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Hard Disk Sentinel Professional

Software Utilities > System Tools - Hard Drive

Detect Hard Drive Issues Before Catastrophe Strikes

The work that you do on your computer is extremely important, so why leave potential hard drive issues up to fate? By the time your system starts behaving strangely or making odd noises, it may be too late to save your data! With Hard Disk Sentinel Professional, you'll always have a complete overview of your hard drive's health, so you can spot potential problems before they result in an irrecoverable data catastrophe.

Hard Disk Sentinel Professional is your key to identifying, testing, diagnosing, and repairing hard drive problems, even with Solid State Drives. With Hard Disk Sentinel Professional, you can instantly see reports detailing the total health of your drive, including temperature, self-monitoring data, transfer speeds, and more. Any deviation in these factors could be an early warning sign of impending drive failure!

Best of all, Hard Disk Sentinel Professional also works on hard disks that are being used in external enclosures, like those that let you hook up internal drives via a USB or e-SATA interface! If you move these drives around a lot, from office to home and from one computer to another (jostle, jostle), you owe it to yourself to get a copy of Hard Disk Sentinel Professional today!

Boasting the most sensitive disk health rating system ever, Hard Disk Sentinel Professional will let you know about potential issues far sooner than any other program on the market today. You even enjoy the benefit of having automatic and scheduled disk backup options, which can work quickly to preserve your valuable bits and bytes in the event of a problem!

Review Written by Derek Lee

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The Conversation
Features
The Fine Print
Testimonials
Email Updates Load 110 Older Comments
Ron. Yesterday was the 2nd time this tool has warned me about a looming disk failure - allowing me to secure my most recent backup and get a replacement running before it was too late. The more disks you have, the more you need this.
May 6 at 6:46pm
Gonzo Awesome and must-have application! This has to be one of the most essential software in every person's computer, considering its usefulness and power.
Where others fail to prematurely detect an issue with a hard drive, HDS works as designed :)
May 7 at 3:04am
Janos Mathe @Ron,
@Gonzo:

Thanks so much for kind words, glad to hear Hard Disk Sentinel Professional helped :-)
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 3:08am
bob roos This saved my tush several times. Glad to have it.

BTW, (a small thing) I was looking to check to see if I had the current version and thought there wasn't a way because it was not under Help. I found the check under File. How about changing/adding a Help menu item to check for updates?
May 7 at 6:17am
Janos Mathe Thanks for your attention and tip!

Yes, the "check for updates" option is available in the File menu. Also you can find this option in Configuration - Update page where it is possible to set up automatic checking + update.

Maybe it can be moved to Help menu (also), thanks for the tip :-)
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 6:32am
Rich OBrien I'm looking forward to the version of Hard Disk Sentinel that can both detect and repair better than chkdsk. Partitions keep disappearing from my hard drives. Chkdsk can't repair the partitions to bring them back. And I haven't found any other software that can. It's crazy that a single binary digit may cause the loss of hundreds of gigabytes of data. The great MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro 7.8 has a Partition Recovery Wizard, but it is the one thing that doesn't work. I'm wishing for a modern version of SpinRite by Gibson Research but which runs from within Windows. SpinRite works great at reviving and extending the life of a hard drive but it hasn't been updated for 7 years and it runs from DOS. SpinRite leaves users guessing about exactly which drives and partitions they are choosing to repair because SpinRite doesn't display the drives and partitions with the familiar names we give them. It could but it doesn't.
May 7 at 1:20pm
Gonzo @Rich,
Although SpinRite should not be discussed here, I thought I'd clarify the following:
SpinRite works at a very low level in the HDD, which can only be achieved under DOS; Windows does not allow working directly with the HDD at such low level. That's why you'll never see SpinRite for Windows.
Also, SpinRite works directly with the HDD, at a level where partitions don't matter (lower level than paritioning), so it will always work with the entire HDD; you cannot choose a specific partition to check/repair.
Finally, due to the above, SpinRite does not really need any update at the moment, although I've read that with bigger hard drives it's becoming useless, due to the way new HDDs are manufactured.
May 7 at 1:27pm
Janos Mathe I can make sure Hard Disk Sentinel is designed _exactly_ for this purpose.
Yes, I can confirm chkdsk simply can't be used to diagnose and repair hard disk problems - as it can diagnose issue with logical drives (partitions) only.
Hard Disk Sentinel has numerous functions to test hard disk, to reveal any kind of _real_ problems with the hard disks and repair them.
I'd recommend to check:
- http://www.hdsentinel.com/faq.php#tests
(about some of the most important tests to be used)
- http://www.hdsentinel.com...ectors.php
(about a very common problem - which can be fixed by Hard Disk Sentinel but causes many troubles especially for chkdsk)
- Help - Hard disk tests topic, which describes the tests, how they can be used, what are their purpose and how they can help.

