Microsoft has added a new useful feature to Windows 10. If the SSD of your laptop or desktop starts to malfunction and is approaching the end of its life, Windows 10 will give you a warning in the future. You should then have enough time to secure your data and have your SSD drive replaced.
The last couple of years an SSD, a solid state drive, is becoming more and more the standard storage drive of choice in laptops and desktops. This is a new type of hard drive that no longer works with moving parts but with flash chips. In this article we explain more about the difference between SSD and conventional hard drives. This makes an SSD much faster and on average an SSD has a much longer life span. However every part of a computer will at one point need to be replaced and the SSD is no exception.
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How does Microsoft know your imminent SSD failure
From experience through recent years, Microsoft has learned that if SSDs are approaching the end of their life span they will show certain patterns in their behaviour combines with failures. So Microsoft can more or less predict when your SSD is about to give up.
Microsoft is now taking full advantage of that knowledge by displaying a warning in the Windows 10 message bar that a storage device is at risk and may break and requires attention. If you receive such a notification, it is wise to take it very seriously and to secure your data through backups on another disk. You will then have to consider whether you will have the SSD replaced or buy a new laptop or desktop.
This is a an excellent feature from Microsoft which will prevent a lot of data loss. However it is also possible to check the health of your SSD manually. Navigate to Settings > System > Storage > Manage disks and volumes > Properties where the Drive Health information is displayed. You can see the estimated remaining life of the drive, its current temperature, and any warnings in red text. There is also the option to back up your SSD.
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