Question How can I check an empty recently formatted hard disk is OK in OS X?

[Rodion15]

How can I check an empty recently formatted hard disk is OK in OS X?
I know disk warrior fixes and checks the file system. But how can I make sure an empty disk doesn't have any bad sectors and may produce problems afterwards?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, Rodion!

Mac systems have an excellent diagnostic tool incorporated into the OS X and it's called Disk Utility. I'd recommend you to take a look at this guide from our knowledge base that explains how to test an HDD for defects or issues on a Mac computer: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=dLZuPr

Hope it helps you!
Cheers,
SuperSoph_WD

 

[McHenryB]

Unfortunately, Disk Utility does not scan for bad sectors when you do a "Verify Disk" or "Repair Disk" (probably a good idea not to do this by default, and there is no option - as in Windows - allowing it). Drive Genius (Google it) does have a scan option; there is a free option which, I believe, will allow you to check the disk but not make any necessary repairs.

But personally, I wouldn't bother. A modern hard disk will automatically remap bad sectors and SMART will soon tell you if it becomes a problem.

 

[Rodion15]

Thanks a lot. Looking at that. I found another one that checks for bad sectors: DriveDx (£15 to £20).

 

[Rodion15]

Hey there, Rodion!

Mac systems have an excellent diagnostic tool incorporated into the OS X and it's called Disk Utility. I'd recommend you to take a look at this guide from our knowledge base that explains how to test an HDD for defects or issues on a Mac computer: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=dLZuPr

Hope it helps you!
Cheers,
SuperSoph_WD

Disk utility won't check for bad sectors.
Example: I was using a USB 3 hard drive and checked it wit disk utiliy and disk warrior. None of them found any issues.
Then I checked it with DriveDX (I eventually found this app that checks for bad sectors and SMART errors), it found the disk riddled with bad sectors.

If I'm not wrong, SMART iin a disk and SMART apps just report bad sectors that have been detected and (reallocated), among many other mechanical disk features, but it doesn't check for bad sectors on the whole disk (such as chkdsk can do in Windows). That's why I'm looking for an app that checks all sectors. I found drivedx is one.

Thanks for your answer anyway