When CrystalDiskInfo displays a warning, do the following

CrystalDiskInfo is reliable hard drive health checking software. In case, you receive Yellow warning on CrystalDiskInfodo the following.

Meaning of warning on CrystalDiskInfo

When CrystalDiskInfo displays a warning, it means the hard drive performance is deteriorating and the hard drive is having problems. A yellow warning status can be caused by one of three common errors:

• C5 – Current Pending Sectors: Number greater than 0 in column C5 – Current pending sectors will cause CrystalDiskInfo to issue a warning.
• 05 – Reallocated Sectors: Number greater than 0 in row 05 – Reallocated sectors will trigger CrystalDiskInfo’s warning system and issue a warning.
• C6 – Uncorrectable Sectors: A number greater than 0 in row C6 – Unrepairable sectors will cause CrystalDiskInfo to display a warning.

When you encounter this warning, it is best to immediately back up any important data to minimize the risk of data loss if the drive fails while in use.

If you want to continue using the drive with these errors, you need to closely monitor its condition every day and ensure that the number in the “Raw Values” does not increase significantly. However, this does not guarantee data security.

What to do when CrystalDiskInfo displays a warning

Important: You need to back up your data immediately!

To avoid data loss due to hard drive failure, you should back up the data inside it as soon as possible. To quickly back up data on your hard drive, use specialized software like MiniTool Partition Wizard. Here are step-by-step instructions:

1. Start up MiniTool Partition Wizard to enter the main interface.
2. Select Copy Disk Wizard from the operation panel on the left. Then click Next to continue.
3. In the next window, select the drive with the warning to copy and click Next.
4. Then, select the target drive, then click Next. If you receive a warning that all data on the drive will be erased, click Yes to confirm.
5. In the window Review the changesselect your preferred copy options. You can also configure the destination drive layout according to your needs. Once completed, press Next.
6. Finally, click Finish > Apply to complete the operation.

How to fix error messages on CrystalDiskInfo

After successfully backing up the data on your hard drive, follow these steps to fix the problem that CrystalDiskInfo reported.

Run CHKDSK

CHKDSK can check for errors on the drive and then repair them. Specifically the steps are as follows:

1. Type “command prompt” in the search box, then right-click “Command Prompt” from the search results and select “Run as administrator”.
2. In the command prompt window that appears, enter the command chkdsk *: /f /r (* is the name of the partition you want to check) and press the Enter key.
3. If there is more than one partition on the drive, please run the command on them one by one.
4. Run CHKDSK

Format the entire hard drive

If you still see a yellow warning status in CrystalDiskInfo, you can use Disk Management to format the entire affected drive. This action will overwrite every sector on the drive, forcing the drive to read SMART parameters and attributes. Now, follow the steps below to fully format.

1. Press the key Win + X and then select Disk Management to open.
2. Right click on the affected drive partition Disk Management > click Format from the advanced menu.
3. Uncheck “Perform a quick format” > click OK to save changes. The drive will be formatted automatically.

Replace the hard drive

If the above methods do not work, the final solution is to replace the hard drive on which you just backed up your data.