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How to find out what kind of hard drive you have. How to find out which hard drive is installed in a computer SSD or HDD

Regular PC users do not need to know the components, the main thing is that everything works. If problems start with the computer, data is lost or there is not enough space, then the question of what hard drive is in the computer becomes relevant. If this is your case or you just want to know how good your computer is, in this article we will look at how to find out the hard drive model in a computer or laptop.

Types of disks

At the moment, there are three main types of disk drives: HDD, SDD and external hard drives.

  • They are common in almost every shop-assembled computer and cannot be confused with anything else.
  • – a modern and good alternative to HDDs, since they do not have any mechanics. Silent, fast and, accordingly, expensive.
  • are also common, they do not need to be placed inside the case, and are easy to connect to the computer.

How to learn everything about your hard drive

Let's look at several ways to find out information about your hard drive

Remove the hard drive from the case

For classic stationary desktops, it’s easiest to open the case and see what kind of drives you have installed. On laptops, depending on the model, only a screwdriver may be enough to get to the disk, but sometimes you need to disassemble the entire laptop case.

Important! If you use this method, be careful because it is very easy to damage the hard drive.

External drives are just a box and a hard drive inside. Therefore, despite the fact that external drives are produced by many more companies. For example, an external drive may be from Transcend, but inside there will be a .

As a result, if you managed to get a disk, then the hard disk itself always contains detailed information such as volume, model, manufacturer, etc.

For Windows OS users

Through "My Computer". This method is suitable for Windows OS. This is the easiest method and does not require the presence or removal of the hard drive itself. It is enough to do the following:

  • right-click on the “My Computer” shortcut;
  • click on the “Management” item;
  • go to the “Storage Devices” tab – “Disk Management”;
  • also in the “Device Manager” tab, select “Disk devices”, there you will see the disk model.

The procedure may vary slightly depending on the version of Windows. In any case, in the Device Manager, in the “Disk Devices” section, you will see all the SSD and HDD models that your operating system sees. If you know for sure that you have a hard drive and valuable data on it, then this is a reason to turn to specialists.

For Linux OS users

Via hdparm. This way. This program is automatically installed in every modern version of Linux.

To access, you need to open a terminal and run hdparm in the console with the –i /dev/hda parameter. You will see the main parameters of your hard drive

Using programs

Everything will show which device you have installed. This function is also available in all applications for testing and analyzing computer configuration. For example, in EVERSET you just need to select the “Data Storage” tab and you will see every characteristic of your Hard Drive.

Don't be surprised if you see the total volume less than stated, it is always lower than stated due to the characteristics of manufacturers. The difference is always ~7%, so for a disk with a declared capacity of 500 GB we will get 465 GB of free space. If every gigabyte is important to you, always choose one with a larger capacity.

Hello everyone A hard drive is exactly the device where everything you have on your computer is where it all lies. That is, this is a device for storing data, everything is stored on it, well, exactly everything you have, these are programs, games, music, videos and other files. Therefore, if he is covered with a copper basin, then you will lose it all. All I'm saying is that a hard drive is a very important device and should be handled with care, not subjecting the computer to any kind of shaking, so to speak.

I'll tell you how to find out what hard drive you have in your computer, and also tell you what reliable drives are and how to find out the temperature!

But in general, I started writing something about the wrong thing, I wanted to show you how to find out what kind of hard drive you have. I will show using Windows 10 as an example, but in other Windows everything will be the same. So, first you need to open the My Computer window, if in Windows 7 this is easy, well, there is such an item in Start, but in Windows 10 I no longer remember how to do this. I simply placed shortcuts to local drives in Start. But there is a trick, look, hold down Win + R and write the following command in the window:

explorer file://

And click OK. After this, the My Computer window will open, it works, I checked. Great, so here we have an open window, right-click on any disk there and select Properties:


A window will open, go to the Hardware tab and all the physical disks that you have will be listed there. For example, I have two here, these are WD & Hitachi:

