What is Head Barking?
Head barking refers to a phenomenon in hard disk drives where the read/write heads make loud, repetitive clicking or barking noises during operation. This is usually indicative of a mechanical failure or malfunction within the hard drive.
Head barking is typically caused by the read/write heads making improper contact with the platters inside the hard drive. The platters are thin, circular discs that store all the data on a hard drive magnetically. The read/write heads float just above the platters on a cushion of air and move back and forth to access data. If a head crashes into a platter, it can get stuck and bounce against the surface as the platter spins, creating a loud barking noise.
There are a few things that can cause the heads to make improper contact and start barking:
- Contaminants like dust or oil getting inside the drive and interfering with the heads.
- Electrical failure or voltage spike knocking the heads out of alignment.
- Sudden physical jolts or shocks while the drive is operating.
- Gradual degradation of the head suspension assembly over time.
The effects of head barking are almost always catastrophic for the hard drive. The forceful, repetitive banging of the heads on the platters will quickly destroy the thin magnetic coating that stores the data. Burnt marks, scratches, and dents will render sectors of the platter unusable. Once head barking starts, permanent data loss is almost inevitable.
The loud noises produced by head barking can also spread through the mechanical components and cause additional failures. For example, repetitive stress on the spindle motor or arm actuator can lead to seizures or difficulty positioning heads accurately. The resulting cascading failures will render the drive completely inoperable.
Causes of Head Barking
There are several main causes that can lead to head barking in hard drives:
Physical shock or vibration – If a hard drive receives a strong physical jolt or is subjected to continuous vibration, this can knock the read/write heads off track and cause them to make contact with the platter surface. Even drops as small as 3-4 inches when a drive is running can cause head crashes. Portable external hard drives are especially susceptible.
Electrical issues – Power surges, spikes, brownouts or outages can disrupt the function of a hard drive in operation. This can lead to the heads being moved off track and colliding with platters. Poor grounding or interference can also impact the drive electronics and contribute to head barking.
Manufacturing defects – Sometimes heads are not properly calibrated or aligned during manufacturing. There may also be contamination or imperfections on platters that the heads could catch on. These types of original defects in the drive components can eventually manifest as head crashes during use.
Effects of Head Barking
Head barking can have several detrimental effects on a hard drive. The most serious effect is complete drive failure and permanent data loss. When the read-write head makes forceful contact with the disk platter, it can cause physical damage to the platter surface, destroying the magnetic coating that stores data. This renders portions of the disk unusable and leads to irrecoverable data corruption or loss 1.
Even if the drive remains functional after head barking, performance will likely suffer. The head crash creates defects on the disk surface that force the drive to reallocate sectors and use error correction techniques. This slows down read and write speeds. Performance degradation gets progressively worse as head crashes reoccur 2.
Repeated head crashes in the same area can eventually cause a head crash loop, as the drive is unable to read data from or write data to the damaged location. This leads to read/write failures and potentially a complete inability to access the drive. So head barking can start with minor data errors but quickly snowball into catastrophic failure if left unchecked 1.
Detecting Head Barking
There are a few key signs that can indicate head barking is occurring in a hard drive:
Audible clicking/knocking sounds: One of the most common signs of head barking is hearing odd clicking or knocking noises coming from the hard drive. These noises occur when the read/write head is struggling to move properly across the disk platters.
I/O errors: Head barking can also lead to input/output errors when the system has trouble accessing data on the drive. Errors like “delayed write failed” or “bad block” can point to underlying head barking issues.
Performance slowdowns: As head barking worsens, you may notice degraded performance like very slow file transfers or system freezing. This occurs as the head has increasing difficulty accessing and reading data from the platters.
If you notice any combination of these symptoms – unusual noises, I/O errors, and performance problems – head barking is likely occurring and the drive should be examined. The earlier detection happens, the better the chances of recovering data from the drive before failure.
Preventing Head Barking
There are several ways to help prevent head barking in hard drives:
Vibration damping is important. Hard drives should be properly mounted to absorb shocks and vibration. Rubber grommets or specialized drive mounting brackets can help reduce vibration reaching the drive. Excess vibration can lead to read/write errors that cause barking sounds.
Avoiding physical shocks and drops is also critical. Laptops and external hard drives should be handled gently to prevent sudden movements while the drive is spinning. Sudden acceleration can cause the heads to hit the platter.
Proper electrical grounding helps reduce static buildup. Use an anti-static wrist strap when handling drives. Make sure your computer case and power supply are properly grounded. Built up static electricity can potentially discharge into the hard drive, leading to errors.
Following best practices like these can help avoid conditions that lead to head barking sounds and potential drive failure.