Also if you're interested, I'd suggest checking Support - Knowledge Base - Hard Disk Cases section (directly at http://www.hdsentinel.com..._cases.php ) for most common hard disk problems and how it is possible to avoid them, investigate and improve the situation by Hard Disk Sentinel.
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 1:32pm
Janos Mathe @Gonzo: I need to tell that the hard disk testing functions of Hard Disk Sentinel work exactly the same way: they work at the lowest possible level.

Disk - Short self test / Extended self test are manufacturer-based hardware self tests, running "inside" the hard disk to check the most important components.

Disk - Surface test has different functions (simple Read test, Write test, Write + Read (verify), Refresh disk surface, Reinitialise disk surface) working directly with the hard disk surface. These do not rely on the actual partitions, this is why they can work even on un-partitioned hard disks and hard disks with partitions unavailable for Windows (eg. Linux partitons).

Please check the Help - Hard disk tests section for more details about specific tests. These measure transfer speed, verify retry count and the complete hard disk working parameters to point on any possible problems - and fix them.

I'd mention Reinitialise disk surface test - which is the most effective way to repair a hard disk as it:

"Overwrites the disk surface with special initialization pattern to restore the sectors to default (empty) status and reads back sector contents, to verify if they are accessible and consistent. Forces the analysis of any weak sectors and verifies any hidden problems and fixes them by reallocation of bad sectors (this is drive regeneration).

Enables better use of the disk as after the test the spare area will be used instead of any problematic sectors.
Very intensive and time-consuming test, especially if the level (the number of overwrite cycles) is set to higher value.

The simple version of this test is usually (incorrectly) called as low level format by other tools."
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 1:41pm
bob roos "I'd mention Reinitialise disk surface test - which is the most effective way to repair a hard disk as it:

"Overwrites the disk surface with special initialization pattern to restore the sectors to default (empty) status and reads back sector contents, to verify if they are accessible and consistent."

Reinitialize... with special initialization pattern sounds like it will destroy current data. Is this the case? Of course one should always backup first....
May 7 at 1:51pm
Janos Mathe Yes, the "Reinitialise disk surface" test is a destructve one - so backup is required :-)

There are other non-destructive tests also available of course.
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 2:20pm
Janos Mathe Modern/bigger hard disks even require special attention. 4kbyte sectors, drives over 2 TB in capacity (and we need to mention SSDs) all require special attention and special methods to diagnose / test / repair.

These are available in Hard Disk Sentinel of course, plus it checks and reports possible compatibility troubles, for example if using the hard disk controller / USB adapter with a such high capacity hard disk may cause problems (see the warning message images at http://www.hdsentinel.com...ion420.php )
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 2:24pm
bob roos "Yes, the "Reinitialise disk surface" test is a destructve one - so backup is required :-)"

Please mention this strongly in your discussion of this option. I was not sure because there is another product S******E :) that does a read before trying to initialize/test a sector and then puts the data back supposedly refreshed.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much the program and its capabilities has grown. I remember the early days..... Glad to see the portable version even though I am moving out of repairing systems.
May 7 at 2:43pm
Janos Mathe Of course - various WARNINGs displayed before using any kind of destructive testing.

In Hard Disk Sentinel, it is also recommended to use the safer methods to diagnose and repair the hard disk - and use the mentioned function only as a last chance.

This is same as when someone (incorrectly) says he'd use "low level format" on the hard disk.

Thanks, yes, our mission is to constantly add new features and compatible hardware to Hard Disk Sentinel to make it more and more usable :-) Because of the lifetime license, this allows using Hard Disk Sentinel with newer systems/hard disks/SSDs without problems.
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 2:52pm
Janos Mathe The "proper" (recommended) way to diagnose any problems is described in Support - Frequently Asked Questions:

http://www.hdsentinel.com/faq.php#tests
( Hard disk health is low or recently changed or I just installed a new (used) hard disk. How can I perform a deep analysis? )

and

http://www.hdsentinel.com..._drive.php
( How to repair hard disk drive? How to eliminate displayed hard disk problems? )
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 2:54pm
bob roos @Janos. Thank you for staying up late (almost 1am there I think) to answer our questions. It really is a great product and this is a great opportunity to get it.
May 7 at 3:47pm
Janos Mathe Yes, midnight passed here then :-)
Me thanks too, I try my best to help in all possible ways ;-)
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 7 at 11:34pm
VLM Is a family license available today?
May 8 at 12:24am
Janos Mathe In general periodically BitsDuJour selects one product to be offered in their promotion. "Hard Disk Sentinel Professional Family license" was previously offered at BDJ, this time they selected the "Hard Disk Sentinel Professional" (1 PC) license.

