How Old Is Your Hard Drive? Here's How to Check

Want to know the age of the old hard drive? Or wonder how long will it take for the hard drive you have used for years? Here are some ways to determine the age of the hard drive.

View the physical tags

The easiest and most accurate way to determine the age of a hard drive is to check the production date on its physical label. Since these labels are printed in the factory, they usually display production dates, making them the most reliable source of information. However, not all manufacturers include this details.

To check, turn off the computer and unplug it from the power supply. Open the chassis and locate the hard drive, then turn it over to see if there is a dated tag. The date format is usually YYYY-MM-DD or MM-YYYY. The date may be written separately or marked as "DOM" or "Date of Manufacturing".

If you are using a laptop, you may need a special set of screwdrivers to access the hard drive. Some laptops are easy to remove, while others are difficult to remove. If in doubt, please seek professional help – you don’t want to accidentally damage anything.

Check the warranty status on the manufacturer's website

If the manufacturing date is not printed on the hard disk label, you can estimate its age by checking the warranty status on the manufacturer's website. Simply enter the serial number of your hard drive to see when the warranty has expired or if it has expired. Depending on the warranty period, you can roughly estimate its age.

Some manufacturers may also show the hard drive's production date as well as warranty details, thus simplifying your task. To check the warranty, visit the manufacturer's website, note the serial number on the tag (or use the wmic diskdrive get serialnumber command in the command prompt), enter the serial number, and see if there is any details that can help estimate the age of the hard drive.

Estimated service life using power-on time

If the hard drive has no tags and the warranty status does not provide any details, you can estimate its age by checking its power-on time (POH). This metric represents the total number of hours a hard drive has been powered on and can be retrieved through self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology (SMART) data using tools such as CrystalDiskInfo.

To estimate the age of the hard drive, you can divide the reported power-on time by your average daily usage time. For example, CrystalDiskInfo shows my hard drive is 1,780 hours and I use my device for about 10 hours a day (excluding weekends). This is about 178 days. Considering the weekend when I don't use the equipment, the estimated time is extended to about 249 days.

My hard drive has been used for more than ten and a half months, which is slightly different from the 8.3 months I calculated. Therefore, this method only provides estimates, which may differ from actual age.

Check the installation date of the operating system

If you have never replaced or formatted your hard drive and have never reinstalled or upgraded your operating system since your purchase, your hard drive may be as old as the installation date of the operating system. While this method is not always accurate, it can provide a rough estimate.

To check the installation date, open Windows Search, type Command Prompt, and start the application. Then, run the command: systeminfo | find "Original Install Date" and press Enter. This will show the installation time of Windows, giving you a rough idea of ​​the age of the hard drive. However, if your operating system is cloned from an old hard drive, this estimate may be inaccurate.

Signs of hard drive failure

If your hard drive is getting older, you should be aware of signs of failure so that you can replace the hard drive and transfer data before a disaster occurs.

The most obvious sign is hearing a click, grinding or beeping from the hard drive, which indicates a mechanical problem. Frequent hard drive errors, difficulty starting (such as messages like "Operating system not found"), or receiving a warning about full disk space (although there is a lot of available space) are also red flags to potential problems.

Additionally, if the SMART status shows poor hard disk health, abnormally slow data transfer speed, long operating system startup time, or long file opening time, it may indicate a problem. Repeated prompts for a drive repair, a system crash, or an unexpected restart during routine use may be a strong indicator that needs to be replaced.

However, remember that other factors can also cause certain symptoms, so not every warning must mean that your hard drive is about to be scrapped.

Related ##### Causes of mechanical hard drive failures (and what you can do)

Here are some common causes of hard drive failure and how to extend its lifespan.

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The older the hard drive, the higher the risk of drive failure, which can lead to data loss. This is why you should check your age before buying a used hard drive. Again, you should monitor the service life of your old hard drive. Tracking its age can help you decide when you need to change it – maybe a nice SSD can be used instead.

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