Beginner's Guide
AUREVO Drive
Health Check
A free, browser-based tool that tests how fast and healthy your drive is. No installation, no account, no data leaves your computer. Just open it and go.
No Install
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing to download or set up.
No Data Leaves Your Device
All tests run locally. Your files are never uploaded anywhere.
No Telemetry
Zero tracking, zero analytics, zero data collection of any kind.
What makes AUREVO different?
Most drive-testing tools require you to download and install software on your computer. That means trusting an unknown program with full access to your system. AUREVO takes a completely different approach: it runs inside your web browser and uses modern web APIs to communicate directly with your drive.
When you use AUREVO, your browser acts as a secure sandbox. The tool can only access the specific folder you choose to test — it cannot see or touch any other files on your computer. This is fundamentally safer than traditional desktop tools, which often require administrator privileges and full disk access.
AUREVO offers nine distinct tests, from a quick 60-second speed check to advanced multi-hour stress tests. Whether you just bought a new drive and want to verify it performs as advertised, or you suspect your old drive is slowing down, AUREVO gives you the data you need to make informed decisions — all without installing a single thing.
How It Works (Web Sandboxing & Security)
For tech-savvy users: a deep dive into how AUREVO safely runs drive diagnostics entirely in the browser.
Architecture Overview
AUREVO has two main parts:
- Next.js wrapper (src/) – A minimal, static-site generator that acts as a host for the actual application. It builds a simple iframe container for the main SPA.
- Static SPA (public/) – The real application, a single HTML file (index.html) with embedded JavaScript, using Tailwind CSS for styling, Font Awesome for icons, and Chart.js for visualization.
File System Access API
AUREVO uses the File System Access API (window.showDirectoryPicker()) to request user consent before accessing any files. Key security properties:
- Access is strictly limited to the folder explicitly selected by the user; AUREVO cannot see files outside that folder.
- No root driver installation or administrator privileges are required.
- All interactions are mediated by the browser's security sandbox, which prevents unauthorized system access.
Temporary File Cleanup
All test files are created only in the user-selected folder and are always deleted in a finally block, ensuring cleanup even if a test fails or the user cancels it mid-run. If the browser is abruptly closed, leftover files are just random data and are safe to delete manually.
Data Privacy & Zero Telemetry
All drive test data stays 100% local to your device. No analytics, no tracking, no data of any kind is sent to external servers. Feedback is strictly opt-in (via Formspree) and completely separate from drive testing—no drive test data is ever included in feedback.
Why It's Safer Than Desktop Tools
Traditional desktop drive diagnostics often require full system access, administrator privileges, and installation of kernel-mode drivers. AUREVO runs entirely in the browser sandbox, which is designed to limit what a web application can do to your system, making it inherently safer than desktop alternatives for quick diagnostics.
Getting Started
Three steps to your first drive test. It takes about two minutes.
Open the app
Open your web browser (Chrome or Edge — version 61 or newer is required). Go to drivetest.shaheem.cloud. The app loads directly in your browser. There is no download, no installer, and no sign-up page. You will see the main dashboard with a list of available tests on the left and a large work area on the right.
What you'll see:
A dark-themed dashboard with a sidebar listing all tests (Quick Test, Speed Test, Health Scan, etc.) and a main area that says "Select a drive to begin testing." There is also a prominent "Select Drive" or folder-picker button near the top of the screen.
Select your drive
Click the "Select Drive" button (or the folder-picker icon) in the app. Your browser will open its standard folder-selection dialog. Navigate to the drive or folder you want to test. This works with internal drives (like your C: drive on Windows), external USB drives, SD cards, and even network-mapped drives. Select the root of the drive or any folder on it, then click "Select Folder" (the exact button name depends on your browser and operating system).
This step uses your browser's File System Access API, which is a built-in security feature. It means AUREVO can only read and write files inside the folder you explicitly chose. It cannot access anything else on your computer without you granting permission again.
What to look for:
After selecting a folder, the app will show the drive name, available space, and file system type in the main area. You are now ready to run tests on this drive.
