What do you do if your hard disk fails to work?

Table of Contents

Quick Answers

If your hard disk fails or stops working, here are some quick things you can try:

Restart your computer and see if the hard drive boots up normally.
Check if the hard drive cables are properly connected.

Try connecting the hard drive to another computer to see if it works.
Run disk repair utilities like CHKDSK or a manufacturer’s diagnostic tool.
Back up any important data on the drive if you can access it.

Consider replacing the hard drive if it is damaged and not working.

What are the common signs of a failed hard disk?

There are several signs that may indicate your hard disk drive (HDD) has failed or is failing:

Your computer fails to boot up and you get an error message like “No boot device found.” This means the BIOS cannot detect the hard drive on startup.

You hear strange clicking or beeping noises coming from the hard drive.
Files and data cannot be accessed or seem to be corrupted.
Your operating system crashes frequently with a blue screen of death.

The hard drive takes much longer than usual to read data.
You get frequent hard drive read/write errors and failure messages.
The hard drive capacity seems to have shrunk and lost data.

Diagnostic tools like CHKDSK find bad sectors on the hard drive.
Overheating and electrical issues like electrical shorts and power surges.

If you notice any of these signs, it likely indicates physical damage or component failure in the hard drive. At that point, it’s best to back up your data and prepare for drive replacement.

Why do hard disks fail?

There are several reasons why hard disk drives can fail, including:

Mechanical failure: As an electro-mechanical device with moving parts, hard drives can fail when components like the actuator arm, motor, or bearings wear out.
Logical/software corruption: Errors in the file system, partitions, or other software can render data inaccessible even if the drive is physically functional.

Bad sectors: Permanent defects on the magnetic platters can corrupt data written in those areas.
Head crashes: If the read/write head touches the platters, it can scratch the surface and damage data.
Motor issues: Spindle motor failure can stop the platters from spinning properly.

Circuit board issues: Problems with PCB like the controller, processor or firmware bugs can halt drive operations.
Overheating: Excessive heat buildup can expand drive components leading to seizures.
Power surges: Sudden electrical spikes can fry the circuits and electronic components.

Water damage/contamination: Water and particulate ingress can short circuit components.
Firmware viruses/errors: Malware or wrongly flashed firmware can crash the drive.
Age and wear: Older drives are prone to gradual component degradation over time with use.

Proper care, maintenance, and monitoring drive health metrics can prevent many hard disk failures.

How to diagnose a hard disk problem

Here are some steps to diagnose hard disk problems in case of failure:

Run CHKDSK: Use the built-in CHKDSK utility in Windows or fsck in Linux to check for file system errors, bad sectors, and logical corruption issues with the drive.

Monitor SMART status: Use SMART monitoring tools to check attributes like reallocated sectors, spin retry counts, temperature, etc. for signs of failure.
Check cable connections: Loose cables are a common cause of intermittent detection issues. Reseat SATA and power cables properly.
Update drivers: Outdated disk drivers can sometimes cause crashes. Update SATA drivers from your manufacturer.

Examine noise: Unusual noises like clicking, grinding or squealing point to mechanical problems.
Monitor temperatures: Overheating and resulting thermal expansion can seize drive motors.
Test with diagnostics: Run the manufacturer’s disk diagnostics suite. These tools will do a comprehensive drive check.

Attempt data recovery: If drive contents are crucial, use data recovery software to attempt retrieving data before replacement.
Check on another PC: Connect the drive to another computer to isolate the issue to the drive itself.

Based on the symptoms and diagnostic results, you’ll know whether the drive needs to be repaired, reformatted or replaced.

How to troubleshoot common hard disk problems

Here is a guide on troubleshooting some frequent hard disk problems and potential solutions:

Hard disk not detected in BIOS

Try connecting the drive to another SATA port/cable on motherboard.
Reseat SATA and power cable connections properly.

Verify if the disk is spinning. If not, it could be seized motor or PCB failure.
Check SATA controller settings in BIOS like AHCI mode.
Attempt recovery with disk utilities like TestDisk to rebuild partition table.

Try disk on another computer to isolate fault.

Hard drive has clicking, beeping or grinding noise

Immediately power off system and stop using drive if unusual noises occur.
Indicates imminent mechanical failure – don’t attempt recovery.

Consult data recovery service if data is important before discarding drive.

Files are corrupted and data can’t be accessed

Scan drive for errors using CHKDSK and attempt repair.
Check SMART stats for reallocated, pending or uncorrectable sectors.

Restore data from backups if available.
Use data recovery software if needed to salvage data before reformatting.
Repair or replace the HDD if it has bad sectors.

Hard disk is very slow to respond

Run CHKDSK and optimize the drive if there are file system errors.
Make sure drive has sufficient free space and is not almost full.
Check processes like antivirus scans that may be accessing disk heavily in background.

Defragment the drive using the native defrag tool for faster access.
Monitor disk queue length and utilization with Resource Monitor.
Inspect S.M.A.R.T stats for high latency, ECC errors indicating problems.

Hard drive won’t boot and has blue screen errors

Unstable hard disks can cause blue screens like UNEXPECTED_STORE_EXCEPTION.
Check for new firmware for drive and update if available.
Scan disk for errors and bad sectors.

