Diagnose your hard disk with SeaTools software

[SoftwareGuy]

SeaTools is software that lets you know the real state of health of your hard drive. It makes it possible to eliminate the problems of original software or system, and ensure that the concerns are met with original material. Compatible with USB drives, FireWire, P-ATA (IDE), SATA, SAS and SCSI, it works both on desktop as well as notebook.


Step 1: Getting Started

When a system starts malfunctioning, and before you incriminate your drive, try to establish a detailed diagnosis of your discs using the SeaTools.

SeaTools is a Seagate software that works with all hard drives of all brands, both internal and external, and the in-depth analysis to establish a complete diagnosis of the hardware.

If not fix anything unusual, its that the problem is not material and that the disk is healthy. Therefore you should look if there is not a corruption of system files (by checking in Windows or "chkdsk"), if there is not a driver (in device manager), if a virus or malware has not damaged the MBR (Master Boot Record), or if there is not a hardware conflict especially at the level of Master/Slave" of the IDE channel.

• Start by downloading and installing the SeaTools software.
  
• Run the software. After a few seconds of analysis, it displays the list of detected disks.
  
• Check the disc to test it in the list.
  
• The menu of tests is then released. It has several options:
  
  • Verify SMART
  • Auto Test of drive Short
  • Auto Test of drive Long
  • Information on the hard
  • Credits Short
  • Credits Long
  • Tests Developed
    

    Note: To learn more about these tests, go to the next step.

• Some tests can not be accessed or displayed in the menu if your disk is not compatible with.
  
• Click on the desired test. Most of the time, the test "Auto Test of drive Short" is sufficient to determine the status of a disc.
  
• Once the test, the column "Test status" shows one result:
  
  • Result green "Pass", indicates that no abnormality was detected.
  • Result red "Failed", indicates that one or more problems were detected on the disk.
  • Result black "Abandon", indicates that the diagnosis could not be performed.

[SoftwareGuy]

Step 2: Description of tests

The various tests available are:

1. Verify SMART: All modern hard drives have a preemptive diagnostic feature, called SMART, which can anticipate the problems of records identifying the first signs of failure. When such deficiencies are identified, the test SMART SeaTools display "Failed", indicating that SMART technology has already identified the existence of hardware problems on the disc.
   
2. Auto Test of drive Short: This test performs a quick diagnosis of the disk (in less than 90 seconds) using a routine pre-integrated into the firmware of the disk drive. If this test fails, then your disk is clearly damaged. If the test succeeds, then you have to try more extensive tests and therefore longer. This test may not be available on external drives.
   
3. Auto Test of drive Long: This test can take up to 4 hours of execution. Attention, the test is slowly changing in steps of 10% and often gives the impression of being planted or blocked ... But this is never the case. It is imperative to wait until the end of the test the first 10 percent before eventually cancel the test after it was launched. This test may not be available on external drives.
   
4. Information on the hard: This test displays the basic information of the disc as its serial number, the reference model, firmware issue, its Max LBA, the functions supported, its temperature, its hours of operation and the size of its cache.
   
5. Credits Short: This test is always available and performs a diagnosis based on three short tests: Outer scan (scan outside), Inner scan (scan procedure) Random read (random).
   
6. Credits Long: This test is always available and performs a thorough diagnosis of the entire surface of the disc, the first sector to the last. External drives, this test also provides a function to ask for a "repair" of the area. This repair allows you to move data on this sector defaulting to an area not lacking. If repair is impossible, then released in the test failure.
   
7. Tests Advanced: Enabling this option will bring up a new menu "Tests Advanced" which not only to update the firmware of Seagate drives, but also to request a format very low level to try to repair a disk by erasing all of its contents.