The exact model of the disk is indicated here, exactly the model. If you need to find out how much space is on the disk, how much is free, then you need to hold down Win + R and enter the command in the window:

And click OK. A window will open, it has an item called Disk Management, so select it:

And you will see this information:


I’ll say right away that there is nothing complicated here, it may just seem complicated to you. Look, down there it says Disk 0, Disk 1, these are just two disks and that’s what they are called in Windows. Opposite each disk you can see what partitions there are and what the physical volume of the entire disk is:


Well, it seems clear, I hope. Since I’m writing about the hard drive, I’ll answer two more questions that novice computer users often have:

Which hard drive is the most reliable? A reliable disk is a relative concept; it just all depends on how it will be used. Nevertheless, the most reliable hard drives in the world are, of course, server hard drives, but they are noisy, expensive and often of medium capacity or less. They are not suitable for the home, but they can withstand a long load and nothing will happen to them. After that come home disks, they are also reliable, but my opinion is that the most reliable manufacturer is, of course, Western Digital (WD): no matter how many disks I have had from this manufacturer, they have never broken yet, despite the fact that I bought everything used . So my choice is WD

But recently I came across a disk at a good price, but the truth is that it is no longer WD, but Hitachi. For the third month now it has been working around the clock and everything seems to be ok. But still, the most reliable hard drives for me will remain under the WD brand, and the super-duper reliable ones are the WD VelociRaptor line of drives. These are not only the most reliable, but also super fast, by the way, really super fast! But their price is a little astronomical. Regarding regular drives, I recommend the WD Black series, these are high-speed drives, they even have two processors and the price is already normal...

By the way, this is what the VelociRaptor hard drive looks like:

As you can see, the disk here is actually small, 2.5 format, and everything else is a radiator that cools the disk. The whole trick of the disk is that it operates at high speeds, like server disks - at 10,000 rpm. But its price is too high...

Although the WD Blue line is also not bad, they are ordinary high-quality wheels and the price is not high. In general, see for yourself, but I think that many will agree with me that WD is most reliable..

What should the hard drive temperature be? But I don’t know about you, but this question is acute for me. Well, that is, this is important to me. The thing is that the hard drive does not like high temperatures. The maximum temperature for a hard drive is 40 degrees, and that’s not very good, the ideal is 30-35. Then it will work for a long time. It will work at 45, but believe me, it won’t be very good. It's still too hot for him

Good day!

How many things could be corrected if we knew in advance what awaits us...

And if in life it is almost impossible to predict some events, then in the case of a hard drive, some of the problems can still be predicted and foreseen!

For this, there are special utilities that can find out and analyze the SMART* readings of a disk (show them to you, if necessary), and based on this data, assess the health of your disk, simultaneously calculating how many years it can still serve.

The information is extremely useful, in addition, such utilities can monitor your disk online, and as soon as the first signs of unstable operation appear, they will immediately notify you. Accordingly, you will have time to make a backup in time and take action (although backups should always be done, even when everything is fine ☺).

And so, in this article I will consider several methods (and several utilities) for analyzing the status of HDDs and SSDs.

*Note:
S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) - a special technology for assessing the condition of a hard drive with an integrated hardware self-diagnosis/self-monitoring system. The main task is to determine the probability of device failure, preventing data loss.

This is perhaps one of the most popular questions asked by all users who are encountering problems with their hard drive for the first time (or who are thinking about the safety of storing their data). Everyone is interested in the time it takes for the disk to work until it completely stops. Let's try to predict...

Therefore, in the first part of the article, I decided to show a couple of utilities that can receive all the readings from the disk and analyze them independently, and give you only the finished result (in the second part of the article, I will provide utilities for viewing SMART readings for independent analysis).

Method No. 1 - using Hard Disk Sentinel

One of the best utilities for monitoring the status of computer disks (both hard drives (HDD) and “newfangled” SSDs). What is most captivating about the program is that it will independently analyze all the data received about the state of the disk and show you the finished result (very convenient for novice users).

