Want to know how to check SSD health before your drive fails and takes your files with it? This guide is for laptop and desktop users in Bangladesh on Windows, Mac or Linux, including anyone buying a used laptop who wants to know how worn its SSD is. The short answer: on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes and check the drive's properties, or install the free CrystalDiskInfo for a full report. On a Mac, check the S.M.A.R.T. status in System Report. On Linux, run smartctl. If the report shows "Good" and most of the drive's rated life remaining, you are fine.
Below you will find step-by-step methods for each system, what the important numbers mean, and what to do if the result looks bad.
Before You Start: Back Up First
Checking health is safe and read-only, but if you already suspect a problem, copy your important files somewhere else before you run any tests. A weak drive can fail at any time. An external drive, a cloud folder or a spare SSD in a USB enclosure all work as a quick backup.
Signs your SSD may be failing
- Windows freezes or shows a blue screen when opening files.
- Files become corrupted or folders suddenly cannot be opened.
- The laptop sometimes fails to boot or cannot find the drive.
- The drive switches to read-only mode, so nothing new can be saved.
- Copying files becomes much slower than before for no clear reason.
These symptoms can have other causes too, such as software problems or a loose connection, which is exactly why a health check is useful.
How to Check SSD Health on Windows 11
Windows gives you three built-in ways and one free tool. Start with the simplest.
Method 1: Windows Settings (NVMe SSDs)
- Open Settings and go to System > Storage.
- Click Advanced storage settings, then Disks & volumes.
- Select your SSD and click Properties.
- Look at the Drive health section. It shows estimated remaining life, available spare and temperature.
This panel works for NVMe SSDs. For SATA SSDs and hard drives it usually shows nothing, so use one of the methods below instead. Windows also shows a warning here if it detects a reliability problem.
Method 2: PowerShell
Right-click the Start button, open Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell as administrator, and run:
Get-PhysicalDisk | Select-Object FriendlyName, MediaType, HealthStatus
A HealthStatus of Healthy is what you want; Warning or Unhealthy means back up now. For more detail, run:
Get-PhysicalDisk | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Select-Object Wear, Temperature, ReadErrorsTotal, WriteErrorsTotal, PowerOnHours
Wear is a percentage of rated life used, where 0 means like new. Some drives do not report every field, so blanks are normal.
Method 3: CrystalDiskInfo (works on almost any drive)
The free CrystalDiskInfo reads the drive's built-in S.M.A.R.T. data and shows it in one window. Install the standard edition, open it and pick your drive from the top bar. You will see:
- Health Status: Good, Caution or Bad, often with a percentage.
- Temperature, Power On Hours and Power On Count.
- Total Host Writes: how much data has been written over the drive's life.
- A full table of S.M.A.R.T. attributes for the details.
This is the best single tool for checking a used laptop before you pay.
Method 4: Check the file system with CHKDSK
Health tools check the hardware. To check for file system errors, open Command Prompt as administrator and run chkdsk C: /scan. It scans while Windows keeps running. If it finds problems, it will tell you to run a repair, which may need a restart.
Bonus: your SSD maker's tool
Most SSD brands, including Samsung, Crucial, Western Digital and Kingston, offer a free utility that shows health, checks for firmware updates and sometimes runs a self-test. If you know your SSD brand, it is worth installing.
Understanding the Key SSD Health Numbers
S.M.A.R.T. data can look confusing. These are the values that matter most.
| Value | Drive type | What it means | When to worry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage Used | NVMe | Estimated share of rated life used | Above about 90% |
| Available Spare | NVMe | Reserve blocks left to replace worn ones | Near or below the threshold |
| Media and Data Integrity Errors | NVMe | Errors the drive could not correct | Any number above 0 that keeps rising |
| Reallocated Sector Count | SATA | Bad blocks the drive has swapped out | Rising steadily over time |
| Wear Leveling Count / Life Left | SATA | Remaining flash life, brand-specific | Below about 10% |
| Total Host Writes | Both | Total data written so far | Close to the drive's TBW rating |
| Temperature | Both | Current drive temperature | Often above 70°C under normal use |
What is TBW?
TBW (terabytes written) is the endurance the manufacturer rates the drive for, listed on its spec sheet. A 512GB consumer SSD is often rated for a few hundred TBW. Normal home and office users write far less than that per year, so most SSDs outlive the laptop. Compare Total Host Writes with the TBW figure to see how much life is left.