Run your first test
For your very first test, we recommend starting with Quick Test. It is the fastest way to get a snapshot of your drive's performance, and it takes only about 60 seconds. In the sidebar, click "Quick Test." The test configuration panel will appear on the right. You can leave all settings at their defaults — they are already set to sensible values for a first run. Click the green "Start" or "Run Test" button.
The app will write a small temporary test file to your selected drive, read it back, and measure the speeds. A progress bar and live speed readout will appear on screen. When the test finishes (in about a minute), you will see a results summary showing your drive's read speed, write speed, search speed, and response time.
What to look for:
A results card with four metrics: read speed (in MB/s), write speed (in MB/s), search speed, and response time (in milliseconds). Green values indicate normal performance; yellow means borderline; red means the drive may have issues.
Important note about test files:
AUREVO creates temporary files on your drive during testing. These files are automatically deleted after each test completes. If a test is interrupted (for example, you close the browser), you may find leftover test files in the selected folder. These are safe to delete manually — they are just random data used for measurement.
That's it!
You have completed your first drive test. From here, you can explore the other tests described in the Features Explained section below, or jump to the FAQ if you have questions. If any results looked concerning, the Health Scan is the next test to run — it checks for bad sectors and data corruption.
Features Explained
A detailed look at each test — what it does, what the results mean, and when to use it.
Quick Test
Approximately 60 seconds
The Quick Test is your go-to first check. It measures four key metrics in about a minute: how fast your drive can read data (copying files off the drive), how fast it can write data (saving files to the drive), how fast it can search for data, and its response time (how long the drive takes to start responding after you ask it to do something).
What the results mean:
- Read speed — How quickly data can be copied from the drive. Higher is better. A typical SSD reads at 300–5,000 MB/s; a typical HDD reads at 80–160 MB/s.
- Write speed — How quickly data can be saved to the drive. Higher is better. SSDs typically write at 200–4,000 MB/s; HDDs at 80–160 MB/s.
- Search speed — How fast the drive can locate specific data. Important for apps that scan through large folders or databases.
- Response time — Also called "access time" or "latency." Lower is better. This is the delay before the drive starts responding. SSDs are usually under 1 ms; HDDs are typically 5–15 ms.
When to use: When you want a fast overview of drive performance. Use it to compare drives, check if a new drive meets advertised speeds, or quickly spot if something is wrong before running more detailed tests.
Speed Test
Configurable duration (typically 1–10 minutes)
The Speed Test is a thorough, customizable performance benchmark. Unlike the Quick Test, which gives you a single summary, the Speed Test lets you configure exactly how the test runs. You can adjust the block size (how much data is read or written in each operation — small blocks simulate many tiny files, large blocks simulate big files), the duration (how long the test runs), the total file size, and the number of threads (simultaneous read/write operations).
The test separately measures read and write performance for both large and small files, giving you a complete picture. Results are displayed in a detailed table showing speed in MB/s (megabytes per second), IOPS (input/output operations per second — how many individual read or write actions the drive can handle each second), latency (the average delay per operation), and access time (how long before the drive starts responding).
What the results mean:
The results table shows performance broken down by operation type (read large, read small, write large, write small). Compare these numbers to the manufacturer's advertised specs. If your SSD claims "up to 3,500 MB/s read" but the Speed Test shows 500 MB/s, something may be wrong — or the test conditions may differ (e.g., the drive may be nearly full, or connected via a slower interface like USB 2.0).
When to use: When you need detailed, comparable performance numbers. Useful for benchmarking a new drive against its advertised specs, comparing two drives side by side, or diagnosing specific performance bottlenecks (e.g., "are small-file operations abnormally slow?").
Health Scan
Duration depends on drive size (several minutes to over an hour)
The Health Scan is the most important test for checking whether your drive is physically healthy. It reads data from every part of your drive (up to 6 passes) looking for bad sectors — areas on the drive that can no longer reliably store data. Bad sectors are one of the earliest and most reliable warning signs of drive failure.
The scan uses multiple test patterns to detect different types of corruption. Each pattern writes a specific sequence of data, reads it back, and checks whether the data matches what was written. The patterns include: 0xAA55AA55 (an alternating bit pattern that catches stuck bits), inverse pattern (the bitwise opposite, to catch repeating faults), random data (the most thorough check, since it tests every possible bit combination), all zeros and all ones (to detect cells stuck at 0 or 1), and walking bit (a single bit that shifts position, catching address-line errors).
