Hard Disk Sentinel
Q&A Knowledge Base
Why the short/extended self test does not complete and jumps back?
This is normal and does not indicate any problems with the hard disk drive / SSD or the software. Generally with these hardware self tests (Disk menu -> Short self test, Disk menu -> Extended self test) Hard Disk Sentinel can only
- start the self test
- read back the result (test is in progress / result or error code and interpret it)
and everything is done inside the hard disk drive.
The estimated test time is provided by the manufacturer, it is valid if the drive is idle (does not perform any other actions, no read/write operations during the test). On a system drive with constant activity by Windows or other programs (antivirus scan, defragmentation, etc), the self test may run for excessive long time, even hours or days (!) depending on the size of the hard disk drive.
The properties of the self tests described in the Help:
https://www.hdsentinel.com/help/en/62_testfaq.html
In some cases, these hardware tests (Disk -> Short self test, Disk -> Extended self test) are not available, not supported or they result in an error quickly even in relatively low number of problems. No further information is returned about the result, for example it is not possible to list the sector(s) which are damaged. In such case, an appropriate software testing method is required.
It is recommended to perform the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Read test to ensure that the hard disk drive is really perfect. For a system drive (or a disk drive where there are open file(s)/folder(s) by other software) Hard Disk Sentinel may display a warning that the drive can't be locked for exclusive use (of course because of the activity of Windows or other software on the drive) but it is possible to continue and proceed the test anyway.
Why the short/extended self test does not complete and jumps back?
This is normal and does not indicate any problems with the hard disk drive / SSD or the software. Generally with these hardware self tests (Disk menu -> Short self test, Disk menu -> Extended self test) Hard Disk Sentinel can only
- start the self test
- read back the result (test is in progress / result or error code and interpret it)
and everything is done inside the hard disk drive.
The estimated test time is provided by the manufacturer, it is valid if the drive is idle (does not perform any other actions, no read/write operations during the test). On a system drive with constant activity by Windows or other programs (antivirus scan, defragmentation, etc), the self test may run for excessive long time, even hours or days (!) depending on the size of the hard disk drive.
The properties of the self tests described in the Help:
https://www.hdsentinel.com/help/en/62_testfaq.html
In some cases, these hardware tests (Disk -> Short self test, Disk -> Extended self test) are not available, not supported or they result in an error quickly even in relatively low number of problems. No further information is returned about the result, for example it is not possible to list the sector(s) which are damaged. In such case, an appropriate software testing method is required.
It is recommended to perform the Disk menu -> Surface test -> Read test to ensure that the hard disk drive is really perfect. For a system drive (or a disk drive where there are open file(s)/folder(s) by other software) Hard Disk Sentinel may display a warning that the drive can't be locked for exclusive use (of course because of the activity of Windows or other software on the drive) but it is possible to continue and proceed the test anyway.