Every computer has a hard disk. Generally, once you’ve installed a hard disk you don’t have to worry about it for years. For instance, I have a ten-year-old 160GB Hitachi mechanical hard drive the still works just fine. However, that’s always not the case. From time to time, you need to check your hard disk health so that you can back up important data as soon as possible and avoid any potential data loss. To help you with that, here are some of the useful hard disk testing tools you can try.
Re-plug the Seagate External Hard Drive and check if it is connected properly. Try a different USB port or cable to see whether the USB port or cable is bad. Connect Seagate External Hard Drive to another Mac or PC and see if it is compatible with. 2 Mount An External Hard Drive. All checks seem to be OK?
Read: How to Use External Hard Drive (NTFS/ HFS+) on Android
Hard Drive Health Check For Windows 10
1. SeaTools
SeaTools is a quick and free hard disk diagnostic tool by Seagate that is specifically designed to find any faults within your hard disk. When installed and used, the software tool can do a variety of tests like short and long self-tests, advanced tests, read and write tests, gather S.M.A.R.T data, etc. SeaTools also comes in a bootable version which is quite useful if you can’t boot into your system.
Though the user interface looks dated and the software is created specifically for Seagate hard drives, it works perfectly fine with any hard disk. To use the software, select the hard disk from the list and then select the test type from the “Basic Tests” drop-down menu. Depending on the test you select, it can take some time to complete. Once, the test is done, you will see the result under the drive status section.
If you are looking for a simple tool that does quick tests to determine your hard drive health, then SeaTools is for you.
Download SeaTools (Free)
2. HDDScan
HDDScan is another comprehensive hard disk testing tool that is easy to use. It supports a variety of hard drives and can perform a variety of drive tests. Those tests include but not limited to linear verification, linear reading, butterfly reading mode, hard drive’s spindle start and stop function, etc. Of course, the software also has the ability to read and analyze S.M.A.R.T data. For advanced users who know what they are doing, the software lets you change the hard disks AAM, APM, PM parameters.
All in all, if you are looking for simple yet fully-featured software that can find any and all possible faults in your hard disk then do give HDDScan a try. After all, it is free and portable.
Download HDDScan (Free)
3. Hard Disk Sentinel
Hard Disk Sentinel is a full-featured premium software that not only tests your hard drives but also gives you proper tools and options to better manage and create quick backups.
When it comes to hard disk testing, the software can perform hardware testing like heads, servo, noise, internal buffering and software testing like the surface test, S.M.A.R.T analysis, etc. Combining the two test types, it can detect and hardware malfunctions or software malfunctions. For advanced users and developers, the software also gives you access to its API interface so that you can build your own custom tools and query the hard disk health and status.
Hard Disk Sentinel is a premium software that costs $20 for the standard version and $30 for the professional version.
Download Hard Disk Sentinel (starts at $20)
4. Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic
As you can tell from the name itself, this software is made by Western Digital for Western Digital hard drives. However, just like the SeaTools, Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool works perfectly fine on any hard drive or storage medium. Out of the box, Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic comes bundled with 3 different diagnostic modules that include both quick and long tests. The software can also read and analyze S.M.A.R.T data.
As good as it is, compared to SeaTools, it lacks in terms of advanced features like hardware testing. However, if you want to get a quick analysis of your hard drive, Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic gets the job done
Download Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic (Free)
5. Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool
Fujitsu diagnostic tool is very similar to the Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool in that it is capable of performing short and long tests to find any faults within your hard drive functionality. However, unlike both the Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tool and SeaTools, Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool only works on Fujitsu hard drives.
So, if you have a Fujitsu hard drive, using this tool gives you a more comprehensive report compared to other tools on this list. If you use this tool on hard drives that are not manufactured by Fujitsu, the software may not work as it should and may potentially show wrong and false positive information.
To cut it short, if you have Fujitsu hard drive, use this tool.
Download Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool (Free)
6. HD Tune
HD Tune is a very lightweight yet fully-featured software that makes it quite easy to test a wide range of hard drive problems. Along with the regular S.M.A.R.T analysis, HD Tune can give you essential data via cache testing, error scanning, low level benchmarking and disk monitoring utilities. The software support AAM and command line parameters too.
Price: HD Tune comes in both free and pro variation. The free version is limited in terms of features. The pro version costs you $35. You can find a full comparison between free and pro versions on the download page.
Download HD Tune.
