Grading a drive means reading its SMART data. Wiping it takes hours. Running those as two separate passes means handling every drive twice: once to boot a checker, once to erase.
The ITAD Tools host agent removes the second pass. It runs on the machine that is already doing the wipe and reads every attached drive while the erasure runs.
It works beside the eraser you already own
The agent does not replace your erasure software and does not care which one you use. It reads the drives; your eraser erases them. Where a wipe tool reports drive health inside its own erasure report, the agent keeps one continuous record per drive serial across every pass that drive makes through your shop, whichever tool produced it.
What it reports
- Power-on hours and power cycle count.
- Reallocated, pending and uncorrectable sector counts — the values that show real media defects.
- Wear level and total bytes written for solid state drives.
- Temperature, plus drive model, serial, firmware and capacity.
The agent never writes to a drive, repairs it, resets it, or clears any counter.
What you need before you start
- Administrator or root. Reading raw disks needs elevation.
- Expect a warning on Windows. The build is unsigned, so Windows shows an unknown-publisher prompt. Check the published checksum before you run it.
- Nothing else to install. Both the Windows and Linux builds carry their own copy of smartctl.
- A free account. The agent submits results using your organisation key, so you need an account to download it and to get a key.
Four ways to run it
- scan — one pass: enumerate the drives, submit, exit.
- watch — stay running and resubmit as values change. This is the one to use during a wipe.
- console — double-click the binary to open a local browser view of what it can see.
- install-service — run unattended on a bench machine.
Run it on your next wipe
The agent is free to use. Create an account to download the Windows or Linux build and get the organisation key it submits with.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to reboot the machine?
No. The agent runs on the operating system that is already running, so the drives stay exactly where they are and the wipe keeps going.
Does it interfere with the wipe?
No. The agent only reads SMART data. It never writes to a drive, repairs it, resets it, or clears any counter, so it has nothing to conflict with.
Do I need to install anything else?
No. Both the Windows and Linux builds carry their own copy of smartctl, so there is nothing to install alongside the agent.
Is it free?
The agent is free to use. Downloading it requires a free account, because it submits results using your organisation key.
Can I leave it running on a bench machine?
Yes. Install it as a service and it will keep reporting without anyone signing in to start it.
My erasure software already reports drive health. Why add this?
Those readings live inside one tool's erasure report. The agent keeps a single continuous record per drive serial across every pass that drive makes through your shop, whichever tool erased it.