How To Spot Imminent Hard Disk Failure

Unlike most of a computer’s components, the hard disk is mechanical and can be damaged by both mechanical and electrical factors. As a result, the hard disk is particularly vulnerable to damage and problems.

Hard disks are subject to wear and can fail for a number of reasons. Mechanical failure is the cause of most hard disk failures, but even if a computer is treated very gently, the hard disk can still break. When you have a problem like this you’ll need a #links# company/service/specialist if you want to get your data back. Hard disk failure may be caused by one of several reasons:

• The electric motor that spins the platter fails because of bad bearings or other defective components
• The computer is shaken or bumped while it is on and running
• There is a power failure while the disk is writing
• The air intake filter gets clogged or is not working properly
• The circuit board fails because the computer gets too hot

There are two primary types of hard drive failures – logical and physical. Physical failures occur when the electric motor or the drive itself fail. These are moving parts and can break. This type of failure can happen when a computer is jostled or dropped while it is running and the head crashes.

A logical failure can happen when the file system is corrupted. If a critical registry entry is deleted or the disk is improperly formatted, the hard disk may fail. If a virus infects the computer system it can cause a hard drive failure. In this case, the BIOS may recognize the hard drive, but the computer will not boot.
Computers will have problems, that is the nature of technology, but there is typically no need to worry unless the following happens:

• Files begin disappearing oddly, especially if it happens more than once
• There are clicking or grinding noises when the computer is running
• The computer freezes a lot and when this happens, there is keyboard input or mouse and a hard reset must be done to correct the problem
• The computer locks up during the boot process. There are hard disk problems if this happens frequently
• When chkdsk is run, there is a noticeable increase in the number of bad sectors
• Standard processes such as opening or saving files slow down, even if the file is small
• The computer is unusually hot
• Even with optimisation tricks, the computer fails to speed up

Data can usually be restored from a failed hard drive, but it is more difficult to repair or fix than other computer issues. It is recommended to get professional help. It is also recommended that a program be installed on the computer that can quickly create a disk image. This backup system should be used at least once per week or more if the computer is heavily used.

Identifying a possible hard disk failure and then repairing or recovering the disk is possible, but it should really be done with professional help. There is a possibility of data loss or complete irreparable hard disk failure if the repair and recovery are not done correctly.