Disconnect external devices and boot from essential hardware only as a test.
Repair or replace aging hard drives showing signs of failure.

Troubleshooting hard disk problems requires patience and trying multiple potential solutions. But the effort can help recover data and avoid permanent loss in many cases.

How to recover data from a failed hard disk

If a hard disk has truly failed and data is inaccessible but needed, here are tips for data recovery:

Don’t overwrite data: Don’t attempt to repair, reformat or reuse a failed drive prior to recovery.
Remove from machine: Connect the failed drive externally using SATA-USB adapter or enclosure for recovery.

Image the drive: Use ddrescue or Clonezilla to create full sector-by-sector image backup of drive.
Scan image: Scan image or disk with PhotoRec, TestDisk to find lost partitions and recover data.
Repair partitions: Try fixing partition table, file system errors using TestDisk before extracting files.

Extract files: Use PhotoRec to restore various file types based on headers and footers.
Try known good sectors: Check SMART data to recover data from sectors not damaged.
Repair bad sectors: Attempt fixing bad sectors using SpinRite on less damaged drives.

Use manufacturer tools: Some like Hitachi Drive Fitness Test have advanced recovery features.
Consult professional services: In severe failure cases, professionals disassemble drive in clean room to recover platters.

With the right tools and techniques, specialized recovery of failed hard drives is often successful. But costs rise for severe recovery cases requiring hardware intervention.

How to avoid hard disk failure

You can follow good practices to maximize hard disk health and avoid failures:

Handle hard disks gently and ensure proper ventilation.
Keep drive firmware updated and use manufacturer tools to monitor health.

Scan disks regularly for errors and bad sectors.
Maintain suitable temperature and humidity in work area.
Use UPS to prevent abrupt power interruptions causing damage.

Be careful when transporting disks to prevent head crashes.
Install and configure the OS properly following best practices.
Use RAID configurations like RAID-1 mirroring for redundancy.

Maintain good cable management to avoid loose connections.
Replace drives proactively as per manufacturer age recommendations.
Keep valuable data regularly backed up externally.

While hard disks will inevitably fail eventually, following reliability best practices maximizes lifespan and minimizes loss when failures do occur.

What are the options for replacing a failed hard disk?

When an old hard disk has completely failed, you have several replacement options:

Identical model disk: Simplest like-for-like replacement if old model still available.

Newer equivalent disk: Better model from same manufacturer with higher capacity.
Third-party equivalent: Compatible replacement from another reputed OEM.
SSD: Replace mechanical disk with solid state drive for performance and reliability.

External portable HDD: Use as temporary portable external storage alternative.
NAS storage disk: Install new disk in Network Attached Storage for shared access.
Cloud storage: Replace local storage with cloud-based unlimited virtual storage.

The optimal replacement option depends on your performance needs, form factor, available budget and technical expertise.

Factors to consider when replacing a failed hard disk

Consider these factors when choosing a replacement for failed hard disk:

Storage capacity needed for OS, apps, files

Interface type like SATA, IDE, SSD, NVME
Form factor (2.5 vs 3.5 inch) and physical fit
Disk spindle rotation speed (5400 RPM, 7200 RPM etc)

Disk cache size (64MB vs 128MB)
Workloads: OS vs Storage vs Gaming
Read/write performance benchmarks

Pricing and warranty coverage
Brand reliability and support
SMART self-monitoring capabilities

Evaluating these specifications and reviews will help pick the right replacement drive for seamless system performance.

Best practices for replacing a failed hard disk

Follow these best practices when replacing a failed hard disk:

Research compatible replacement options for your specific PC model.

Match the physical size, interface connectors and specs of old disk.
Backup data from old disk if possible before removal.
Disconnect cables and remove old disk from brackets securely.

Attach replacement disk properly to avoid loose connections.
Initialize, format and partition new disk appropriately.
Install OS and restore data from backups.

Update BIOS settings and drivers for new hardware.
Verify disk health, SMART status and benchmark speeds.
Run disk error scans and repair any issues before use.

Monitor temperature, vibration and performance of new disk.

Following best practice reduces downtime and risk of losing data permanently when hard disks inevitably fail.

What to do with the old failed hard disk?

Once you have replaced a failed hard drive, here is what you can do with the old disk:

Try to recover data: Attempt data recovery using professional tools if needed.
Securely wipe data: Use disk wiping tools like DBAN before safe disposal.
Destroy platter: Physically damage platters to prevent data recovery.

Keep as spare: Can be used for parts or as temporary additional storage.
Sell on secondary market: Old disks may fetch partial value on used goods sites.
Donate to charity: Organizations may refurbish old disks still functional.

Recycle for materials: Rare earth metals can be extracted and recycled.
Dispose securely: Follow e-waste regulations in your region for safe disposal.

Be responsible regarding data security, privacy and environmental impact when deciding how to handle old replaced hard disk drives.

Conclusion

Hard disk failures are inevitable, but proper care, preventive tools and redundancy mechanisms can minimize risk and recovery time. When failures do occur, having a plan to diagnose issues, recover data, replace the disk and reuse or recycle properly is essential to maintain business and personal continuity. With the right recovery tools and techniques, companies and individuals can survive even severe hard disk crashes with minimal disruption or lasting damage.