How do I test a new NAS drive before using it?

New drives have a real early-failure rate ("infant mortality"), so a burn-in before you commit data is worth the time — it is far better to find a bad drive on day one than during a rebuild months later.

On a Synology or QNAP

1. Install the drive and run an Extended SMART test (full surface read) from Storage Manager / Storage & Snapshots.
2. Run the NAS's bad-sector / drive check (Synology's drive check, QNAP's surface scan) to write-test the whole drive.
3. Afterwards, inspect SMART: Reallocated and Current Pending Sector counts should be zero, and the extended test should pass.

Standalone burn-in

On a PC you can use badblocks (Linux) for a multi-pass write/read test, or the manufacturer's diagnostic tool (SeaTools, WD Dashboard). A full write-then-verify pass across the whole drive is the gold standard — it exercises every sector and surfaces weak ones.

What good looks like

• Extended SMART test: passed.
• Reallocated / Current Pending Sectors: zero, and staying zero.
• No read/write errors logged during the scan.

A drive that clears a full burn-in is very likely to give you years of service. If it throws sectors or errors on day one, return it. The table lists CMR NAS drives.