A head crash is one of the most catastrophic failures that can happen to a hard drive. It occurs when the read/write head of the hard drive’s actuator arm physically touches the spinning platters. This contact can damage the platters and render data unrecoverable. However, there are some steps you can try to fix a head crash and recover your data.
What causes a head crash?
There are several potential causes of a head crash:
- Physical shock – Dropping a hard drive or jarring it can knock the heads off track and into the platters.
- Contaminants – Dust, smoke particles, or other contaminants inside the drive can force the head into the platter.
- Wear and tear – Eventually the cushion of air that floats the heads above the platters can degrade, allowing the heads to make contact.
- Manufacturing defects – Imperfections in a drive’s components can cause a head crash.
- Overheating – Excessive heat can expand drive components and lead to head contact.
- Power surges – Spikes or drops in power can impact the positioning system and drive heads into the platter.
Signs of a head crash
Here are some common symptoms that indicate a hard drive head crash has occurred:
- Grinding, clicking or screeching noises from the drive
- Drive not detected by computer
- IOS error messages
- Blue screen crashes (on Windows)
- Data corruption or inaccessibility
- Overheating hard drive
- Strange smells from the drive
If you suspect a head crash has happened, power the drive down immediately. Continuing to operate it risks further damage to the platters and heads.
Can you fix a hard drive head crash?
Head crashes were once considered the death knell for a hard drive, but advances in data recovery techniques have made it possible to repair some head crashes and recover data. Here are some steps you can take:
- Don’t power up the drive – Immediately power down the drive and do not attempt to operate it. This avoids further head contact with platters.
- Open it in a cleanroom – Hard drive repairs need an extremely dust-free environment to avoid contamination. Take it to a professional data recovery cleanroom.
- Replace the heads – The crashed heads will need to be replaced. A technician can swap in new heads and realign them.
- Replace control board – The control board may also need replacement if it was damaged.
- Repair platters – A specialized tool called a platter burnishing machine can repair light surface damage on platters.
- Extract data – With drive repaired, the technician can then try to access data again and make copies if successful.
Head replacement, platter repair and extraction of data should only be attempted by an experienced data recovery specialist in a cleanroom environment. This gives the best chance for recovering data after a crash.
DIY hard drive head crash fixes (risky)
There are a few risky DIY things people attempt to fix a crashed drive and recover data themselves:
- Opening the drive outside a cleanroom
- Manually removing stuck heads from platters
- Using makeshift tools to realign heads
- Amateur platter repairs like filling or taping scratches
Doing this without proper tools and environment is very likely to destroy your data for good. But if you wish to attempt it, here are some DIY head crash fixes:
Open drive and assess damage
Use Torx screwdrivers to carefully open the hard drive casing and expose the internal components. Carefully remove stuck heads from platters using picks and tweezers. Visually inspect heads and platters for damage. Look for deep gouges on platters.
Clean platters
Use purified alcohol and lint-free swabs to gently clean the platter surfaces. This can remove contaminants that interfered with head floating. Allow platters to fully dry before reassembling.
Replace heads
Obtain replacement read/write heads that are compatible with your drive model. Very carefully detach the original broken heads from the actuator arm using small Philips screwdrivers. Then attach the new heads in their place.
Check alignment
Power on the drive temporarily to check that the replaced heads align correctly with the platters. If misaligned, power down and manually adjust the heads into proper position using a tiny screwdriver through the outside of the casing.
Repair platters
For light scratches, carefully polish the platter surface with jeweler’s rouge cloth in a circular motion. This can flatten down small burrs and fill scratches. Avoid putting deep gouges into the platter material.
These DIY methods may allow you to get a crashed drive spinning again, but risks irreparable data loss if not done properly. Consider professional recovery for best results.
Can a professional service fix a head crash?
Professional data recovery firms have much higher chances of repairing a crashed hard drive and salvaging data. They have expertise and capabilities the average person lacks:
- ISO Class 5 certified cleanrooms to safely open drives.
- Specialized platter burnishing machines to repair scratched platters.
- Tools to dismantle drives and replace heads and PCB boards.
- Donor drives to swap working components.
- High power microscopes to realign heads.
- Expertise recovering data from failing drives.
Their controlled environment gives them the best shot at recovering data after catastrophic failures like head crashes. While expensive, pro recovery can retrieve irreplaceable data.
| Recovery Firm | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Data Recovery Guru | $400 – $1800 |
| PlatterScratch | $300 – $1600 |
| SalvageData | $500 – $2400 |
Costs vary based on drive size, damage extent and recovered data size. But for critical data, the cost is often justifiable.
Chances of recovering data from a crashed drive
The chances of data recovery depend on the damage severity:
- Partial head crash – One head damaged but others intact. Good chance of data recovery.
- Complete head crash – All heads damaged. Data likely recoverable by head replacement.
- Bad scratches – Light scratches have good recovery odds. Deep gashes lower the chances.
- Platter damage – Dents, warping or debris harm recovery prospects.
- Failed electronics – Burnt PCB has poorer outlook vs intact controller.
A specialist can give better recovery odds after inspecting the drive. But even with bad crashes, skilled pros can recover data 30-60% of the time.
Can you recover data after fixing a head crash?
If the head replacement and platter repair process is successful, the technician can then attempt to recover the data:
- With repaired components, the drive spins up and heads read platters again.
- Data that was inaccessible before can now be accessed again.
- Sectors that were corrupted may be repaired using redundancy.
- The technician copies any retrieved data onto another medium.
- Alternative data reading techniques like disk imaging may be used.
Skill and luck play a role in recovering data after fixing physical damage. The more severe the crash, the lower the chances of intact data. But advanced techniques can rescue data against the odds.
Can you recover data after attempting DIY fixes?
If you tried unprofessional head crash repairs, data recovery gets much harder:
- Further head or platter damage can occur.
- Dust introduced into the drive hampers data reading.
- Erratic head realignment prevents access.
- Cross-threaded screws can crack the platters.
- Adhesive residue can stick heads to platters.
This is why DIY repairs must be done carefully and only with proper tools and environment. If you worsen the damage, the professionals will have lower odds of salvaging data later.
Preventing hard drive head crashes
You can reduce the chance of a head crash by:
- Using SSDs which have no physical heads.
- Handling drives gently to avoid shocks.
- Keeping drives away from contaminants and moisture.
- Ensuring proper airflow to prevent overheating.
- Using surge protectors to smooth power.
- Refreshing drives before wear degrades heads.
Backing up your data regularly is also crucial, so you have copies if a head crash occurs.
Can you recover data after fixing a head crash?
Here is a summary of the key points:
- Head crashes were once fatal, but advances in data recovery now allow repair and data salvage in many cases.
- DIY amateur repairs are very risky and can worsen damage.
- Professional recovery firms have the best chance of fixing crashes and retrieving data.
- Getting drives quickly to a specialist’s cleanroom is key after a crash.
- The extent of damage to heads, platters and electronics impacts recoverability.
- Even with successful repairs, data may still be unrecoverable if too corrupted.
- Skill and specialized tools are needed to successfully implement head and platter repairs.
- Regular backups are still essential protection against drive failures.
While daunting, data recovery after head crashes is possible in many situations. But specialized expertise, environment and equipment are required for the best results. With the right approach, irreparably lost data does not have to be the inevitable outcome of a catastrophic head crash.