Hard Drive Failure
Today hard drive failure (also referred to as hard drive crash or hard disk crash) is a number one cause of data loss and biggest computer problem one can face. It occurs when you cannot access the information on your hard drive because it is not functioning properly any longer for some reason, while your computer is correctly configured. There are 2 types of hard drive failure: logical and physical.
Logical Hard Drive Failure
In case of logical failure, you cannot access your data because data structure on the disk is damaged. It han happen as a result of an accidental deletion of important system files, partitions/volumes, accidental hard drive formatting or deletion of hard drive, application conflicts, operating system corruption or virus attack) But the mechanically the hard drive is intact and working properly. Often, the drive still gets recognized by the BIOS, but would not boot. In this case, quality hard drive recovery software can resolve the problem.
Download Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery to safely recover your data. Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery is the result of several years of research, it is harmless to use on a crashed drive! Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery is a read-only application, which means that it will only read the contents of a corrupted/damaged drive and will not attempt to overwrite the drive. This software helped thousands of users successfully regain the lost data.
Download Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery Now!Physical Hard Drive Failure
If you’ve had a mechanical or electrical hard drive failure, recovery software won’t help. Only data / file recovery experts can retrieve back the information and even repair the hard drive. However, for all cases of data loss there are certain actions you should avoid to maximize chances of data file recovery.
Physical hard drive failure is unavoidable, sooner or later. As a rule, hard drives either crash at the beginning of their life or may last for years. However, mechanical hard drive failure is something you can expect at any moment, especially if the warranty period is over.
Also, there are typical warning signs that inform you with a high degree of probability about the upcoming hard drive failure. They require immediate reaction.
Hard Drive Failure Signs
- Your computer “freezes” too often (the picture on the screen is still and does not react to mouse or keyboard manipulations)
- Regular booting problems. That may be a sign of bad sectors on the disk with corrupted booting data.
- You computer is terribly slow while accessing, saving and opening files.
- The usual sound produced by your hard drive is louder than before
- Regular appearance of BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), “Operating system not found or Missing Operating System” or “your hard drive is not formatted” messages at startup.
Even if you haven’t backed up your files yet, these signs give you a chance and some time to copy the data before the drive crashes.
Far more ominous signs are:
- Your computer is still running normally, but you can hear unusual metallic sounds (grinding, clicking, whirring, scratching, buzzing). That’s a very bad sign that may imply mechanical damage.
- You cannot hear any hard drive sounds at all. When the information is written to or read from the disk, it spins and produces sounds, you must be accustomed to these normal sounds. As an example, hard drive becomes silent when it’s inside components expand and get stuck because of overheating.
- Your hard drive is clicking or producing grinding metallic sounds, your computer won’t recognize the hard disk. This is a sign that hard drive failure have happened.
The only way to get prepared to hard drive crash is to regularly back up all critical information.
If the above occurs, shut down immediately and contact a disk recovery service! If you keep your computer running the platters may be damaged and your files will be unrecoverable. Also, if your hard drive has undergone mechanical damage or was exposed to water, fire, smoke or high temperatures, don’t try to power it up. Contact a disk recovery service.
What can I do with my hard drive if it’s no longer usable?
Cheer up! If you can’t store data on your hard drive any longer, it doesn’t really mean the end of your hard drive. It still can be used in many peculiar ways. You can play music on it, like Imperial March in the example below. (ATTENTION: Don’t try to do this with a hard drive where important data is stored, which your are plannig to use in future, repeiar or recover data from! The actions shown in the video make the hard drive unusable as data storage device!)
Harmless to use even on a CRASHED drive!
