The hard disk is a fundamental element of our computer, which can deteriorate over time and the use we make of it. Even external elements such as heat or vibrations can negatively affect its durability. To optimize it and improve its performance we have a tool like Hard Disk Sentinel , which we will talk about next.
Hard Disk Sentinel will help us keep the hard disk in good condition
Hard Disk Sentinel is a tool that is responsible for monitoring and analyzing mechanical hard disks (HDDs) and SSDs, both internal and external. Also, it is compatible with micro SD cards and eMMC devices. Its main objective is to test, diagnose and repair any problem on the disk drive. It will also inform us and show us the state they are in and possible problems regarding performance degradations and failures.
Along with monitoring the state of the hard disk, the Hard Disk Sentinel includes information on its state, temperature and all SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) values. This monitoring technology can predict the failure of any HDD or SSD by examining the critical values of the disk drive. Thanks to this, it can show better and more detailed information about the life of our hard drive and the problems that may appear.
Another notable aspect is that it is in charge of measuring the transfer speed of the disk in real time, which can be used to detect possible failures and degradations in it.
How Hard Disk Sentinel Works
This application is characterized by, once executed, staying in the background to inspect and verify the health status of our HDD or SSD. In case of finding any error or unexpected behavior is detected, it will warn us about the situation so that we can take the appropriate actions, such as a backup to keep our data safe.
When we run it and access its main menu. In the sidebar we find our hard drive, showing us its capacity, condition and temperature. Just below, the available units are detailed, along with the total capacity and available free space. In the central part we find “Overview” of our hard drive. Here we can see information about the state, health status and performance.
Along with next to it, we find other tab series with different information like Temperature, SMART, Information, Registry, Disk Performance and Alerts.
In the ” Temperature” tab, Hard Disk Sentinel displays the current hard disk temperature and records the maximum and average temperatures for each disk. This can be used to check the maximum temperature under high hard drive load.
Another important tab is “Disk performance” , where it will offer us information about transfer rates. Here we can see data such as Total data reading, Total data writing, Average day reading, Average day writing, etc.
In the toolbar at the top we also find an interesting utility such as “Surface Test” . This test will be in charge of verifying if all the sectors are accessible and eligible without affecting the stored data. The test measures the transfer time of all blocks on the hard drive to reveal which areas are the slowest.
Download and buy Hard Disk Sentinel
Hard Disk Sentinel is a paid software. The application allows us to download a trial version so that we can examine, test its functionality and verify hardware compatibility. Its latest available version is 5.61.
Features of the trial version
- Displays the status of the hard drive / SSD and the free space details.
- Supports IDE / SATA / SCSI / SAS / USB / NVMe drives.
- Show status in tray, disk icons, desktop / sidebar.
- It runs as an application or service.
If we choose to buy the license we can choose the version for three different versions: Standard, Professional and Enterprise.
Features of the “Standard” version
The “Standard” version is priced at 18 euros. The following functions are added to the characteristics of the trial version:
- Hardware short / extended disk tests.
- Hard drive search time, stress tests.
- Disc reports in text / HTML format.
- Information by web browser (WebStatus).
- Customizable interface and reports.
- Configuration backup and restore, statistics.
- Password protection.
- Wide range of alerts (email, sound, message, etc.)
- Daily disc status reports.
- SMART attribute offset calibration.
- Checking surface.
Professional version features
The “Professional” version can be purchased for 28 euros and the features of the “Standard” version are added the following functions:
- Full surface analysis, update, reset, repair.
- Option to automatically save test results / test reports to disk.
- Industry standard data destruction.
- Customizable health / temperature thresholds for units.
- Monitor network attached storage (NAS).
- Monitor events / errors related to Windows disk.
- Portable version (no installation required).
- Perform scheduled backup projects.
- Panic Backup – Backup in case of failure or problem.
- Burn data to CD / DVD, compress files.
- Export log sections.
- Transfer files by FTP or email.
- Scheduled hardware disk tests.
- Tray / report icon in service mode with non-administrator user.
- Provide full status by WMI or XML for developers.
Enterprise version features
Finally, the most complete edition is the “Enterprise” which has a price of 159.95 euros. To all the characteristics of the previous versions are added:
- Remote monitoring through the network.
- Remote disk management (testing, acoustics).
- Remote disk and system information.
- Global and individual registers for remote systems.
Alternatives to take care of your hard drives
If you are looking for a program to take care of and keep our hard drives optimized, we suggest some alternatives to Hard Disk Sentinel:
CrystalDiskInfo
It is an application that is responsible for analyzing our hard drives to check their state of health and maintenance, informing us of the state of the temperature, its size, among other characteristics. You can download CrystalDiskInfo for free from their website.
Hard Drive ScanDisk Pro
With this tool we will be able to detect and eliminate possible errors from our hard disk, lengthening its longevity, working quickly and efficiently. Hard Drive ScanDisk Pro is a free program that can be downloaded from the developer’s website.