As the scan progresses, a visual drive map appears on screen. This is a grid where each small square represents a portion of your drive. Green squares are healthy, yellow squares had slow responses (potential early warning), and red squares contain errors. This makes it easy to see at a glance whether problems are scattered across the drive or concentrated in one area.
What the results mean:
- No errors found — Your drive passed all pattern checks. This is a good sign, though it does not guarantee the drive will never fail in the future.
- Slow sectors detected — Some areas of the drive took unusually long to respond. This can indicate the drive is struggling to read those areas and may be developing problems.
- Bad sectors / errors found — Data could not be reliably read or written in some areas. This is a serious warning. Back up your important files immediately and consider replacing the drive.
Important:
The Health Scan takes a long time on large drives because it reads the entire drive surface. On a 1 TB drive, expect the scan to take 30 minutes to over an hour depending on speed. Do not use your computer for other intensive tasks during the scan, as this can affect the results.
When to use: When you suspect your drive is failing (frequent crashes, strange noises from an HDD, files becoming corrupted), when buying a used drive and want to verify its condition, or as part of a routine check every 6–12 months on drives that store important data.
Heavy Load Test
5 minutes to 1 hour (configurable)
The Heavy Load Test pushes your drive with sustained, continuous read and write operations for an extended period. While a Quick Test or Speed Test measures performance over seconds or minutes, the Heavy Load Test runs for up to an hour. This is important because many drives start fast but slow down significantly as they heat up — a problem called thermal throttling.
During the test, AUREVO continuously tracks your peak speed (the fastest speed recorded), minimum speed (the slowest — this is the number to watch for thermal throttling), and average speed. It also detects background cleanup pauses — brief moments where the drive's speed drops to near zero. These pauses happen when SSDs perform internal garbage collection (cleaning up previously deleted data to make room for new writes), and excessive pauses can indicate the drive's controller is struggling.
What the results mean:
- Stable speed throughout — Your drive handles sustained workloads well. Peak, average, and minimum speeds are close together.
- Speed drops after a few minutes — Likely thermal throttling. The drive is overheating under sustained load. This is common in external SSDs with poor cooling. Consider improving ventilation or using a drive with a heatsink.
- Frequent pauses or extreme slowdowns — The drive may be failing, nearly full, or has a controller that cannot handle sustained writes. This is a concern for drives used in servers or for video editing.
When to use: When testing drives for sustained workloads like video editing, gaming, server use, or large file transfers. Also useful for testing external drives and USB enclosures, which are particularly prone to thermal throttling.
Drive Details
Instant (no test duration)
Drive Details is not a performance test — it is an information tool. When you select a drive, AUREVO automatically analyzes its behavior to determine what type of drive it is: SSD (Solid State Drive — fast, no moving parts), HDD (Hard Disk Drive — slower, uses spinning magnetic platters), or USB (external storage connected via USB).
The classification comes with a confidence score — a percentage indicating how certain AUREVO is about the classification. It also shows a detailed metric breakdown compared against a reference database of known drive characteristics. This helps you verify that a drive you bought is actually what the seller claimed (for example, confirming that a "500 GB SSD" behaves like a real SSD and not a repackaged slow flash drive).
When to use: When you want to identify what type of drive you are testing, verify a drive's advertised specifications, or compare your drive's characteristics against known reference data.
File Management Test
A few minutes (depends on file count)
Real-world drive performance is not just about raw read/write speed. Much of what you do on a computer involves working with thousands of small files: creating documents, saving browser cache, installing applications, or organizing photos. The File Management Test measures how well your drive handles these everyday operations.
It creates, writes to, reads from, renames, copies, and then deletes thousands of small files, timing each operation. This test is particularly good at revealing differences between file systems (like NTFS on Windows, APFS on Mac, or ext4 on Linux) and at showing how well a drive handles the overhead of managing many files simultaneously. SSDs typically excel here, while HDDs — especially when nearly full — can be dramatically slower with small files compared to large sequential transfers.
When to use: When your drive feels slow during normal use (opening folders, launching apps, saving files) even though raw speed tests look fine. This test reveals the "real-world" performance that speed benchmarks miss.
