System › Troubleshooting and Diagnostics › Disk Diagnostic
Disk Diagnostic: Configure custom alert text
Supported on Windows Server 2008 with Desktop Experience installed or Windows Vista
What it does
This policy setting substitutes custom alert text in the disk diagnostic message shown to users when a disk reports a S.M.A.R.T. fault. If you enable this policy setting, Windows displays custom alert text in the disk diagnostic message. The custom text may not exceed 512 characters. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Windows displays the default alert text in the disk diagnostic message. No reboots or service restarts are required for this policy setting to take effect: changes take effect immediately. This policy setting only takes effect if the Disk Diagnostic scenario policy setting is enabled or not configured and the Diagnostic Policy Service (DPS) is in the running state. When the service is stopped or disabled, diagnostic scenarios are not executed. The DPS can be configured with the Services snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console. Note: For Windows Server systems, this policy setting applies only if the Desktop Experience optional component is installed and the Remote Desktop Services role is not installed.
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- Registry key
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}
In Intune
Native Intune setting: Yes — Policy CSP
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_DiskDiagnostic/DfdAlertPolicyADMX_DiskDiagnostic on Microsoft LearnADMX-backed: Windows ships this template, so it is set with the template's own values, without an import.Windows builds listed: 10.0.22000, 10.0.19043.1202, 10.0.19042.1202, 10.0.19041.1202.
From Microsoft's Policy CSP DDF files (DDF v2 Files, February 2026), read 18 Oct 2026.
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom alert textRequiredDefault: Enter custom alert text here | Text | DfdAlertTextOverride |
Up to 512 characters |
Configure and deploy
Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.
Enabled · Computer · template defaults
Registry file (.reg)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}]
"DfdAlertTextOverride"="Enter custom alert text here"
PowerShell
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Disk Diagnostic: Configure custom alert text
# Name: DfdAlertPolicy
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: DiskDiagnostic.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}' -Name 'DfdAlertTextOverride' -PropertyType 'String' -Value 'Enter custom alert text here'
These deployment candidates come from the ADMX template; they are separate from the native CSP mapping above.
- The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
- Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_DiskDiagnostic/DfdAlertPolicyADMX SyncML candidate
<SyncML xmlns="SYNCML:SYNCML1.2">
<SyncBody>
<Replace>
<CmdID>1</CmdID>
<Item>
<Meta>
<Format>chr</Format>
<Type>text/plain</Type>
</Meta>
<Target>
<LocURI>./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_DiskDiagnostic/DfdAlertPolicy</LocURI>
</Target>
<Data><enabled/>
<data id="DfdAlertPolicyTitle" value="Enter custom alert text here"/></Data>
</Item>
</Replace>
<Final/>
</SyncBody>
</SyncML>Intune remediation scripts
Detection
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
function Test-RegistryValueExists {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}
function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
$valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
return $false
}
$actual = $valueObject.$Name
switch ($Kind) {
'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
'MultiString' {
$actualArray = @($actual)
$expectedArray = @($Expected)
if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
'Binary' {
$actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
$expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
}
}
# Policy: Disk Diagnostic: Configure custom alert text
# Name: DfdAlertPolicy
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: DiskDiagnostic.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}' -Name 'DfdAlertTextOverride' -Kind 'String' -Expected 'Enter custom alert text here'
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}\DfdAlertTextOverride') | Out-Null
}
if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1
Remediation
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Disk Diagnostic: Configure custom alert text
# Name: DfdAlertPolicy
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: DiskDiagnostic.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}' -Name 'DfdAlertTextOverride' -PropertyType 'String' -Value 'Enter custom alert text here'
History 3 retained releases
- 22H2 · 1.015 Jul 2024
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
2 later releases left it unchanged.
Template
- Internal name
DfdAlertPolicy- Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics- Template file
DiskDiagnostic.admx- Release
- Windows 11 23H2 · 1.0 · file set
d784d0ea5f14a680…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Machine" displayName="$(string.DfdAlertPolicy)" explainText="$(string.DfdAlertPolicyExplain)" key="SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\{29689E29-2CE9-4751-B4FC-8EFF5066E3FD}" name="DfdAlertPolicy" presentation="$(presentation.DfdAlertPolicy)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:WdiScenarioCategory" />
<supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista" />
<elements>
<text id="DfdAlertPolicyTitle" maxLength="512" required="true" valueName="DfdAlertTextOverride" />
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="DfdAlertPolicy" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<textBox refId="DfdAlertPolicyTitle">
<label>Custom alert text</label>
<defaultValue>Enter custom alert text here</defaultValue>
</textBox>
</presentation>Supported platforms and category
Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:category:WdiScenarioCategory
<category displayName="$(string.WdiScenarioCategory)" name="WdiScenarioCategory" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:Troubleshooting" />
</category>
Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:definition:SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista)" name="SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:System
<category displayName="$(string.System)" explainText="$(string.System_Help)" name="System" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:Troubleshooting
<category displayName="$(string.Troubleshooting)" name="Troubleshooting" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:System" />
</category>
Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:category:WdiScenarioCategory
<category displayName="$(string.WdiScenarioCategory)" name="WdiScenarioCategory" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:Troubleshooting" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:WdiScenarioCategory">Disk Diagnostic</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:definition:SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista)" name="SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.DiskDiagnostics:SUPPORTED_WindowsLonghornServerDesktopExperienceOrVista">
Windows Server 2008 with Desktop Experience installed or Windows Vista
</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:System
<category displayName="$(string.System)" explainText="$(string.System_Help)" name="System" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:System">System</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:System_Help">Allows configuration of various system component settings.</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:Troubleshooting
<category displayName="$(string.Troubleshooting)" name="Troubleshooting" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:System" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:Troubleshooting">Troubleshooting and Diagnostics</string></strings>