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Windows includes a built-in view of an SSD’s estimated remaining life, available spare capacity and temperature, so many users do not need CrystalDiskInfo for a basic check. The utility remains useful for investigating error indicators that Windows does not show. A health percentage is only a rough measure of flash wear, not a guarantee that a drive is free of faults.

Windows already provides a built-in way to check an SSD’s estimated remaining life, available spare capacity and temperature, meaning many users can get a basic health snapshot without installing CrystalDiskInfo. An XDA Developers article published Oct. 24 says the Windows view is adequate for routine checks, while third-party tools remain useful for examining error information the settings page does not display.

In Windows, users can open Settings > System > Storage > Disks & volumes, select the SSD and choose Properties. The page displays a small group of drive attributes drawn from the drive’s S.M.A.R.T. data. S.M.A.R.T. is a set of monitoring information stored by the drive and read by an operating system or diagnostic program.

The article describes estimated remaining life as the Windows equivalent of the commonly cited SSD health percentage. It is an estimate related to NAND flash wear, not a promise that a drive will function normally until the figure reaches zero. Available spare indicates reserve flash blocks, while the temperature entry reports the drive’s current temperature. The source says many drives show 95% to 100% available spare, but that range is not a guarantee against other faults.

For deeper investigation, the article points to CrystalDiskInfo attributes including Media and Data Integrity Errors and Critical Warning. Windows’ settings page does not expose those indicators, according to the article. A non-zero reading can warrant investigation, particularly if the computer is also experiencing storage problems, but the article does not establish that any single reading proves a drive is about to fail.

When Windows Is Enough

For people who only want a quick check, using an existing Windows feature avoids installing another program and can answer basic questions about wear, reserve capacity and temperature. That is useful for routine monitoring, but it should not be mistaken for a full diagnosis. The settings view presents only selected attributes, so it cannot rule out every cause of drive trouble.

The distinction matters because SSD failure is not determined by a health percentage alone. The XDA article notes that flash wear is one possible failure pathway; power, heat and firmware issues can also affect a drive. A reassuring estimate therefore cannot guarantee that stored files are safe. Users who see errors, unusual behavior or other signs of trouble should treat the Windows figure as one data point, not as an all-clear.

CrystalDiskInfo has a different role: it can show additional indicators that may help users assess faults not visible in Windows’ storage settings. That makes it more relevant to troubleshooting than to a simple periodic glance. The reported guidance is not a Windows announcement or a change to the operating system; it is a practical comparison of built-in monitoring and a third-party utility.

What The Health Figure Measures

Both Windows and third-party monitoring tools read S.M.A.R.T. attributes maintained by a drive. Those records persist across restarts and power cycles, according to the source article. Windows is not generating an independent guarantee of the SSD’s condition; it is presenting selected information that the drive reports.

The estimated-life figure relates to the wear of NAND flash, which has finite write endurance. The article connects that wear to a drive’s rated terabytes written (TBW), but stresses that the estimate covers only part of the failure picture. A drive can encounter problems before reaching its rated write capacity, and a high health reading does not certify that every component is working correctly.

The source advises that users with signs of storage faults can inspect more detailed metrics with CrystalDiskInfo. It mentions trying a software repair such as CHKDSK, then backing up data and considering replacement if problems persist. Those are general suggestions from the article, not a finding that a particular SSD is defective. It also discusses current SSD pricing, but gives no independently verified market data in the material supplied, so no price trend is treated here as established fact.

““Most people don’t need anything more.””

— XDA Developers article, published Oct. 24, 2026

Limits Of A Basic SSD Check

The Windows properties page does not show every diagnostic attribute, and the source material does not specify whether every SSD model reports all three listed fields in the same way. It also does not provide a controlled comparison of Windows readings with CrystalDiskInfo or establish how predictive any individual metric is for imminent failure.

A non-zero Media and Data Integrity Errors or Critical Warning reading should be interpreted alongside symptoms and the drive maker’s guidance, rather than treated as a definitive forecast on its own. The article’s suggested steps are general advice; the right response can depend on the error, the drive and whether important data is backed up. No particular drive failure, Windows update or official Microsoft change is reported.

Check The Drive And Protect Files

Users looking for a routine snapshot can open the Windows Disks & volumes properties page and review the available figures. If a PC is showing storage errors or the drive behaves unusually, the article recommends checking more detailed S.M.A.R.T. attributes with CrystalDiskInfo rather than relying on the health estimate alone.

Where a drive appears faulty, the practical priority is to back up important data to a healthy drive before attempting repairs or continuing to rely on it. The source suggests CHKDSK for minor faults and replacement if problems remain, but provides no case-specific diagnosis or follow-up milestone. Whether Windows will add further diagnostic fields is also not stated.

Key Questions

How do I check SSD health in Windows?

Open Settings > System > Storage > Disks & volumes, select the SSD and choose Properties. The page may show estimated remaining life, available spare capacity and temperature.

Does 100% estimated life mean my SSD cannot fail?

No. The estimate is a rough indicator of NAND flash wear, not a guarantee that the drive is free of faults or will keep working until the figure falls to zero.

When is CrystalDiskInfo useful?

It can help investigate additional S.M.A.R.T. attributes, including Media and Data Integrity Errors and Critical Warning, which the Windows settings view described in the article does not display.

What should I do if my SSD is showing errors?

Back up important files to a healthy drive and investigate the reported problem. The source article suggests checking detailed drive metrics and considering repair or replacement if faults persist; a reading alone is not a definitive diagnosis.

Source: XDA Developers