USB Health
A few seconds per device
USB Health uses the WebUSB API to scan USB mass storage devices connected to your computer at a low level. Unlike the folder-based tests, which interact with files, USB Health communicates directly with the USB device hardware to check its status and capabilities.
This test can detect USB devices that are connected but not properly mounted, identify the USB protocol version (USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, etc.), and report basic device information. It is a quick way to check whether a USB drive is properly connected and communicating at its expected speed. Note that WebUSB is only available in Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge) and requires you to explicitly grant permission when prompted.
Browser requirement:
USB Health requires a Chromium-based browser (Chrome or Edge). It will not work in Firefox or Safari because those browsers do not implement the WebUSB standard.
When to use: When you want to check if a USB drive is connected at the right speed (USB 3.0 vs USB 2.0), troubleshoot a USB device that is not showing up properly, or get hardware-level information about a connected USB storage device.
Deep Dive (Advanced)
10–30 minutes (configurable)
Deep Dive is the most advanced test in AUREVO, designed for users who want deeper insight into their SSD's internal behavior. It estimates three things that are normally only visible through manufacturer diagnostic tools: write amplification factor (how much extra data the drive's controller writes behind the scenes for every gigabyte you save), NAND wear health (an estimate of how much life is left in the drive's flash memory cells), and latency percentiles (how consistent the drive's response times are, from the median P50 all the way to P99.99).
Write amplification is an important concept for SSDs. When you save a 1 GB file, the SSD may actually write 1.5 GB or more of data internally because of how flash memory works — it cannot simply overwrite old data in place; it must erase whole blocks first and rewrite the block with the new data included. A high write amplification factor (above 2x or 3x) means the drive is working harder than it should, which reduces its lifespan. A healthy SSD typically has a write amplification of 1.0x to 2.0x.
The latency percentiles are valuable because average latency can hide problems. A drive might have an average response time of 0.5 ms, but if its P99.99 (the worst 0.01% of responses) is 500 ms, that means one in every 10,000 operations takes 1,000 times longer than average. This kind of inconsistency causes stuttering in games, audio dropouts, and system freezes.
About accuracy:
Because browsers cannot directly read a drive's internal SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) data, Deep Dive uses indirect heuristics — it observes the drive's external behavior and infers internal state. These estimates are useful for spotting obvious problems, but they are not a replacement for the manufacturer's own diagnostic software. Take the numbers as approximate indicators, not exact measurements.
When to use: When you want the most detailed analysis possible, are investigating specific performance issues (like stuttering or high latency spikes), or want to estimate an SSD's remaining lifespan. Recommended for advanced users who understand SSD internals.
Test Report
Instant export
The Test Report is not a test itself — it is a way to save and share the results from all the other tests you have run. After completing one or more tests, you can generate a consolidated report that includes all your results in a single document. This is useful if you want to keep a record of your drive's performance over time, share results with a technician or on a forum, or compare results from different testing sessions.
Reports can be exported in three formats: JSON (a structured data format — useful for developers or for importing into other tools), plain text (a simple, readable summary — good for pasting into emails or forum posts), and PDF (a formatted document — good for printing or archiving). All report generation happens in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
When to use: After running tests, to save your results. Especially useful before and after making changes to your system (like updating firmware, switching cables, or moving the drive to a different port) so you can compare performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about AUREVO Drive Health Check.
Yes. One hundred percent of the processing happens in your browser. No data leaves your device, no telemetry is collected, and no accounts are required. AUREVO uses your browser's built-in File System Access API, which only allows access to the specific folder you choose. The tool cannot see or touch any other files on your computer. Even the temporary test files it creates are stored only in the folder you selected, and they are automatically deleted after each test.
Yes. AUREVO works on any drive you can select via the browser's folder picker: internal drives (like your main C: drive or Macintosh HD), external drives connected via USB, Thunderbolt, or eSATA, USB flash drives ("thumb drives"), SD cards, and even network-mapped drives. Simply select the drive or folder when prompted, and AUREVO will run tests on it. Keep in mind that the speed you see will be limited by the slowest link in the chain — for example, a fast SSD connected via an old USB 2.0 cable will show USB 2.0 speeds, not the SSD's actual maximum speed.
