I fairly regularly come across PCs or laptops where the performance is sub par and there is a suspicion that disk performance is perhaps part of the problem. Most users are unaware that the PC may be able monitor and report on issues with the disk (or disks) in their system. They are also not aware that applications can monitor the disk performance and alert them to do something about it. Acronis for example have a free monitor application which you can get here.
This is what Acronis have to say about their tool
Acronis® Drive Monitor™ is a free, downloadable software application developed by Acronis to monitor server, workstation and PC hard disk drives.
Everyone Needs Acronis Drive Monitor
There are three unavoidable certainties in life: Death, Taxes and Hard Disk Drive Failures.
Acronis does not have a solution for the first, we leave that to a higher authority; however, we can make sure that your financial records, photos, videos and other items of sentimental or monetary value are protected so that you can cherish the memories and pay your taxes on time!
Computers have become a necessary part of our daily lives and we have become dependent on instant access to the data stored on the hard drives inside our PCs. Just about everyone has either experienced a disk failure or knows someone that did. It’s unavoidable as all disks eventually fail. This is why Acronis developed Acronis Drive Monitor as a free tool for the community at large.
Early warning to save your data
Acronis Drive Monitor can help predict when a hard drive is about to fail, giving you the chance to backup your data before disaster strikes. When Acronis Drive Monitor identifies a problem, it generates an email or onscreen alert describing the specific finding. It offers a simple and easy to understand explanation of the alert guiding you to the steps you need to take to remedy the issue. A color coded summary provides an overview of the disk’s health at a glance and weekly reports summarize the findings.