What to do after hard drive fails?

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What to do after hard drive fails

A failed hard drive can be a stressful and disruptive experience. Your important files and data may suddenly become inaccessible, leaving you wondering what to do next. The good news is that with the right approach, you can often recover lost files and get your system up and running again.

What are the common signs of a failed hard drive?

There are several signs that may indicate a hard drive failure:

  • The system won’t boot up or continuously reboots
  • You receive error messages referring to the hard drive
  • Unusual noises coming from the hard drive, such as clicking or grinding
  • Very slow system performance and program response times
  • Inability to access files and data stored on the drive
  • The drive is not detected by the system BIOS or does not spin up

If you notice any of these issues, there’s a good chance the hard drive has either failed completely or is failing.

What causes hard drives to fail?

There are a number of potential causes of hard drive failure:

  • Mechanical failure: Disk platters and internal components eventually wear out, especially with frequent use and age.
  • Logical/firmware corruption: Errors in the drive’s firmware or file system cause data to be inaccessible.
  • Physical damage: Dropping a drive, electrical issues, water damage, etc can render it non-functional.
  • Bad sectors: Permanent errors on the disk platters prevent data from being retrieved.
  • Corrupted files: Viruses, hardware issues, or bugs can corrupt system files required to run the drive.
  • High usage/heat: Excessive drive operations and insufficient cooling increase failure rates over time.

Hard drives have a typical life expectancy of 3-5 years under normal usage. Higher capacity drives tend to be less reliable on average.

First steps when drive fails

Don’t panic. While a failed drive can be upsetting, follow these initial steps:

  1. Stop using the computer immediately. Continuing to operate it could over-write valuable recovery data.
  2. Determine if the drive is really faulty versus a different issue. Try disconnecting peripherals and booting into Safe Mode.
  3. If the drive failure is confirmed, turn off the PC and remove the drive to ensure further damage is avoided.
  4. Consider your options – whether to attempt DIY solutions, seek professional recovery, or replace the drive if the data is expendable.

Taking quick action raises the chances of recovering data but avoids making the situation worse through continued use of a failing drive.

Run CHKDSK and check SMART status

Before proceeding too far, running CHKDSK and checking SMART data can provide useful information on the drive’s status and errors. This may help salvage data or confirm the extent of the failure.

Using CHKDSK

CHKDSK scans the drive for errors and attempts to repair logical file system problems. To run in Windows:

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Type “chkdsk X: /f” where X is the failed drive letter and /f scans and repairs errors.
  3. Allow CHKDSK to complete – this may take several hours for large drives.
  4. After finishing CHKDSK, reboot the PC and check if the drive is now working properly.

Checking S.M.A.R.T. status

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) checks the drive’s internal sensors for problems. To check:

  1. Open the Disk Management utility in Windows.
  2. Right-click on the failed drive and select “Properties”.
  3. Go to the Tools tab and click “Check Now” under S.M.A.R.T. Status.
  4. If S.M.A.R.T. reports the drive is failing, the hard drive is defective hardware.

While limited, using CHKDSK and S.M.A.R.T. to evaluate drive errors is a good first step before proceeding to data recovery options.

Attempt data recovery

Before replacing the failed hard drive, it’s worth attempting to recover the data on it. Here are some options to retrieve files depending on the cause of failure:

Drive failure but still partly accessible:

If the drive seems partly working, you may be able to directly copy data from it to another drive. This avoids specialized recovery software.

  1. Connect the faulty drive to another PC as a secondary drive.
  2. Use Windows Explorer to browse the drive and copy files to the working primary drive.
  3. Avoid copying more data once failures are observed – this risks further data loss.

Mechanical failure but drive recognized:

The drive has physical damage but is still detected by the PC. Data recovery software can often extract files in this scenario:

  1. Install recovery software designed for faulty drives, such as SpinRite, Recuva, R-Studio, etc.
  2. Scan the drive for recoverable data. This may take several hours.
  3. Allow the program to recover files to another healthy drive on the PC.

Complete mechanical failure or drive not recognized:

With a non-functional drive, a specialized data recovery service may be able to repair and recover the data:

  1. Remove the drive and store safely to avoid Shake damage.
  2. Ship to a professional recovery company like DriveSavers or Ontrack for evaluation.
  3. If repairable, the company can usually extract data at a high success rate, for a significant cost.