No. AUREVO runs entirely in your web browser. There is nothing to download, install, or configure. Just open drivetest.shaheem.cloud in Chrome or Edge and start testing. The app uses modern web standards (File System Access API and WebUSB) that are built into these browsers, so no plugins or extensions are needed.
Since web browsers cannot directly read SMART data (the internal health monitoring system built into modern drives), AUREVO's wear and health estimates use indirect heuristics. These include analyzing write amplification patterns (how much extra data the drive writes internally), measuring latency consistency over time, and comparing observed behavior against a reference database of known drive characteristics. These methods can detect obvious problems — like a drive that is severely worn or a controller that is struggling — but they cannot match the precision of a manufacturer's official diagnostic tool. Think of the estimates as useful indicators rather than exact measurements.
Yes. AUREVO runs on any operating system where Chrome or Edge (version 61 or newer) is available. This includes Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.13 and later, and most Linux distributions. The core tests (Quick Test, Speed Test, Health Scan, etc.) work on all supported platforms. The USB Health feature, which uses the WebUSB API, is limited to Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, etc.) and may have additional OS-level driver requirements on some Linux distributions.
Yes, completely free. There are no ads, no premium tiers, no "upgrade to pro" prompts, no subscriptions, and no hidden costs. All nine tests, the full report export, and every feature are available to every user at no charge. AUREVO is developed as a utility tool, not as a commercial product.
AUREVO requires a browser that supports the File System Access API. Currently, this means Chrome and Edge (version 61 or newer) for full functionality. Chromium-based browsers like Brave and Opera also work. Firefox and Safari do not support this API, so most features will not work in those browsers. The WebUSB feature (used by USB Health) is additionally limited to browsers that implement the WebUSB standard, which is currently only Chromium-based browsers on desktop operating systems.
No. AUREVO is a diagnostic tool only — it tests and reports your drive's health and performance, but it cannot repair bad sectors, fix hardware failures, or recover lost data. If AUREVO detects problems, the recommended next steps are: immediately back up any important files on the drive (use a different drive as the backup destination), check if the drive is still under warranty for a replacement, and for data recovery from a failing drive, contact a professional data recovery service — do not attempt to use "repair" software on a failing drive, as this can make data loss worse.
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for technical terms used in this guide and in AUREVO.
A type of storage drive that uses flash memory chips to store data. Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them much faster, quieter, more durable, and less prone to physical damage. They are the standard storage in modern laptops and are increasingly common in desktop computers. The main downside is that each flash memory cell can only be written to a finite number of times before it wears out, though modern SSDs typically last many years under normal use.
The traditional type of storage drive. It stores data on spinning magnetic platters that are read by a moving mechanical arm. HDDs are slower than SSDs, more fragile (because of the moving parts), and produce noise and heat. However, they are significantly cheaper per gigabyte and are available in much larger capacities. They are still commonly used for bulk storage like archives, backups, and media libraries.
A measure of data transfer speed. One megabyte (MB) is roughly one million bytes of data. MB/s tells you how many megabytes can be moved in one second. For context: a typical song file is about 5 MB, a photo is 3–10 MB, and a movie is 1,000–4,000 MB (1–4 GB). An SSD might read at 3,000 MB/s, meaning it could copy a 1 GB file in about one-third of a second. An HDD might read at 120 MB/s, meaning the same file would take about 8 seconds.
A measure of how many individual read or write requests a drive can handle each second. While MB/s measures raw throughput (how much data moves), IOPS measures how many operations happen — regardless of how much data each operation moves. This distinction matters for small files: copying 10,000 tiny 1 KB files involves 10,000 operations but only about 10 MB of data. SSDs excel at IOPS (often 50,000–100,000+), while HDDs struggle (typically 100–200 IOPS for random operations).
The time delay between when you ask the drive to do something (like read a file) and when it actually starts responding. Low latency means the drive responds quickly; high latency means there is a noticeable pause before data starts flowing. SSDs typically have latency under 1 millisecond (thousandth of a second), while HDDs have latency of 5–15 milliseconds because the mechanical arm needs to physically move to the right position on the spinning platter. High or inconsistent latency causes the feeling of a "slow" computer, even if raw transfer speeds are fine.
