How to Find a New or Used Hard Drive without Software
Besides using software, you can also find new or used hard drives without software, namely by using the built-in features of the Windows operating system. There are two features you can use, namely Defragment and Optimize Drives and Device Manager.
Defragment and Optimize Drives
Defragment and Optimize Drives is a feature that you can use to optimize the performance of your hard drive by reducing fragmentation on the hard drive. Fragmentation is a condition in which the data on the hard drive is not arranged sequentially, thus slowing down the read-and-write process. By defragmenting, the data on the hard drive will be rearranged sequentially, thus increasing the speed and efficiency of the hard drive.
Here are the steps to use Defragment and Optimize Drives to find a new or used hard drive:
- Open the Defragment and Optimize Drives feature by pressing the Windows and R buttons at the same time, then typing dfrgui and pressing Enter.
- You’ll see the Defragment and Optimize Drives feature interface, which displays a list of hard drives connected to your computer. Select the hard drive you want to check by clicking on it on the left panel.
- Note the information displayed on the right pane. You can see the status of your hard drive in the Current status section. You can also view more detailed information by clicking the Analyze or Optimize button.
- To find out a new or used hard drive, you can look at the following parameters:
- Media type: shows the type of your hard drive, whether Solid state drive (SSD) or Hard disk drive (HDD). SSD is a type of hard drive that uses memory chips to store data, while HDD is a type of hard drive that uses magnetic platters to store data. SSDs have better speed, health, and lifespan than HDDs, but come at a higher price.
- Last run: shows the date and time of the last time your hard drive was defragmented. If your hard drive is new, then this date and time will be the same or close to the date and time of your hard drive purchase. If your hard drive is used, then this date and time will be longer or far from the date and time of your hard drive purchase.
- Fragmentation: shows the percentage of fragmentation on your hard drive. Fragmentation is a condition in which the data on the hard drive is not arranged sequentially, thus slowing down the read-and-write process. The higher the fragmentation percentage, the harder the hard drive is used more often and requires defragmentation. You can reduce fragmentation by clicking the Optimize button.
By looking at the parameters above, you can find out whether the hard drive you are using or what you want to buy is a new or used hard drive. New hard drives have better media types, newer last runs, and lower fragmentation. Conversely, used hard drives have worse media types, longer last runs, and higher fragmentation.
Device Manager
Device Manager is a feature that you can use to manage the hardware connected to your computer, including hard drives. This feature can display information about the hard drive, such as brand, model, capacity, drivers, status, and so on. This feature can also solve problems that occur on hard drives, such as hard drives not detected, hard drive problems, hard drives not working, and others.
Here are the steps to use Device Manager to find out a new or used hard drive:
- Open the Device Manager feature by pressing the Windows and X buttons simultaneously, then select Device Manager from the menu that appears.
- You’ll see the Device Manager feature interface, which displays a list of hardware connected to your computer. Locate and click Disk drives to see a list of hard drives connected to your computer.
- Select the hard drive you want to check by right-clicking on it, then select Properties.
- You will see a Properties window that displays information about your hard drive. You can see more detailed information on the General, Driver, Details, Events, and Volumes tabs.
- To find out a new or used hard drive, you can look at the following parameters:
- Device status: shows the status of your hard drive, whether it works properly or is problematic. If your hard drive is new, then its status will show This device is working properly. If your hard drive is used, then the status may show This device is not working properly, or This device has a problem. You can also view the error code that appears on the status of your hard drive to find out the cause of the problem.
- Driver date: shows the date and time when your hard drive driver was last updated. If your hard drive is new, then this driver date will be the same or close to the date and time of your hard drive purchase. If your hard drive is used, then this driver date will be longer or far from the date and time of your hard drive purchase.
- Device instance path: shows the location of your hard drive on your computer system. You can view these parameters on the Details tab by selecting the Device instance path in the drop-down menu. This parameter comprises several parts, such as VEN_, DEV_, SUBSYS_, REV_, and so on. The part you need to pay attention to is the VEN_ and DEV_ section, which shows the vendor and device ID of your hard drive. You can search the internet for the vendor and device ID of your hard drive to find out the make and model of your hard drive. If your hard drive is new, then this vendor and device ID will match the make and model of the hard drive you purchased. If your hard drive is used, then this vendor and device ID may not match the make and model of the hard drive you purchased, as the hard drive may have been modified or replaced by the seller.
By looking at the parameters above, you can find out whether the hard drive you are using or what you want to buy is a new or used hard drive. In general, new hard drives have a good device status, a new driver date, and a corresponding device instance path. Conversely, used hard drives have poor device status, old driver dates, and inappropriate device instance paths.