Hard Disk Sentinel Help - Random Seek Test

By this test it is possible to verify the noise level, track-to-track seek time and temperature levels of the hard disk, especially under excessive disk usage.

The test is especially useful after changing the acoustic level to verify how the modified setting affects the noise and seek time. This verification can be done by a short (quick) test.

The test can be used to verify the stability and temperature increase of the disk during a longer period of high usage. It is possible that during the test the temperature can increase with 10-15 Celsius degrees (compared to the idle temperature) so if the hard disk was too hot before starting the test, it is recommended to use the test only under control and cancel it upon reaching a critical temperature level.

Recommended use of the test: after installation of new hard disk. A longer test (8 hours or longer) can be used as stress-testing, to verify stability of the disk.

The test can be used even if the hardware self test stops with an error or if it is not supported by the hard disk. The test is safe, it does not affect the stored data, just positions the read-write head of the disk.

Note: the unregistered version allows only the shortest test (2 minutes) and only once on one disk.