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Disk health, SMART and storage layout

Tell a failing disk from a damaged file system, read Windows' disk health evidence, understand the partitions on a Windows disk and Storage Spaces, and protect data before any repair.

Level
Intermediate
Length
About 50 minutes
Contents
3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
Status
Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
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Skills you'll practise

  • Read Get-PhysicalDisk, Get-StorageReliabilityCounter and disk-related System events to judge whether a disk is failing.
  • Distinguish file system corruption from failing media and choose repair or replacement accordingly.
  • Identify the partitions on a GPT Windows disk (EFI System, MSR, Windows, Recovery) and what each is for.
  • Explain Storage Spaces pools, virtual disks and resiliency types, and respond correctly to a degraded virtual disk.

Course outline

  1. 1.Disk health, SMART and storage layoutVideo · 5 min
  2. 2.Is the disk failing?Lesson · 8 min
  3. 3.Repair or replace: chkdsk, file systems and data firstLesson · 8 min
  4. 4.Partitions and Storage SpacesLesson · 8 min
  5. 5.Disk health, SMART and storage layout: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 21 questions
  6. 6.Disk health, SMART and storage layout: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
  7. 7.Clicking noises and slow filesScenario
  8. 8.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

  • Microsoft Learn: Get-PhysicalDisk
  • Microsoft Learn: Get-StorageReliabilityCounter
  • Microsoft Learn: UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions
  • Microsoft Learn: Storage Spaces overview
  • Microsoft Learn: chkdsk

See it with your own jobs and topics

Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.

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