How to test your disk for errors using a disk surface test scan
A disk surface scan allows you to test your HDD, SSD or NVMe for faults. Your disk stores information in a very organised way, so we need to make sure its in good condition.
You can imagine a storage disk to be like a big warehouse. All the locations in the warehouse have a number, for example B1, B2, B3...
The purpose of a disk surface scan is to go through one-by-one and make sure these locations are healthy.
Software
To run this test we are going to need some software. For the purpose of this guide we are going to use EaseUS to run our test as they are not limited to any specific brand or type of storage device.
We are going to download the free version of this software as this is all we are going to need to run our test.
Download Here: Disk Surface Test, Check Disk Bad Sectors and Hard Drive Error (easeus.com)
Once you have downloaded and installed the software, you should be presented with this window:
From this window, we will be able to see all the drives that are currently connected to our system. If you look around you will notice that EaseUS Partition Master has some further useful tools, however we will be focusing on our Surface Scan for now.
Running the Surface Test
To run our surface test, start by clicking and opening the "Toolkit" menu which should be the last option in the menu list.
From the toolkit menu you will see a variety of options. Select "Bad Sector Scan".
After you open the "Bad Sector Scan" menu, you will see a grid which is subdivided in to many little squares. This represents the individual surface sectors on your drive.
On the right hand side of the grid, use the drop-down menu to select which drive you would like to scan:
IMPORTANT Before starting the test, to achieve a more detailed analysis, please make sure "Perform a quick check process" is Disabled.
Click the "Start" button in the bottom right to start the Surface Test. You will notice the test begin to scan your drive from left to right.
Any bad sectors on your drive will be shown in RED. The time it takes to fully scan your drive depends on the size and speed of your drive. A 500GB NVMe can complete a test in a few minutes, whereas a 4TB HDD could take over an hour.
The total number of bad sectors can be viewed on the right side of this window.
Once the test is complete, you will be able to see the total number of bad sectors. 1 bad sector is enough to cause problems and you should consider replacing your drive as soon as possible. Continuing to use the drive will put all your data at risk!