Pred Fail status, back up your data immediately if you haven't. Because the drive may fail/crash anytime, you risk losing data.

Use a third party application to Fix Disk Error

Third-party applications can help you check your SSD health and fix it. For example, EaseUS Partition is a comprehensive tool to manage and prepare HDD/SSD partitions. It works with Windows Operating systems, including Windows 11, without exposing the system data loss.

These applications can also help you fix disk errors automatically.

Run "Defragment and Optimize Drives"

Defragmenting and Optimizing Windows 11 drives improves the PC speed by organizing the SSD's data. It enables the PC's drives to read and write files faster, boot faster, and run more smoothly.

The result of defragmenting and optimizing Windows 11 SSD drive is improved PC performance.

The Standard method to defrag/optimize Windows 11 SSD drives is through the built-in Defragment and Optimize Drives program:

You can use the steps below:

Press the Windows Key.
Search defrag.
A Defragment and Optimize Drives app will open. Select it.
Next, select the disk drive you want to optimize.
Click the Optimize button.

That's all.

Use SeaTools to Monitor SSD (Seagate) third party tool

You'll need first to search, download and install the SeaTools application.

After installation, launch the tool using the steps below:

If there's a SeaTools shortcut on your Windows desktop, just double-click on it and launch the program from there.

If not, follow these steps.

First, you'll make the PC ready for diagnostics by SeaTools:

Close all applications before you start running the SSD diagnostic.
Ensure the PC is fully powered. If not, connect it to power. PC diagnostics often take a long time and consume much PC power. Sometimes the PC may Hibernate or go into Standby. Turn both off.

Once the PC is ready, run SeaTools diagnostics using the following steps:

Click on Start > Select Programs > Select Seagate.
Select SeaTools for Windows.
Allow SeaTools to open, then select the Drives to test your system's different storage devices. It will also display information about other drives, such as Model and Serial Numbers.
You can select more than one drive to test simultaneously if you wish.
From the menu of possible diagnostic tests, select the test to run. All Basic Tests are data-safe, read-only tests. The tests are:

Fix All
Short Drive Self Test (DST)
Drive Information
Short Generic
Long Generic

Allow the tests to begin (immediately) and run smoothly.

The DST test runs a thorough disk diagnostic routine into the SSD's firmware. It's an adequate test for most SSD situations.

The "Long Generic" test is applicable for a more comprehensive test. It can read each drive's sector and find issues. But it takes long to complete.

Upon completing the diagnostic test, a summary of the results will display. The results are also listed on the program installation folder after being saced in a log created for each drive.

Sample Results Summary to read the rules summary log:

Click Help> View Log File.
Also, view the test results log on:

Either "Pass Info" or "Fail Info." What you click on will depend on the test's results located next to the "Help" button.
There are 3 tabs here: "Pass Info," "Warranty Checker," and "View Log File."
You'll see the possible test results: Passed, Failed, or Aborted.

When SeaTools tests result in a PASS status, the SSD isn't the source or cause of system issues. But a drive can be healthy and still have corrupted data. If that's the case, you'll need to perform a chkdsk operation to repair corrupted data and bad sectors.

"How do you fix?" a low health SSD: How Can I Improve My SSD Health?

Before you reach the level of performing an SSD health check, you need to know how to improve/maintain your SSD's health.

This includes avoiding the issues and situations that can damage your SSD or shorten its lifespan.

The following deliberate actions can help keep your SSD/drive healthy:

Temperature. Avoid extreme (too hot or too cold) temperatures. SSDs might be more resistant to extreme hot or cold temperatures than HDDs, but avoiding exposure to these extremes is important.
Power. Avoid power shocks/outages. These can damage any piece of electronics, including computer parts and SSDs.
Storage. Avoid storing data in the SSD to its full capacity. The drive should be kept open to give the memory space for function. If your SSD drive is almost full, delete unused files or move them to external storage.
Physical damage. Avoid physical damage opportunities like falls, shocks, or dropping your laptop. They can physically damage the SSD.
Updates. Apart from updating your PC, you also need to update your SSD's firmware regularly. This will help maintain its performance.
Enable AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface). This gives the PC a high-speed platform for data transfer between the SSD and motherboard.
Disable hibernation. Although hibernation fires your PC quickly, it shortens the SSDs life. By firing quickly, the PC uses more power than when shut down, leading to increased charges. Increased charging times damage the battery and SSD.

Conclusion

That's it: How to perform SDD health check on Windows 11.

We believe you've learned how to carry out an SSD health check in windows 11.

We've also discussed how to keep your SSD healthy. Keeping it healthy can help improve its performance, speed, and lifespan.

Checking your SSD health helps prevent failure and loss of irreplaceable data.

If you have any other ideas, suggestions, or questions, contact our customer support team.

Thank you for reading up to this far :)

Continue Reading

» How To Fix the "This PC Can't Run Windows 11" Error
» How to Fix "File System Error -2147163893" on Windows 11 and 10?
» What To Do When Your Apps Aren't Opening on Windows 10/11
» How To Format a Hard Drive That Won’t Boot?
» SSD vs HDD: Understanding the Key Differences between SSDs and HDDs

FAQ

How do I check SSD life in Windows 11?

Here's how to check hard drive health on Windows 11

On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes.
Open the properties for the hard drive and check the health status.
The status will show the estimated remaining life, available spare, and temperature.