Recovery success rates decrease with physical failure but a reputable service can often recover at least some data even from dead drives.

Replace the failed hard drive

Once important files have been extracted or recovery is not cost-effective, the failed drive will need to be replaced. Here is an overview of the drive replacement process:

Selecting a new drive

Choose a compatible replacement drive with adequate capacity and performance:

  • Match the interface (SATA, IDE, etc.), physical size, and form factor of the original.
  • SSD is preferable for performance and reliability, though more expensive per GB.
  • Get a larger capacity drive if needed to provide extra space.
  • Consult manufacturer compatibility lists if unsure.

Installing the new drive

Physically install the replacement drive into the PC:

  1. Disconnect cables and remove old drive from PC case.
  2. Insert new drive into drive bay and connect data/power cables.
  3. Ensure drive is detected in BIOS and shows correct capacity.

Restoring the system

After installing the blank new drive, restore the OS and files:

  1. Reinstall OS if drive contained the system partition, otherwise skip.
  2. Install drivers required for proper operation.
  3. Copy personal files and data from backups created earlier.
  4. Reinstall apps and software to match previous setup.

With the new drive installed and system restored, the computer should now be operational again after the hard drive failure.

Tips to avoid drive failure

While unavoidable in the long run, there are ways to help extend your hard drive’s life and minimize failure risk:

  • Maintain good ventilation around the PC case and components.
  • Avoid moving or shocking the PC while powered on.
  • Do not remove the hard drive while the system is on.
  • Install OS and software updates regularly.
  • Only install apps from trusted sources to avoid malware.
  • Replace the drive after 3-5 years of frequent use.
  • Perform regular backups to external media.

With proper care and maintenance, most hard drives can avoid failure for several years. But unexpected failures are always a possibility, so be sure your important data is regularly backed up.

Can you recover files after full hard drive format?

Recovering files after accidentally formatting the entire hard drive is difficult but sometimes possible in certain situations:

  • If formatted using the quick “Format” option, data recovery software may retrieve files.
  • If a full overwrite format was done, only fragments of old files will likely be recoverable.
  • The longer a drive runs after formatting, the more data is overwritten.
  • Professional recovery services can sometimes partially restore formatted data if sectors are not overwritten.
  • With SSDs, formatting makes data recovery nearly impossible due to TRIM commands erasing cells.

So recovery success after formatting depends heavily on the drive type, full or quick format, if sectors were reused, and how much time elapsed. But some level of file restoration is often possible if proper recovery steps are taken quickly.

Can lost files be recovered after reinstalling Windows?

Reinstalling Windows can make certain files difficult to recover, but data is rarely permanently lost after a Windows reinstallation if the proper steps are taken:

  • User files stored in the old Windows profile folders may be retrievable using recovery software.
  • Formatting the drive during Windows setup will make recovery more difficult but still possible.
  • Recreating the same partitions as before avoids overwriting old data clusters.
  • Reinstallation preserves the raw data on the drive until new files overwrite it.

Performing the reinstallation using the same disk partitioning layout as the original Windows OS maximizes the chances of file recovery. Much also depends on how much and what locations were written to after reinstallation. But data recovery tools can often restore a significant number of user files from the previous Windows installation.

Can files be recovered after system restore?

Windows System Restore erases system files and settings changed after a restore point, but it does not delete user files and documents. These can be easily recovered:

  • Browse to the old user folders like Documents and Desktop to access files.
  • Libraries like Pictures and Music will still contain files added prior to the restore.
  • Any new folders and content created after the restore point are permanently deleted.
  • Restore does not affect other user profiles on the PC or files on different drives.

So important user files and documents stored in the user profile folders are unaffected by a System Restore and can still be accessed immediately after restore completion. Only new system settings, programs installed, and subsequent file changes are permanently reversed.

Conclusion

Dealing with a hard drive failure can be a stressful event, but in most cases, at least some data recovery is possible with the proper approach. Don’t lose hope even if the drive is not detected or mechanical failure has occurred. Often with the right tools or professional help, critical files can be salvaged so they are not lost forever. Just be sure to avoid further drive use once failure is suspected, and determine the options based on the failure symptoms and data value. With the right recovery process, even a failed hard drive does not have to mean disastrous data loss.