A small area on a drive that can no longer reliably store or retrieve data. On an HDD, bad sectors can be caused by physical damage (a scratch on the magnetic platter), manufacturing defects, or wear over time. On an SSD, they occur when a flash memory cell degrades past the point of usefulness. Drives typically have spare sectors that are automatically swapped in when a bad sector is detected, but once the spare pool is exhausted, bad sectors will start affecting your actual files. Finding even a few bad sectors on a modern drive is a warning sign that the drive may be approaching end of life.
A safety mechanism where a drive intentionally slows itself down to prevent damage from overheating. When a drive runs at full speed for an extended period, it generates heat. If the temperature exceeds a safe threshold, the drive's controller reduces performance to bring the temperature down. This is especially common in external SSDs and USB drives that lack cooling fans or heatsinks. You will notice thermal throttling as a sudden and significant drop in speed during long transfers or sustained load tests. The Heavy Load Test in AUREVO is specifically designed to detect this behavior.
A phenomenon specific to SSDs where the drive internally writes more data than you actually asked it to save. For example, if you save a 1 GB file, the SSD might actually write 1.5 GB or 2 GB of data internally. This happens because flash memory cannot overwrite data in place — to update a small piece of data, the drive must read the entire block containing it, erase the whole block, then write the block back with the updated data included. A write amplification factor of 1.0x means no overhead (ideal but unrealistic). A factor of 2.0x means the drive writes twice as much data as you save. Higher factors mean the drive's flash memory wears out faster, reducing its lifespan.
The type of flash memory used in SSDs and USB drives. NAND stores data in cells that hold electrical charges. There are several types: SLC (one bit per cell — fastest and most durable), MLC (two bits per cell), TLC (three bits per cell — most common in consumer SSDs), and QLC (four bits per cell — highest capacity but slowest and least durable). More bits per cell means cheaper storage but shorter lifespan and slower write speeds. AUREVO's Deep Dive test estimates NAND wear health to give you a sense of how much life remains in your SSD's flash memory.
A built-in monitoring system in modern drives that tracks various health indicators — temperature, number of hours powered on, total bytes written, number of bad sectors detected, and dozens of other metrics. SMART data is the most accurate way to assess drive health, but it requires direct hardware access that web browsers do not provide. This is why AUREVO uses indirect heuristics instead: it observes the drive's external behavior (speeds, latency patterns) to estimate what SMART would report. For the most accurate health data, use your drive manufacturer's official diagnostic tool.
A way to measure how consistent a drive's response times are. An average can hide outliers — if 99.99% of operations take 0.5 ms but 0.01% take 500 ms, the average might look fine even though those rare slow operations cause visible stuttering. Percentiles break this down: P50 (the median) means "50% of operations were at or below this time." P99 means "99% were at or below this time." P99.99 means "99.99% were at or below this time — only 1 in 10,000 was slower." A drive with good P99.99 latency is consistent and will feel smooth. A drive with bad P99.99 but good P50 will sometimes freeze or stutter unexpectedly.
The amount of data read or written in a single operation. Small block sizes (like 4 KB) simulate working with many tiny files and test how many operations the drive can handle per second (IOPS). Large block sizes (like 1 MB or more) simulate working with big files and test raw throughput (MB/s). A drive might be excellent at large sequential transfers but struggle with small random operations, or vice versa. The Speed Test in AUREVO lets you choose the block size to test both scenarios.
The method an operating system uses to organize, store, and retrieve files on a drive. Common file systems include NTFS (Windows), APFS (macOS), ext4 (Linux), FAT32 and exFAT (cross-platform, commonly used on USB drives). Different file systems have different performance characteristics. For example, NTFS handles large files well but can be slow with thousands of tiny files, while APFS is optimized for SSDs and handles both large and small files efficiently. The File Management Test in AUREVO can reveal how your file system performs with different types of operations.
A widely used format for structuring data as plain text. JSON files use a simple key-value structure that is easy for both humans and computers to read. When you export a test report from AUREVO as JSON, you get a file with all your test results organized in a structured format. This is useful if you want to import the data into a spreadsheet, write a script to analyze it, or share it with someone who wants to examine the raw numbers.