How to Check SSD Health on a Mac
- Click the Apple menu and open System Settings > General > About, then click System Report. (On older macOS: About This Mac > System Report.)
- Under Hardware, select Storage or NVMExpress.
- Find S.M.A.R.T. Status. "Verified" means no problem detected; "Failing" means back up immediately.
You can also open Disk Utility, select the drive and run First Aid to check the file system. For detailed wear figures, advanced users can install smartmontools and use the same smartctl command described for Linux.
How to Check SSD Health on Linux
Install smartmontools from your distribution's package manager, for example sudo apt install smartmontools on Ubuntu. Then run:
- sudo smartctl -a /dev/nvme0 for an NVMe SSD
- sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda for a SATA SSD
Look for the overall health line ("PASSED") and the values from the table above. If you prefer a graphical tool, GNOME Disks has a SMART Data & Self-Tests option in its drive menu.
Checking an SSD in a USB Enclosure
If you use an SSD as external storage, health tools can only read S.M.A.R.T. data if the enclosure's bridge chip passes it through. Many modern enclosures do; some do not, and the tool will show limited or no information. In that case, connect the drive internally for a full check. Our HDD and SSD enclosures include options such as the UGREEN D703 40Gbps M.2 NVMe enclosure (14,000 Tk) and the ORICO 3.5-inch hard drive enclosure (1,700 Tk). Prices are at the time of writing; the product page shows the latest price.
What to Do If Your SSD Health Is Bad
- Back up immediately. Copy your documents, photos and work files first, before anything else.
- Update the SSD firmware using the maker's tool. Some issues are firmware bugs, not wear.
- Re-check after a few days. If error counts keep rising or the status changes to Bad, plan a replacement.
- Replace the drive. An SSD replacement is one of the cheapest and most effective repairs for a laptop. Our SSD upgrade guide for old laptops explains how to pick the right drive and move your data.
- Reuse the old drive carefully. A drive with a Caution status can still hold non-critical copies, but never keep your only backup on it.
How to Keep Your SSD Healthy
- Leave some free space. Keeping around 10 to 20% of the drive free helps performance and wear levelling.
- Do not defragment an SSD. Windows already runs the correct optimisation (TRIM) automatically.
- Keep it cool. Clean laptop vents and avoid using the laptop on a bed or pillow.
- Use a UPS on desktops. Sudden power cuts during writing are hard on any drive.
- Update firmware when the maker releases a fix.
Not sure whether you even have an SSD? Our comparison of SSD vs HDD vs NVMe explains the differences.
SSD Price in Thakurgaon
If your check shows it is time for a new drive or an enclosure for backups, we deliver all over Bangladesh, including Thakurgaon Sadar, Pirganj, Ranisankail, Baliadangi and Haripur, with cash on delivery.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an SSD last?
For typical home and office use, a modern SSD usually lasts many years, often longer than the laptop itself. Lifespan depends on how much data you write, measured against the drive's TBW rating. A student or office user writes only a small fraction of that each year, so wear is rarely the reason a drive is replaced.
Is CrystalDiskInfo safe to use?
Yes. CrystalDiskInfo is a widely used free tool that only reads the drive's S.M.A.R.T. data; it does not write to the drive or change settings. Download it only from its official website to avoid bundled software. The standard edition is enough for checking health, temperature and total data written.
What SSD health percentage is good?
Above 90% is excellent and normal for a drive that is a year or two old. Between 50% and 90% is fine for daily use. Below about 10%, or any "Caution" or "Bad" status, means you should back up and plan a replacement. Remember that health percentages are estimates based on the maker's rated endurance.
Why does Windows Settings not show my SSD health?
The Drive health panel in Windows 11 Settings works with NVMe SSDs. If your laptop has a SATA SSD or a hard drive, the section may be missing or empty. Use CrystalDiskInfo or the PowerShell commands in this guide instead, which read health data from SATA drives as well.
Buy from Megabuy BD
Megabuy BD sells authentic storage accessories and tested laptops with clear prices. We deliver nationwide with cash on delivery, and orders inside Dhaka usually arrive within 24 to 48 hours. Need help choosing a replacement drive? Contact our team.
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