7. Macrorit Disk Scanner
Macrorit Disk Scanner is a simple and portable software that is mainly designed to scan and find bad sectors in your hard drive. The best thing about Macrorit Disk Scanner is that it not only marks the bad sectors in red but also gives you a detailed and easy to understand log file about all the good and bad sectors it found. Macrorit Disk Scanner supports a wide range of hard drive types and configurations.
If you are looking for simple software that scans and finds bad sectors in your hard drive, then Macrorit Disk Scanner is for you.
Macrorit Disk Scanner comes both in free and paid variation. The paid version costs you $19 and gives you access to log reports and lifetime free upgrades.
Download Macrorit Disk Scanner (freemium)
8. Crystal Disk Info
Crystal Disk Info is another popular, well-crafted, and clean looking software that gives detailed S.M.A.R.T health report about all your hard disks. Additionally, the software also has advanced features like advanced disk search, raw values, command line support, AAM and APM control, etc. When needed, you can configure Crystal Disk Info to constantly monitor a hard drive(s) and alert you on events like temperature rise. If you want to, you can even configure it to send detailed email reports to your desired email address.
Download Crystal Disk Info (Free)
Which one to Choose?
If you are looking for a free full-featured hard drive testing tool, then go with HDDScan. If you are using Seagate or WD hard drive, try SeaTools or Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. And for all those who want detailed logs and don’t mind paying for good software, go with Hard Disk Sentinel. I’d recommend Crystal Disk Info for general purpose or routine hard disk health checkup tool.
That is all for now. If you think I missed any of your favorite hard disk testing tools, comment below and share them with me.
Read: How to Format an Exernal Hard Drive for Mac
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Summary: Two methods to change Seagate external hard drives from read-only back to read-write, so that you can edit, delete, and rename files on this Seagate external hard drive. Also, if a Seagate external hard drive is read-only or files are locked on Mac due to NTFS format, you can use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to mount it in read-write mode on Mac.
When you plug a Seagate external hard drive into your Mac, one of the worst things would be that you find your Seagate hard drive is read-only. Your photos, videos, and other files you saved from a Windows PC could be locked. Or your Seagate external drive could be write-protected. Are you facing such disk problem right now? Well, you are not the only one.
'I'm having a problem using my Seagate external hard drive. I only have permission to read files on my external hard drive, but I am not allowed to write or edit files on the drive when using Mac OS. Why this happened and how to fix Seagate external hard drive read-only on Mac?'
You might have trouble backing up or adding files to Seagate external hard drives on Mac. But it's not necessarily because the disk is locked but some other reasons. For example, the Seagate external hard drive becomes read-only on Mac.
In this article, we introduced three possible reasons for disk being read-only on Mac, and you can find solutions to change the external drives from read-only accordingly.
- Table of contents
- Why a Seagate external hard drive is read-only on Mac?
- Case 1: The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted
- Case 2: You don't have permissions to access the Seagate external hard drive
- Case 3: The Seagate external hard drive has some disk errors
Why is your Seagate external hard drive read only on Mac?
You may be wondering why my Seagate external hard drive is read-only. In fact, read-only Seagate external hard drive results from various reasons. It could be the NTFS format that makes this trouble since NTFS is not writable on Mac. Generally, there are three possible reasons:
- The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted
- You don't have permissions to access the Seagate external hard drive
- The Seagate external hard drive has some disk errors
In the following part, we'll go into details about how to fix the Seagate external hard drive read-onli issue in different situations.
Case 1: The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted
Most Seagate external drives are read-only on Mac because they are pre-fomatted with Windows NT file system (NTFS) by the manufacturer. So your Seagate HDD is read only on Mac, which affects Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch, Portable drive, and Slim.
However, macOS disabled the NTFS write support by default. If you connect an NTFS formatted external hard drive to your Mac, you will find that files on this disk will be locked or show as read-only. You can only read but can't add files to this Seagate external hard drive on Mac.
How to check if your Seagate hard drive is NTFS formatted on Mac?
- Open the Finder and click Go at the upper right of your desktop, then choose Utilities.
- Find Disk Utility and open it.
- Select your Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar of Disk Utility.
- Then you can see Windows NT File System on the right.
- You can click the Info icon at the upper right to check if this disk is writable.
Solution: Use NTFS for Mac to write to Seagate external hard drives on Mac
In this situation, what you need is not to unlock the Seagate external hard drive but a NTFS for Mac driver. Many people would think about converting NTFS to APFS or formatting the Seagate drive for Mac to make it compatible with macOS. However, the truth is that you can fix the Seagate external hard drive read-only issue without formatting, i.e. you don't have to lose your files on this drive.