In order not to be unfounded, I will immediately show the main window of the program, which appears after the first launch (the disk analysis will be done immediately automatically). The health and performance of the disk are assessed as 100% (ideally, this is how it should be), the time that the disk will still work in normal mode is estimated by the program at approximately 1000 days (~3 years).

What's wrong with the disk according to Hard Disk Sentinel

In addition, the program allows you to monitor the temperature: both current, average and maximum during the day, week, month. If the temperature goes beyond the “normal” limits, the program will warn you about this (which is also very convenient).

Hard Disk Sentinel also allows you to view SMART readings (though to evaluate them, you need to have a good understanding of disks), get complete information about the hard drive (model, serial number, manufacturer, etc.), see what the hard drive is loaded with (i.e. .get performance information).

In general, in my humble opinion, Hard Disk Sentinel is one of the best utilities for monitoring the status of disks in the system. It is worth adding that there are several versions of the programs: professional and standard (for the professional version with extended functionality, there is a portable version of the program that does not require installation (for example, it can even be run from a flash drive)).

Hard Disk Sentinel works in all popular Windows (7, 8, 10 - 32|64 bits), supports the Russian language in full.

Method number 2 - using HDDlife

This program is similar to the first one; it also clearly shows the current state of the disk: its health and performance (in percentage terms), its temperature, the amount of time worked (in months). At the top of the window, based on all this data, HDDlife shows a summary of your disk, for example, in my case, “ALL RIGHT” (which means everything is fine with the disk).

By the way, the program can work online, monitoring the state of your disk, and if something goes wrong (when the first signs of problems appear) it will immediately notify you about it.

As an example, the screenshot below shows an SSD disk has received a warning: its condition is still within acceptable limits, but reliability and performance are below average. In this case, you should not trust the disk with any important data, and if possible, you should prepare to replace it.

By the way, in the main window of the program, next to the amount of disk time worked, there is a link "Disk settings" (allows you to change some necessary parameters). By opening it, you can control the balance between noise/performance (very useful with drives that make a lot of noise), and adjust power consumption settings (relevant for laptops that quickly run out of battery).

Addition: HDDlife works on both PCs and laptops. Supports HDD and SSD drives. Portable versions of the program are available that do not require installation. You can configure the program to run alongside your Windows. HDDlife works on Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32|64 bits).

How to view SMART readings

If previous utilities independently assessed the condition of the disk based on SMART data, then the utilities below will give you more freedom and data for independent analysis. In the reports you will be able to find a fairly large set of parameters, on the basis of which you can roughly assess the condition of the disk and make a forecast for its future operation.

Method No. 1 - using CrystalDiskInfo

СrystalDiskInfo

An excellent free utility for viewing the status and SMART readings of a hard drive (SSD drives are also supported). What’s so attractive about the utility is that it provides you with complete information about the temperature, technical condition of the disk, its characteristics, etc., and some of the data comes with notes (i.e., the utility is relevant for experienced users who themselves know “what-is- what" and for beginners who need a hint).

For example, if there is something wrong with the temperature, you will see a red indicator on it, i.e. СrystalDiskInfo will inform you about this.

The main window of the program can be roughly divided into 4 zones (see screenshot above):

  1. "1" - all your physical disks installed in your computer (laptop) are listed here. Next to each one is shown its temperature, technical condition, and the number of sections on it (for example, “C: D: E: F:”);
  2. "2" - the current temperature of the disk and its technical condition are shown here (the program performs an analysis based on all data received from the disk);
  3. "3" - disk data: serial number, manufacturer, interface, rotation speed, etc.;
  4. "4" - SMART readings. By the way, what makes the program captivating is that you don’t have to know what this or that parameter means - if something is wrong with any item, the program will mark it in yellow or red and notify you about it.