However, because of the amount of requests received, I'm sure there would be no problem if we extend the offer for "Hard Disk Sentinel Professional Family license" today, to get lifetime license for Hard Disk Sentinel Professional Family license (to protect up to 5 computers) with 50 % discount.

So if you are interested in that version, please use the following link:
https://secure.element5.c...ON1=HDSPH5
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 8 at 12:44am
Wild Wizard I Have Been Using This For Over A Year Now, And Its An INVALUABLE Tool For Any.ALL Systems ! Mr Mathe Is Quick To Resolve Any Issues/Questions, You Don't Need To Wait For Days on End, His Customer Service Is The Best I Have EVER Had..
Saved Me On One Occasion / Would Have LOST 1+TB Without This Software

It Will Monitor The HDD's Temp, And Alert You When Threshold Is Reached And Will Do A "Panic" Back-Up" To Another HDD If You Set That Up. Many Tests Non-Destructive/And Destructive Are In The Program.. I Trust This Software 110% On 3 Different Machines With A Total Of 14 HDD's ( Some External Some Internal).....Gives Great Info On SSD's Also..Will Even Email The Days Tests On Your Preset Intervals, I Have The Email Sent Once A Day So I Know The Systems Are Safe And Running Well ...Family Pack Is Best Value 4 Computers And A Portable Version @ $31.25 For LIFETIME Of Protection You Cannot Go Wrong With This Program ....I Use The Portable Version All The Time, VERY Handy To Have !!

Many Many More Feature Sets AWESOME All The Way !

Take Care All,
Blessings,
~~Wild Wizard~~
May 8 at 2:51am
Tortuga Hi Janos :)
Just wanted to ask if you could direct me to good «video» tutorials for HDS. I already bought a Family License
I searched (I really did!!) but only found promo videos, or cracks, or weird stuff. Nothing useful at all :(
On your site I found a "Link to video review" but it's a dead link
I'm not a geek, so need all the help I can get.
I already found several good written reviews, but a video would be more helpful. TIA
Peace
May 8 at 2:02pm
Janos Mathe Hi Tortuga,

Thanks for your message and question !

To be honest, video tutorial is not yet available for Hard Disk Sentinel - this is why you could not find one...
Sorry for that, maybe such will be available in the future!

In general, for quick start, I'd recommend to

- check the text description and health values reported for your hard disks / SSDs and follow if they report problems/recommendations, especially for backup

- use test methods in Disk menu to reveal and fix possible problems as described at
http://www.hdsentinel.com/faq.php#tests
and
http://www.hdsentinel.com..._drive.php

- after verifying that the status of the hard disks are safe, there are no new problems, it may be good idea to configure alerts to be notified about any kind of possible new problems. Please check Configuration - Alerts and E-mail configuration where it is possible to set up which event(s) you prefer to be notified and specify e-mail settings for that.

- for different, special problems and situations and how to avoid them, I'd recommend to check Support - Knowledge base - Hard disk cases ( http://www.hdsentinel.com..._cases.php )

- for further options (for example configure backup, remote management, adjusting hard disk-specific features, inspecting statistics, etc...) the Help of Hard Disk Sentinel can guide.

Any time if you encounter any problem or just have a question, please use Report menu - Send test report to developer option, then it is possible to check the actual situation and advise about the best steps.
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 8 at 9:18pm
Janos Mathe Thanks for your attention also about the existing video materials! Good to know that there are lots of hm... unofficial stuff are there ;-)

I checked the URL for the "video review" and it seems working. Maybe you can try this direct link:
http://www.softoxi.com/ha...shots.html

Maybe it can help ...
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 8 at 9:20pm
VLM Thanks for the unofficial "Quick Start" guide, Janos!
May 8 at 9:39pm
Janos Mathe Not really a video - but maybe give some hints for start :-)
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 8 at 10:15pm
Tortuga Hi again Janos :)
Many thanks for the link !!
Darn, I clicked on all those links earlier ...
Now, how did I managed to not see it ... !!? *sigh*
Old brain playing tricks on me again :*)
Peace
May 9 at 1:45am
Janos Mathe Thanks, the most important that it's working :-)
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 9 at 1:54am
Janos Mathe Thanks for everybody participating and thanks for BitsDuJour for the opportunity !!
Of course if I can help in any ways - feel free to contact directly at info@hdsentinel.com
H.D.S. Hungary Vendor - May 9 at 1:56am
Hard Disk Sentinel Professional
Posting here will also email H.D.S. Hungary directly.
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