Alternatively, you can download NTFS for Mac software to enable NTFS drive write support on Mac with no fuss. There are a great number of NTFS for Mac in the market, and iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is used here as an example.
Seagate Hard Drive Diagnostic Tool
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac: NTFS for Mac driver and more
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a handy disk management tool, which can help you mount NTFS formatted external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc. on Mac with write support. This NTFS drive mounter is also compatible with macOS 10.15 (Catalina), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS 10.12 (Sierra) and Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), 10.10 (Yosemite), 10.9 (Mavericks), 10.8 (Mountain Lion).
How to use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to write to NTFS Seagate external hard drive on Mac?
Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your computer.
Step 2: Launch this NTFS driver for Mac and connect the read-only Seagate external hard drive to Mac.
Step 3: Then, you can fully write and copy data to the Seagate external hard drive on Mac after the drive is mounted successfully.
Aside from being an NTFS for Mac driver, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is also a wonderful tool to manage files on NTFS external drives. It lets users open, monut, repair, and erase NTFS drives on Mac natively and seamlessly.
Case 2: You don't have permissions to access the Seagate external hard drive
If your Seagate hard drive denies your access or restricts you to read-only activities, there is likely an permission issue. Being a multiuser operating system, macOS sets up access permissions for all files and folders on the system, including external drives.
Solution: Change permissions on Seagate external hard drive
To fix the read-only Seagate external hard drive issue, you need to regain full access. You can ignore the ownership or change the sharing and permissions of this disk in the Finder by following the below steps.
Step 1: Select Seagate external hard drive on your desktop or in the Finder sidebar, and then press Command + I to get information of the drive.
Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of this list and click on the triangle that is at the left side of the Sharing & Permissions tab.
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Step 3: Click on the lock icon at the right bottom and type in the password to unlock this tab.
Step 4: Check the box to Ignore ownership on this volume, or you can toggle it off and then on if it's already enabled.
Step 5: Click on the gear button and choose Apply to enclosed items… to save your changes.
Then you can go to check if your Seagate external hard drive is read-only still. If not, you will be able to write to this disk.
Seagate Hard Drive Diagnostic Software
But if you can't access the Seagate external hard drive as it's locked still. Well, the disk may be really locked by certain programs, especially for Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch. Then you need to unlock the password protection or hardware encryption with Seagate Secure software.
Case 3: The Seagate external hard drive has some disk errors
If your Seagate external hard drive becomes read-only not for the reasons above, you may need to have a check if there is any inner disk error. Some formatting errors will make an external hard drive read-only on Mac. If this is the cause, usually you will see a warning in Disk Utility that states it is only being mounted in read-only mode.
Solution 1: Fix read-only Seagate external hard drive in Disk Utility
Fortunately, there is a built-in tool called First Aid that can check and repair some minor disk errors. When your Seagate external hard drive becomes read-only due to logical disk problems, you can use First Aid to repair it then.
Seagate Hard Drive Diagnostic Software Name
Mac app to crop jpg. Here is the guidance to fix read-only Seagate external hard drive with Disk Utility:
- Open Disk Utility.
- Select the read-only Seagate external hard drive on the left window.
- Click First Aid in the top center and choose Run to repair this disk.
Solution 2: Reformat Seagate external hard drive
However, if Disk Utility fails to fix read-only Seagate external hard drive, the last thing you can try to remove write protection from Seagate external hard drives would be reformatting. Reformatting will assign a new file system to this disk, consequently, the Seagate external hard drive issue could be fixed.
But before you go ahead to erase this disk, you should know that reformatting will wipe the files on this hard drive. Thus, you are advised to check if you have a copy of data back in the first place , or you can recover lost data from this external hard drive with iBoysoft Mac data recovery to avoid data loss.
https://petrolucky.netlify.app/3d-text-animation-software-mac.html. If you're sure that you have data backup in hand, you can proceed to reformat this read-only external hard drive with the following tutorial.
Seagate External Hard Drive Mac
- Open Disk Utility as you did before.
- Select the read-only Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar.
- Click the Erase button in the top center of Disk Utility.
- Fill in name, format, and scheme when the pop-up asks.
- Click Erase to confirm this operation.
Seagate Hard Drive Diagnostic Software Mac Free
A final note
Seagate Software For Mac
Besides Seagate external hard drives, Toshiba, WD, Samsung, or other brands' external hard drives will come across the read-only problem. It is common to see people complaining WD My Passport external hard drives suddenly became read-only on Mac. You can also use these solutions to fix this problem. But if you are unable to fix it with the solutions suggested above, you can only send it to local disk repair store for help, but that will cost a lot usually.