How to check for bad blocks on a Linux PC hard drive (and why you shouldn't wait to do it)

"A bad block is one that cannot be read or written to due to physical damage or failing components, leading to drive failure if too many accumulate."

"To check for bad blocks on a Linux drive, use the command 'sudo badblocks -v /dev/sda1 > badblocks.txt' to scan and log bad blocks."

Bad blocks are areas on drives that cannot be accessed due to damage or failure. These faulty blocks can lead to catastrophic data loss if not monitored. Regularly checking for these blocks, especially on older drives, is essential for maintaining data integrity. On Linux systems, users can utilize commands such as 'sudo badblocks -v /dev/sda1 > badblocks.txt' to detect bad blocks and 'sudo e2fsck -l badblocks.txt /dev/sda1' to manage them. SSDs require different monitoring tools to ensure health and performance.

Read at ZDNET