Windows Linux System & Storage Expanded guide Disk & Storage

Windows `wmic diskdrive get status` equivalent in Linux

Reads SMART health status and diagnostics reported by a physical disk.

Reference maintained by Win-Linux.com · How mappings are evaluated

Windows wmic diskdrive get status

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Linux equivalents

Debian/Ubuntu apt

sudo apt install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda

Fedora dnf

sudo dnf install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda

Arch pacman

sudo pacman -S smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda

Overview

What this command does

On Windows, "wmic diskdrive get status" is used to check drive health. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda". Reads SMART health status and diagnostics reported by a physical disk. This reference is grouped under System & Storage → Disk & Storage.

Migration tip: Install the <code>smartmontools</code> package to obtain <code>smartctl</code>. A passing summary does not guarantee a drive is healthy, so inspect attributes as well.

Windows → Linux context

What changes when you use this on Linux?

Equivalent task, different tool

Windows wmic diskdrive get status maps to smartctl for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.

Distribution details matter

The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows are not identical. Use the row for your distribution instead of changing only the package-manager name in an example.

Elevated privilege appears in this workflow

At least one example uses sudo. Confirm the target path, device, service or package before running the elevated form; do not add sudo simply to bypass an unexplained permission error.

For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux disks, storage and mounts.

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 test

Reference

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

The equivalent is distribution-specific for this task: Debian/Ubuntu uses "sudo apt install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda"; Fedora uses "sudo dnf install smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda"; Arch uses "sudo pacman -S smartmontools && sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda".

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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