Warning Signs Of A Hard Drive Failure

Technology can leave many people dazed and confused at times because of the numerous technical aspects of this industry. Computers, for instance, are the highlight but there are many other components that are just as important as the end product. We have different uses for computers. It is helpful in doing administrative and clerical tasks in any institution or workplace, even at school. You can surf the web with it and discover all the wonderful things that the Internet has to offer – from social media to the many good things you can use if you are an entrepreneur who wants to take your business to the next level.

Data is a big thing. From photos to videos to important life-changing documents stashed somewhere on your PC’s hard drive, you want 24/7 access to them for when the need arises. And most of the time, your computer cooperates and makes life easy for you. Unfortunately, there is that slim chance when your hard drive will fail you and you can no longer access these precious data you can’t live without. When that happens, data recovery may be your best bet although it’s not a 100% assurance that you can really get your data back. Hence, be wary and observant all the time because there are telltale signs that your computer may be going on a hibernate mode sooner rather than later.

WARNINGS

With almost every component in your PC, you’ll see warning signs of a part going bad and in need of replacement. The hard drive is not an exception. Here are some signs to look out for:

Disappearing files: Files can be lost do to mechanical problems with the disk itself, and in some cases, you’ll be able to tell as the disk usually makes some out-of-the-ordinary noises when things are going haywire.

Computer freezing: A computer freezing is a common occurrence, and it’s almost always solved by a quick reboot. However, if you find that that it’s becoming more and more frequent, your hard drive could be on its last leg.

Corrupted data: If you’ve downloaded and installed files without a hitch, but suddenly out of nowhere, files have become corrupt, it’s possible that your hard drive is experiencing a gradual failure.

Bad sectors: A sector on a hard drive stores a certain amount of data accessible by the user. There are two types of sectors, a hard and soft sector. In most cases, Windows is able to repair a soft bad sector, as it’s almost always related to a software mishap. Formatting the drive will almost always fix this. But, if it’s a hard bad sector, this indicates physical damage, which can not be repaired.

(Via: https://www.pcmech.com/article/hard-drive-failure-warnings-and-solutions/)

Your hard drive may have bad, corrupted, or damaged sectors preventing you from gaining access to files/data stored within. You may be able to remedy such a situation but a mechanical hard drive failure is almost always a lost cause. Fortunately, the warning signs mentioned above can give you an idea of the state of your hard drive’s health and whether there is a reason for you to worry at all.

Running Chkdsk on an Unbootable Hard Drive

If you are unable to reach the Windows 10 desktop, you can try booting into the Windows 10 recovery environment, launch the command prompt, then schedule chkdsk there.

Turn your computer on and off three times while booting. Make sure you shut down the computer when you see the Windows logo. After the third time, Windows 10 will boot into diagnostics mode. Click Advanced options when the recovery screen appears. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced options then click Command Prompt. Proceed to enter the chkdskcommands: chkdsk /r /f then hit <Enter>.

What if you are not able to boot into Windows 10 at all? Some manufacturers include drive checking tools built into the computer’s BIOS. On my HP desktop, I was able to initiate the hard drive self-testing utility called Drive Protection System (DPS) Self Test.  

(Via: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/check-hard-drive-fix-failures-windows-10/)

If you are a Windows user and you have upgraded to the latest Windows 10 OS, those tips were just some quick ways to find out how well your hard drive is doing. You can see its overall status to give you an idea whether it will fail you anytime soon. So to spare yourself from the hassles of data recovery, better to back up your data now while you still can access it rather than panic when the day comes that it’s no longer accessible on your drive.

A disk read error is a common complaint and you likely have experienced it at some point in your life. It can leave you frustrated but don’t lose hope because you’ll learn how to address this issue here: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/errors/disk_read_error.html. When worst comes to worst and your hard drive needs professional help, don’t hesitate to give us a call http://www.harddriverecovery.org/repair-hard-drive.html for expert technical support at a reasonable price that gets the job done right every single time.

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