Windows
Linux
System & Storage
Disk & Storage
Windows wmic diskdrive get status equivalent in Linux
Reads SMART health status and diagnostics reported by a physical disk.
Windows
→
wmic diskdrive get status
Linux equivalents
sudo apt install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
sudo dnf install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
sudo pacman -S smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
Overview
What this command does
Reads SMART health status and diagnostics reported by a physical disk.
Migration tip: Install the
smartmontools package to obtain smartctl. A passing summary does not guarantee a drive is healthy, so inspect attributes as well.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Check drive health
Reads SMART health status and diagnostics reported by a physical disk.
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
Show the health summary
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda
Show all SMART information
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda
Start a short self-test
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda # check the health result
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda # inspect all SMART attributes
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda # start a short diagnostic testReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda | Show the health summary |
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda | Show all SMART information |
sudo smartctl -t short /dev/sda | Start a short self-test |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command can differ by distro defaults or package manager.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | apt | sudo apt install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda |
smartmontools may not be installed by default. |
| Fedora | dnf | sudo dnf install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda |
Same smartctl syntax after install. |
| Arch | pacman | sudo pacman -S smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda |
Same smartctl syntax after install. |
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