Recovering Data
When head barking damages data on a hard drive, recovering that data can be challenging but is often possible with professional help. Many companies specialize in hard drive data recovery and have sophisticated tools and techniques for retrieving data from damaged drives.
A common approach is to use disk imaging tools that make a complete sector-by-sector copy of the drive, even if there are read errors from damaged areas. This disk image can then be analyzed with advanced data recovery software to reconstruct files and folders. Technicians may also attempt to repair or replace damaged drive heads or platters in a cleanroom environment to gain access to the disk and recover data.
While do-it-yourself data recovery software exists, professional data recovery firms have significant advantages. They use specialized equipment and advanced techniques not available to consumers. This includes custom hardware and software, cleanroom facilities, microscopy, disk surgery, transplantation of working components from donor drives, etc. For valuable or irreplaceable data, professional data recovery services may provide the best chance of recovering data from a drive damaged by head barking.
[Professional data recovery labs use specialized tools and techniques to recover data from failed hard drives.](https://www.dataclinic.co.uk/what-is-a-head-crash-hard-disk-drive-information/)
[Disk imaging is often the first step in recovering data from a damaged drive.](https://www.cleverfiles.com/howto/dead-hard-drive-recovery.html)
Repairing Drives
One option for repairing drives that are experiencing head barking is to replace the read/write heads. As noted in the Gillware article (https://www.gillware.com/hard-drive-data-recovery/hard-disk-heads-repair-readwrite-heads-failure-data-recovery/), the heads are a very delicate component of a hard drive and are often the first thing to fail. Replacing the heads can allow the drive to function again, though it requires specialized skills and equipment to properly replace the heads without causing further damage.
In some cases, a firmware fix may resolve head barking issues if the problem stems from corrupted firmware rather than physical damage. A firmware update can potentially reset the drive’s behavior to proper operation. However, a firmware fix is only applicable in certain situations and physical damage will still require head replacement.
For more severe physical damage beyond just head replacement, component-level repair involves replacing the circuit board, motors, chips, etc. This requires advanced data recovery skills to transplant working components from a donor drive onto the damaged drive. While complex, component-level repair can potentially fix a drive with extreme physical damage. However, costs quickly escalate and data recovery is still not guaranteed.
Alternatives to Repair
If the head barking damage is extensive and not economical to repair, there are some alternatives to attempting a repair that may be better options depending on your use case:
Full drive replacement – For drives that contain non-critical data, it may be simplest to just replace the drive altogether rather than trying to repair it. The cost of a new hard drive is often less than the cost of repairing an old one with serious head barking issues. This avoids any risks associated with trying to recover data from a damaged drive.
SSD upgrade – If the drive is used in a desktop or laptop computer, consider upgrading to a solid-state drive (SSD). SSDs have no moving parts and so are not susceptible to mechanical failures like head barking. Formatting the SSD and doing a clean OS install avoids any issues trying to clone the damaged hard drive. SSDs are more expensive than traditional hard drives but prices have come down significantly in recent years. Their speed, durability, and resistance to errors like head barking make them a great upgrade option.
Best Practices
There are several best practices that can help prevent or mitigate issues caused by head barking in hard drives:
Backups – Having regular backups of your data is essential to protect against potential data loss from head barking or hard drive failure. Ideally, backups should be made to separate storage devices or the cloud.
Vibration damping – Using mechanical vibration dampers or shock-absorbing mounts for hard drives can reduce the likelihood of head barking by minimizing external vibrations and impacts. Many external hard drive enclosures include built-in vibration damping.
Data recovery readiness – Maintaining an up-to-date clone or image of your hard drive allows for easier data recovery if head barking or other issues occur. Drive cloning utilities can automate periodic backups for recovery readiness.
The Future of Head Barking
As hard drive densities continue to increase, drives become more susceptible to head barking issues. Newer drives with capacities over 10TB typically use shingled magnetic recording (SMR) technology which overlaps tracks more closely together. This leaves little room for error and makes the drives more prone to adjacent track interference which can lead to head barking (https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/7tmsub/does_hard_disk_durability_suffer_more_from/).
To combat these issues, drive manufacturers are developing new servo and head positioning technologies. For example, Seagate is working on Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) which uses a laser to briefly heat the disk platter so data can be written on tighter tracks. More precise servo control over the head positioning will be critical for HAMR drives to prevent head barking as densities increase (https://www.securedatarecovery.com/blog/the-future-of-hard-drives).
As head barking becomes more prevalent on high capacity drives, some consumers are choosing to avoid these issues by using cloud storage instead of local hard drives. Services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud allow storage of files remotely rather than on devices prone to head barking failures.