Seagate creates two free hard drive diagnostic softwares – SeaTools for DOS and SeaTools for Windows. Both diagnostic tools are excellent.
1. SeaTools for Windows
SeaTools for Windows has replaced SeaTools Online and PowerMax. SeaTools for Windows is a comprehensive, easy-to-use diagnostic tool that helps you quickly determine the condition of the disc drive in your external hard drive, desktop or notebook computer. It includes several tests that will examine the physical media on your Seagate or Maxtor disc drive and any other non-Seagate disc drive.
SeaTools for Windows tests USB, 1394, ATA (PATA/IDE), SATA and SCSI drives. It installs onto your system. SeaTools for Windows is completely data safe.
User Guide about SeaTools for Windows.
Download SeaTools for Windows
2. SeaTools for DOS
SeaTools for DOS has replaced SeaTools Desktop and PowerMax. SeaTools for DOS can test Seagate or Maxtor Parallel ATA (PATA and IDE) and Serial ATA (SATA) interface disc drives. Because the software boots to its own operating system you can test your drive regardless of the OS installed on it. You can even test a new or completely blank drive. SeaTools for DOS will instruct the drive to run its built in Drive Self Test (DST) and give either a pass or fail status. If you are troubleshooting your disc drive and the DST passes, then you have a good drive!
User Guide about SeaTools for DOS.
See the tutorial on the usage of SeaTools for DOS.
Download SeaTools for DOS
Pros
• Two versions are available depending on needs
• Both versions are easy to use once installed and are completely FREE
• SeaTools for Windows tests hard drives no matter the manufacturer
• SeaTools for DOS contains a highly useful “acoustic test” for noise troubleshooting
• SeaTools for DOS is OS independent so it’s automatically compatible with ALL operating systems
Cons
• SeaTools for DOS requires ISO image burner software that novice users may have difficulty using
• SeaTools for DOS handles a maximum of only 100 errors, at which point testing has to begin again
Description
• Seagate SeaTools is available in both a Windows version and a stand-alone, bootable version for maximum flexibility.
• Tests in both SeaTools versions are easy to understand and run.
• SeaTools for Windows can test all types of internal drives including SCSI, PATA, SATA, etc.
• SeaTools for Windows can also test external drives like those based on the USB or FireWire standards.
•SeaTools for DOS features an Acoustic Test to help you determine if a noise is from your hard drive or another component.
3. Guide Review – Seagate SeaTools
Seagate’s SeaTools hard drive testing programs are some of the easiest to use of any I’ve ever worked with. The test are basic, easy to run, and generally pretty fast in my tests.
The SeaTools hard drive testing software comes in two different versions. SeaTools for Windows runs on Windows 2000, XP or Vista. SeaTools for DOS runs outside of the operating system so the tool will work on your PC no matter what OS you use.
SeaTools for Windows can perform several basic tests that can help determine the health of your hard drive. Your available hard drives and tests are easy to see when the program opens and can be ran with just a few clicks of the mouse.
You can test hard drives from any manufacturer and of any type, including PATA, SATA, and SCSI internal drives along with USB and FireWire external drives. To begin, simply download the software from Seagate’s site and install in Windows.
SeaTools for DOS can also perform the several basic tests that SeaTools fro Windows can run but it can also run a very useful Acoustic Test. This test can really save you a lot of time during the troubleshooting of a noisy internal component. It will spin the drive down until it’s completely idle, making the drive nearly silent. If you no longer hear the strange noise, the hard drive was the culprit!
With SeaTools for DOS, you can only test hard drives from Seagate and Maxtor. To begin, download either the Floppy Diskette Creator to make a bootable floppy disk (this is the easier option) or the ISO CD-ROM Image to burn to a CD. If you need help burning the CD, check out How to Burn an ISO Image File to a CD or DVD.
So if you’re comfortable burning ISO images and you want a slightly more powerful test, use SeaTools for DOS. If you’re more of a novice or you just want a quick and basic hard drive test, give SeaTools for Windows a try.
Both softwares are completely free and I highly recommend them. If you suspect that your hard drive may be failing, one or both of these tools from Seagate will help you determine what’s wrong.
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