Use PowerShell To Look Up Disk Information

Looking up disk information is easy with PowerShell.

Windows PowerShell is quite powerful when it comes to looking up hard disk information. While you may look up some information in Windows directly, e.g. in Disk Management, or by using third-party programs like Hard Disk Validator, Disk Checkup, or DiskBoss, using PowerShell is a quick and easy option as well.

(Via: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/28/look-up-hard-disk-information-with-powershell/)

You might wonder why you need to look up disk information. Well, for starters, it wouldn’t hurt to know the specific details of your hard disk.

Do actually know the kind of hard drive you have? Are you even familiar with the speed of your hard drive? Well, if you’re not, then it’s high time you know about those details. PowerShell is a tool that you can use to get specific details on your hard disk.

PowerShell comes with several commands that return information about connected internal and external storage devices.

You may start a new PowerShell console by opening Start, typing Powershell, and selecting the item from the list of results. The commands don't require elevation to run.

(Via: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/28/look-up-hard-disk-information-with-powershell/)

Once PowerShell is open, you have two options. The first option is for you to run the command get-wmiobject -class win32_logicaldisk to retrieve general information.

Run the command get-wmiobject -class win32_logicaldisk to look up core information about each connected hard drive. The command returns drive letters and types, the overall size and free space in bytes, and the volume name.

Drive type uses a numerical code:

• 0 -- Unknown
• 1 -- No Root directory
• 2 -- Removable Disk
• 3 -- Local Disk
• 4 -- Network Drive
• 5 -- Compact Disc
• 6 -- Ram Disk

You may use filters to display only select drive types, e.g. Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_logicaldisk -Filter "DriveType =4" to display network drives only.

(Via: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/28/look-up-hard-disk-information-with-powershell/)

You can also resort to using the second option. This requires you to run the core command wmic diskdrive get to retrieve hard drive properties.

The core command wmic diskdrive get needs to be followed by one or multiple properties.

The command wmic diskdrive get Name,Model,SerialNumber,Size,Status returns names, model types, serial numbers, the overall size in bytes, and the status for all connected hard drives.

Other properties that you may retrieve include InstallDate, InterfaceType, FirmwareRevision, DefaultBlockSize, CompressionMethod, Capabilities, Availability, LastErrorCode, or PowerManagementCapabilities.

Just add, replace, or remove any property from the command to create a custom one.

(Via: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/28/look-up-hard-disk-information-with-powershell/)

The two options from PowerShell can, definitely, help you look up disk information. Now, for the less tech savvy folks out there, it might be a bit too intimidating to do it. Who would have thought that looking up disk information could be intimidating?

Well, it really isn’t. If you choose option one, all you have to do is to open PowerShell. You’ll get a screen where you can run the command get-wmiobject -class win32_logicaldisk. Just type in that particular command beside the path PS C:\User\Name> then press enter. Just like magic you’re going to see the disk information that you need to know.

If you opt for the second option, make sure to open PowerShell as an administrator. You can do that by clicking on Windows PowerShell once you see it in the search. Then just type in the core command wmic diskdrive get and then press enter.

Using the PowerShell tool to look up disk information shouldn’t scare you at all. What should scare you is when you have to  retrieve data from your hard drive. That takes more than just running simple commands. You really need to be a hard drive recovery expert. Chances are, you’re not.

It takes a lot of years of training and experience to become an expert in hard drive recovery. Truth be told, no software can do what the experts can do. As a matter of fact, software might even do more harm than good. If you’re serious about getting back your data, avoid using any kind of recovery software.

Even worse, don’t even try to do it yourself by watching random videos. There’s no way you can learn a skill by simply watching a random video once. Remember, the experts didn’t learn it that way. Instead, they underwent some serious training.

That being said, you need trained and experienced engineers to help you out in a data emergency. While these https://www.harddriverecovery.org/emergency_tips.html can help you out, you should really just get on the phone to an expert right away.

Use PowerShell To Look Up Disk Information was originally seen on www.harddriverecovery.org

source https://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/use-powershell-to-look-up-disk-information/