WinDFT (HGST Drive Fitness Test)

Whenever users purchase a new computer, they are most likely pleased with its speed, yet its performance gradually decreases with time. There are several methods to perform diagnostics on a PC on a regular basis, and if the HDD is HGST, WinDFT might come in handy.

A few preparations required first

First of all, it needs to be mentioned that users are required to install .NET Framework 4.0 on their computers before being able to run the WinDFT setup file. Also, the application should not be installed on the primary operating drive.

Run a scan process for supported devices

The application comes with a user-friendly interface that displays all the compatible detected drives - if it does not correctly detect all the supported devices, a more thorough scan can be performed. Also, when you plug in a device that is not supported, WinDFT displays a warning message and does not list the hard drive.

Get in-depth details on your drive

WinDFT can also be used to explore the SMART status of a compatible drive by simply double-clicking its corresponding entry. A wide range of attributes are displayed, including spin up time, raw read error rate, seek time performance, device temperature, spin retry count or load cycle count.

Make your disk drive as good as new

Furthermore, this software solution includes a few additional tools that can be used to perform several types of tests - if multiple drives are selected, the tests will be run for all the devices in order.
The Utilities section can also be accessed for erasing the MBR or the entire disk with the click of a mouse. When deleting the MBR, only the partition is removed, whereas the Erase Disk option writes 0s to the entire drive, so it takes more time to complete this action.

In conclusion

To sum it up, WinDFT can be of great assistance to all those who want to determine if their HGST drives have errors or if their integrity has been compromised. Coming equipped with a friendly interface, anyone can easily get accommodated and operations are performed flawlessly.