Looking for a HD utility

[xringx]

Hello,

I have 2 hard drives sitting on my desk that I would like to use as back up for document storage...I have a couple of questions

1. Need a utility that will check out the drive for errors....or issues..not sure exactly is out there that can do what.

2. Once a HD is wiped clean, what the best way to use it as back up storage? Can I load files on a wiped HD? Does it need to be formatted and if so, to what? Which utility will help with this?

thanks

 

[Rusting In Peace]

You can use Seatools to run diagnostics on a drive. You can also have applications like Speedfan read the SMART values from the drive.

As for using the drive, all you need to do is format it - quick NTFS will do fine. You can do this in Vista (I assume that's what you're using) under disk management via My Computer.