Windows 10: Look up hard disk information with PowerShell

The Windows PowerShell is quite powerful when it comes to looking up hard disk information. While you may look up some information in Windows directly, e.g. in Disk Management, or by using third-party programs like Hard Disk Validator, Disk Checkup, or DiskBoss, using PowerShell is a quick and easy option as well.

Hard disks are essential on Windows as they store operating system data and user data. The devices don't last forever, and a hard disk failure can easily lead to all sorts of issues including data loss if backups are not available (or corrupt).

PowerShell comes with several commands that return information about connected internal and external storage devices.

You may start a new PowerShell console by opening Start, typing Powershell, and selecting the item from the list of results. The commands don't require elevation to run.

Option 1: Retrieve general information



The command: get-wmiobject -class win32_logicaldisk

Run the command get-wmiobject -class win32_logicaldisk to look up core information about each connected hard drive. The command returns drive letters and types, the overall size and free space in bytes, and the volume name.

Drive type uses a numerical code:

• 0 -- Unknown
• 1 -- No Root directory
• 2 -- Removable Disk
• 3 -- Local Disk
• 4 -- Network Drive
• 5 -- Compact Disc
• 6 -- Ram Disk

You may use filters to display only select drive types, e.g. Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_logicaldisk -Filter "DriveType =4" to display network drives only.

Option 2: Retrieve hard drive properties




The command: wmic diskdrive get

The core command wmic diskdrive get needs to be followed by one or multiple properties.

The command wmic diskdrive get Name,Model,SerialNumber,Size,Status returns names, model types, serial numbers, the overall size in bytes, and the status for all connected hard drives.

Other properties that you may retrieve include InstallDate, InterfaceType, FirmwareRevision, DefaultBlockSize, CompressionMethod, Capabilities, Availability, LastErrorCode, or PowerManagementCapabilities.

Just add, replace, or remove any property from the command to create a custom one.

Closing Words


The PowerShell commands may be useful in certain situations. Apart from use in scripts, you may use them to quickly look up the status of all drives, look up serial numbers or error codes, or capabilities.

Some users may prefer to use a program with a graphical interface like Crystal DiskInfo for that, and that is perfectly fine as well.

Ghacks needs you. You can find out how to support us here (https://www.ghacks.net/support/) or support the site directly by becoming a Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/ghacks)). Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Look up hard disk information with PowerShell appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

read more...

 

External Hard disk contents are not visible.

Hi Pranoti,

For us to narrow down your concern with your external hard disk, we would like to know the following:

• Were there any changes made on your computer prior to the issue (e.g., updates, software installation)?
• To make sure that we have not missed on anything, what troubleshooting steps have you done so far?
• Do you hear any clicking sound when connecting your hard disk?

In the meantime, we suggest that you update all your device driver.

We look forward to your response.

 

Hard Disk is unreadable after updates

Hi Hermawan,

There are a number of reasons why hard disk drives fail. It may fail due to software or firmware damages which makes it unable to interact with the computer, or it may simply be corrupted due to problematic information on the
disk. For us to isolate you concern, we would like to ask the following questions:

• How long have you been using the device?
  
• Have you made changes on the device prior to the incident?
• Was it damaged physically prior to the incident?
• What have you done so far to resolve the issue?
  

In the meantime, we suggest you check the steps provided by
Time Lady on this
thread and see if it helps.

We look forward to your response.

 

HARD DISK DRIVE ERROR

Hi Aditya,

In order for us to help you with your concern about hard disk drive error, kindly answer the following questions first:

• What specific error are you getting? Are you getting an alpha-numeric error codes such as 0x80070057? If possible, kindly post here a screen shot of the actual error.
  
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
• For initial troubleshooting steps, kindly access this
  support link.

We look forward to your response.

Regards.