How to check HDD and SSD health using S.M.A.R.T. technology

Data loss almost always happens unexpectedly. One day your computer works perfectly, and the next day the storage drive is no longer recognized by the system. This is why experts advise against relying on luck and recommend proactively monitoring the health of your HDD and SSD. The good news is that modern storage devices provide early warning signs.

As reported by boda.su, virtually all hard disk drives and solid-state drives use the S.M.A.R.T. self-monitoring system. This technology collects operational statistics, logs errors, tracks wear, and flags potential failures. While it cannot predict an exact failure date, it often indicates when problems are approaching.

For traditional HDDs, parameters related to the platter surface are particularly important. If a drive starts detecting bad sectors and relocating data to a reserved area, that's a clear warning sign. Metrics for reallocated and pending sectors signal difficulties with reading data. Even small values for these parameters are a serious reason to immediately create a backup.

SSDs follow a different wear pattern. They have no mechanical parts, but their memory cells have a limited rewrite endurance. Therefore, the key indicator becomes the wear level, which S.M.A.R.T. can display as a percentage or in terms of write cycles. The total amount of data written to the drive over its lifetime is also important to consider.

SSD manufacturers typically specify a TBW (Total Bytes Written) parameter—the total write volume the device is designed to handle over its lifespan. This isn't a hard limit but rather a guideline. Many drives continue working after reaching this threshold, though the risk of failure increases noticeably. Comparing the TBW rating with the actual amount of data written gives you a rough estimate of remaining drive life.

You can perform a basic drive health check in Windows without third-party software, but this provides only a general result without details. For a more accurate picture, use free utilities like CrystalDiskInfo, or on Linux, tools like smartctl and nvme-cli. If the metrics indicate HDD degradation or critical SSD wear, the best course of action is to immediately back up your data and prepare to replace the drive. This is precisely why S.M.A.R.T. exists: to give you time to act without panic.