Running a hardware check on Windows 11 can be a bit of a quirky affair, but it’s pretty handy to see if your device is actually ticking along nicely or just putting on a brave face. To do this, you’ll want to open up the ‘Windows Security’ app — just type that into the start menu. Sometimes it goes by Windows Security or Windows Defender Security Center. Once it’s up, head over to Device performance & health. If you don’t see it straight away, it might be hidden under another section, but usually it’s pretty straightforward.
Click on Additional info— it’s like digging a bit deeper into your system’s insides. From there, it’ll generate a detailed report on your hardware’s health, covering storage, battery, and overall performance. If you’re noticing things like laggy performance, quick battery drain, or weird noises at startup, this report can tell you whether there’s a hardware issue or if it’s just outdated drivers.
A quick heads-up: on some machines, this process can feel like it takes forever or doesn’t show much at all on the first go. Of course, Windows loves to make things a bit tricky, so sometimes a quick reboot or restarting Windows Security helps. For more in-depth hardware tests — like stress testing or diagnostics beyond what Windows provides — you might need third-party tools, but for quick checks, this built-in option usually does the trick.
To get to where you need to go: Start menu > type ‘Windows Security’ > open it > click “Device performance & health” > click “Additional info.”
If that doesn’t do the trick and you’ve got specific hardware dramas — like a battery that won’t charge or an SSD acting funny — here’s another tip: try running Command Prompt or PowerShell as an admin and use commands like sfc /scannow or chkdsk. Sometimes Windows’ own diagnostics miss deeper hardware faults, but these commands can pick up issues like file corruption or bad sectors on the disk.
Just a quick note: using the built-in hardware health check is handy because it’s all integrated, simple to run, and doesn’t need any extra downloads. When you get a warning about a problem, it’s usually a heads-up that something’s not right. Fixing things — like updating drivers or clearing out junk — can really help performance and battery life.
And a final tip — don’t just run diagnostics when stuff’s already playing up. It’s a good idea to check your system regularly, especially after major Windows updates, so you can catch any early signs of hardware trouble before it turns into a big headache. Yeah, Windows can be a bit clunky with these tests sometimes, but it’s better than being caught off guard by a sudden crash or hardware failure.
Summary
- Open Windows Security and find Device performance & health.
- Click “Additional info” for the report.
- Have a gander at the results — fix what’s flagged.
- Use commands like
sfc /scannoworchkdskif you suspect storage issues. - Stay on top of things — check your system now and then, especially after updates or if problems crop up.
Hopefully, this helps save you a few headaches. Sometimes, just knowing where to look makes all the difference — no need to go down the rabbit hole or fork out for fancy tools. Keep an eye on your rig, and it’ll thank you for it.