As an example to the above, I will give a screenshot that shows two disks: on the left - with which everything is fine, on the right - with problems with reassigned sectors (technical condition - alarm!).

As a reference (about reassigned sectors):

when the hard drive detects, for example, a write error, it transfers the data to a specially designated spare area (and this sector will be considered “reassigned”). Therefore, on modern hard drives you cannot see bad blocks - they are hidden in reassigned sectors. This process is called remapping, and the reassigned sector is remap.

The higher the value of reassigned sectors, the worse the condition of the disk surface. Field "raw value" contains the total number of remapped sectors.

By the way, for many disk manufacturers, even one reassigned sector is already a warranty case!

To utility CrystalDiskInfo monitored the status of your hard drive online - in the "Service" menu, check two boxes: "Agent launch" and "Autostart"(see screenshot below).

Then you will see the temperature program icon next to the clock in the tray. In general, you can now be more confident about the condition of the disk ☺...

Method number 2 - using Victoria

Victoria- one of the most famous programs for working with hard drives. The main purpose of the program is to assess the technical condition of the drive and replace damaged sectors with spare working ones.

The utility is free and allows you to work both under Windows and under DOS (which in many cases shows much more accurate data about the state of the disk).

Of the minuses: working with Victoria is quite difficult; at least, I highly do not recommend pressing buttons on it at random (you can easily destroy all the data on the disk). I have one fairly large article on my blog that explains in detail how to check a disk using Victoria (including finding out the SMART readings - an example in the screenshot below (in which Victoria pointed out a possible problem with the temperature)).

Instructions for working with Victoria:

SMART Tab || Victoria utility

I'll call it a day, good luck to everyone!

Additions on the topic are welcome ☺

How to find out what hard drive is on your computer

In most cases, the average person may need information about disk drive “C” when there are obvious problems with the operating system or there is a question about the need to replace it with a more capacious one. It is situations like these that force most users to look for an answer to the question of how to find out which hard drive is on the computer. In other cases, such a need does not arise. There is no particular difficulty here, and every user can easily do this if they know the order of performing simple actions.

What is a hard drive and what types does it come in?

The hard drive also has other names among users - hard drive, Hard Disk Drive or abbreviated HDD, screw. This is the name given to the part of the computer system unit that performs the functions of recording and rewriting information.
It is he who stores absolutely all the information, and file data of the operating system is no exception. If you install a program, then all information is saved on the hard drive, the same happens if files are written or copied on the computer.

HDD can be presented in two versions: external and built-in.
1. An external (portable or portable) hard drive is a removable structure, which is hidden in a special block for ease of transfer. They have different memory capacities and connection interfaces (USB 3.0 or 2.0).
2. The built-in (internal) hard drive is located directly in the operating unit of a personal computer or laptop. They differ in size: for a PC - 3.5 inches, and for a laptop - 2.5 inches.

All incoming information is generated on special magnetic disk drives; if you open the lid, it is clearly visible. But this kind of hard drive is gradually becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by a board. It is more functional and less susceptible to external damage, since it does not contain moving parts. In addition, they provide faster and quieter operation of the operating system. But the cost of such rigid boards is many times higher than magnetic ones.

How can I find out information about the hard drive on my computer?

For many users, it remains a mystery what kind of hard drive is on their computer. Yes, in fact, they don’t need to have this information. And if problems occur with the operating system, which in most cases indicates incorrect operation of the hard drive, then diagnostics are carried out by specialists. But there are often cases when, when talking about problems that have arisen, technicians are interested in this particular indicator of your PC. Diagnosing a Hard Disk Drive itself takes a lot of time, so such repairs can be done quickly and cannot be done at home.

So how to look at the hard drive on a computer? There are several options for obtaining this information. The easiest way to find out this data, which can be used on any computer, even a non-working one, is to remove the hard drive from the case of the system unit or laptop and get acquainted with the data that interests us. To do this, you need to turn off the power (remove the battery from the laptop), unscrew the (bottom) cover and take out the same hard drive.

