How to resolve HDD (Hard drive) issues on your Dell system

Symptoms

Refer to each section for troubleshooting solutions for HDD (Hard drive) issues on your Dell computer.

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Computer Does Not Boot to Microsoft Windows

Dell Hard Drive Diagnostics and Error Codes

Run the online Hard Drive specific diagnostics, browse to the Online Hard Drive Diagnostics page.
Notes:
- The test will start automatically.
- You may be prompted to install or update the SupportAssist program. If so, follow the prompts.
- Set aside a large amount of time for the test to run since most Hard Drives have a large capacity.
- You can also run diagnostics from our support site.
  - "Quick test" - This test of your hardware may take 10-15 minutes, depending on the hardware in your computer.
  - "Full Test" - This is an in-depth test. This may take 40 minutes or more depending on the hardware in your computer.
  - Custom Component Test - Select one or more specific hardware tests you want to run.
    To run a specific test, perform the following steps.
    1. Browse to the "Dell Support" website.
    2. You are given three options to identify your computer.
      Either:
      
      Touch or click the listing for your computer under THIS PC.
      Note: When there is no listing for your computer under THIS PC, you can touch or click Download & Install SupportAssist, which will automatically identify your computer for you. Follow the prompts to download and install SupportAssist.
      
      Enter the Service Tag, Dell EMC Product ID, or Model, and then touch or click the Search button, and select your computer from the list.
      
      Touch or click Browse all products: You must select the type of device you have, the brand name, and then the product model.
      Note: For more information, refer to Dell Knowledge Base article, "How to Determine the Model Number of Your Dell Computer."
    3. Touch or click the DIAGNOSTICS tab.
    4. Under Custom Component Test, touch or click Select individual components.
    5. Touch or click to check the box next to one or more components you want to test.
    6. Touch or click the Run Your Test, and follow the prompts.
When you are unable to boot the computer into the Windows, run the built-in diagnostics. Refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Resolve Hardware Issues Using ePSA or PSA Diagnostics and Guide to Error Codes for more information.
Understanding and troubleshooting your hard drive (HDD or SSD)