If the computer can be turned on, then complete information about the installed hard drive can be obtained by using programs. But for each parameter you need to perform your own set of actions.

So, to find out the amount of Hard Disk Drive available on your computer, you need to right-click on the desktop icon or Start panel, “My Computer”. In the window that opens, select “Computer Management”. In the additional utility that opens, find and click on “Storage devices”, the next step is to click “Disk Management”. The window will show the true amount of memory that your PC or laptop has on the hard drive. It will be designated as “Disk 0”. For convenience, manufacturers and users use numbers rounded to the nearest thousand when denoting this indicator. So, a volume of 40Gb corresponds to a real figure of 37.25 Gb, 60Gb – 55.88 Gb, 500 Gb – 465.65 Gb, etc.

Next to the available information about the amount of memory, there may be two more small windows. This means that your hard drive is divided into two or three logical volumes, where one, usually called “C”, will serve as the operating system storage, and the second “D” accumulates all the information saved by the user.

To find out what model of hard drive “C” you need to perform the following steps. We start with the same double click on the “My Computer” icon. Select "Computer Management". In the menu that opens, you need to find the “Device Manager” shortcut. In order to view the installed disk drives, you need to activate the “Disk devices” item. Complete information about the installed hard drives on your PC or laptop will open.

Special programs for testing hard drives

You can also find out which hard drive is installed on your personal computer or laptop using special programs. Some of these are the following:
EVEREST;
AIDA64;
HDD Scan.

This kind of program is designed not only to find out the brand and volume of the Hard Disk Drive, but also to scan it, find damaged sectors, assess the general condition of any drive, determine the maximum heating temperature, and battery consumption.

In order to check your hard drive, you need to download the program and run it on your PC. A menu usually appears in the window where we find and activate “Data Storage”; the utility opens a complete list of all storage devices on this PC: actual and logical, optical drives, Windows storage, etc. We are interested in the icon called “ATA” By clicking on which in the main window, full information about the hard drive opens: from the model to the search time indicators.

These are the main ways to find the necessary information about the installed Hard Disk Drive on your PC or laptop.

The hard drive is one of the main components of a computer. After all, it is used to store most data, both user and system. In this article we will talk about how to find out what hard drive is on your computer and what its characteristics are.

Method No. 1. Disk properties.

The easiest way to find out what hard drive is on your computer is to use the built-in tools in the Windows operating system. To do this, open the “ ” window, right-click on any hard drive and select the “Properties” menu item.

After this, the “Disk Properties” window will open in front of you. Here, on the “Hardware” tab, there is a list of all drives connected to the computer.

Among other things, this list includes hard drives. The only downside is that the names of hard drives are presented in abbreviated form.

To get more information about a hard drive, simply enter its abbreviated name into any search engine. And you can easily find a page describing all its characteristics.

Method No. 2. HDDlife Professional program.

If you not only want to find out what hard drive is on your computer, but also get all the possible information about it, then you can use the HDDlife Professional program for this. This program is paid, but the Trial version is enough to view information about one hard drive.

As you can see in the screenshot above, the HDDlife program provides information about the hard drive model, hard drive manufacturer, technical condition of the hard drive, temperature, as well as logical drives.

The HDDlife Professional program can be downloaded. There you can also download the programs HDDlife for Notebooks (version for laptops) and SSD Life Professional (version for SSD drives).

Method number 3. CrystalDiskInfo program.

CrystalDiskInfo - can be considered a free alternative to the HDDlife Professional program. The CrystalDiskInfo program displays information about all hard drives on the computer. At the same time, for each hard drive, the model name, firmware version, serial number, interface used, volume letter, rotation speed, number of starts, total operating time, temperature, S.M.A.R.T. system data, and other information are displayed.

For SSD drives, CrystalDiskInfo may display some additional information. For example, the amount of data read and written over the entire operating time of the drive. You can download the program