What can damage the hard drive. Hard drive crashed - causes and ways to recover information

The hard drive is one of the most important devices in a computer, which stores all the information recorded on your computer. Any malfunctions entail serious consequences, because you can permanently lose important data. In most cases, these devices suffer from bad sectors, which is the first sign that the disk is starting to crumble. They manifest themselves when an “Access Denied” error occurs when opening some files or the computer starts to slow down when the program starts (accessing the disk), and the noise of the hard drive fan increases.

Consider one of the errors in which the operating system displays a message: "Windows has detected problems with the hard drive." The error occurs on versions of Windows 7, 8.1, 10. How to find a solution and what to do when the following message occurs, and what this problem can lead to.

First of all, you need to transfer all recorded files and folders from the damaged media. If your computer has two hard drives or you have a local network (or Wi-Fi) set up at home, you can perform this operation by simply copying it to another hard drive or computer. But what if one hard drive is used.

It makes no sense to transfer to another local drive (C: or D :), since the hard drive itself begins to “crumble”. In this case, you can not do without an external drive. If its volume is small, at least copy the most important documents.

With this error, it is better to contact the service center so as not to further aggravate the situation.

How to copy corrupted files?

When you failed to transfer some files when copying information, this indicates that bad sectors have appeared on the surface of the disk. If there are important files among the damaged files, we try to restore the disk using the special MHDD utility. It should be run from bootable removable media - a flash drive or a CD / DVD disk, so you need to create a bootable disk and burn this utility. During diagnostics, the program will be able to extract information from bad sectors and transfer it to the reserved area of ​​the hard drive.

After the treatment of bad sectors, it is possible to copy previously "damaged" files.

Why do you need a backup?

So, what to do with the hard drive. After testing with the MHDD utility, the error "Windows has detected a problem with the hard drive" should not bother you anymore. But to save yourself from unnecessary trouble, be sure to back up your hard drive using Acronis True Image.

After all, if after a while Windows again detects problems with the drive, there is no point in restoring it, it must be replaced with a new one. This also applies to the case when a lot of bad sectors were detected during testing of MHDD.

You can easily restore the entire disk image from a backup to a new media. And if it was a bootable system drive (C: \), you will no longer need to reinstall Windows 10 or another operating system.

Antivirus check

In some cases, Windows has detected hard drive problems due to malware that prevents the driver from working properly. The error occurs when the operating system incorrectly detects the hard disk controller.

Therefore, you need to check the HDD with a virus scanner. You can use Kaspersky antivirus or Dr Web. Perform a deep scan of the computer and after treatment, do not forget to restart the PC. After doing this, the drive problem detection error should be gone.

What Not to Do

There are ways to disable this message in Windows 7/8/10 operating systems. But we strongly do not recommend doing this, even if you are 100% sure that the hard drive is working. And the saddest thing is that when you turn it off, you can permanently lose data on the media. It is better to look for the cause of the problem and find a solution, rather than disable it.

Conclusion

We looked at the main causes of the problem and how you can get rid of it. And most importantly, do not forget to make backup copies or, in extreme cases, copy important files to another medium, thereby saving yourself from unnecessary problems with restoring the necessary information from the hard drive.

One of the most common computer problems is hard drive failure, especially if you are using a laptop. Fortunately, most problems can be solved quite easily.

You notice that your computer isn't working as it should, but you're not sure what's causing the problems. First of all, it is worth checking the hard, especially if you are using a laptop. While manufacturers claim the drive will last between 1 million and 1.5 million hours, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have shown that the failure rate is three to five times higher than manufacturers say. Luckily, mounting a hard drive isn't that hard to figure out, even for non-techies. Here are some tips on how to do it.

Hard Drive Failure 101

There are several signs that indicate that a hard drive is failing. A clicking noise from a computer is one of the most common and clear signs that a drive is on its last legs. If you hear a hard drive clicking, it's most likely time to install a new hard drive before the old one fails completely. Another common symptom is program freezing. While a blue screen can often indicate problems with RAM, program freezes often indicate that the hard drive has bugs. Fixing these problems is usually cheaper - but not always easy.

What to do?

Fixing hard drive problems

Back it up
Regardless of a hardware or software failure, it's always good to back up your data. The simplest solution is to use repositories, although which option you use will depend on how much data needs to be stored. You don't need to copy everything from your hard drive, but include irreplaceable files. If you have less than 5 gigabytes of data, consider using Google Drive. If, on the other hand, there are a lot of photos and videos, it is worth considering a paid data backup version like CrashPlan or a physical backup disk like Seagate GoFlex, which you can use for automatic backups.

Check disk for errors

The easiest way to find out what's wrong with the drive is to just ask him. If you're using Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8, open My Computer, right-click on the drive you want to check (maybe C:), then click Properties, Tools tab, and Run verification".

Replace disc

There is a possibility that the disk is defective, and you will know about it by the results of the check. In such a case, you should replace the hard disk as soon as possible. Make sure to disable any software like 365 or Adobe programs before replacing. You can then install Windows on the new hard drive and restore the files from the backup.

Disk Cloning

If you're feeling a little more advanced and don't want to start from scratch, you can "image" the drive and transfer it to a new hard drive. For example, Daemon Tools can help you do this. Keep in mind that this is a technical process, and if hard drive errors were caused, you are at risk of transferring viruses to the new computer.

Problems with hard drives are quite common and can render your computer almost inoperable. Fortunately, fixing this is often quite simple. No matter what you do, remember to back up your hard drive on a regular basis. Thus, no matter what happens, you can recover important data.

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Nowadays, the time of technology, users are increasingly faced with the problems of computer technology. Today I will try to give detailed answers to many questions about fixing hard drive problems.

Hard disk check

How to check a hard drive I wrote in an article. The article describes the steps in detail and any user can easily check the HDD for errors or bad sectors.

With this utility, you can also check the SMART status. However, your HDD must be connected to a computer or laptop via an IDE or SATA connector, and not via an adapter plugged into USB ports. To check the status, go to the SMART tab. Click the Get SMART button. At the bottom you will see one of three inscriptions:

"Good SMART" is all right.

"Bad SMART" - urgently send to retire.

Get S.M.A.R.T. command… Error reading S.M.A.R.T!” - read error. Most likely your drive is not connected via SATA or IDE interface, or you have a solid state SSD.

The hard drive time can be seen in the Power-on time line, calculated in hours.

The SMART status can also be seen when the computer is turned on, if the BIOS provides and enables the display setting function.

If the condition of the hard drive is completely deplorable, then the Windows operating system will constantly remind you to make a backup or archive. If this window constantly pops up, then these are the first signs that your drive is in its death throes.

hard drive treatment

The Victoria program test showed a SMART Good status, but a lot of Bad (Error). You can try to restore the hard drive by redistributing bad sectors using . HDD Low Level Format programs are best suited for this. The program is very easy to use and has only three sections.

Before formatting, extract all the necessary information; after low-level formatting, it will not be possible to return the information.

How to restore a hard drive

To the question: "TOhow to restore a hard drive?- I will answer, as a rule, a hard drive is restored by specialists to extract information and it is not suitable for further use.

Why is the hard drive not visible?

Why does a computer or laptop in Windows and BIOS not see the hard drive. There may be several reasons. Let's start from the simplest to the most complex.

1. Most often, a hard drive is not detected due to corrosion on the contacts of the board for connecting heads. This problem occurs very often, and this is the first thing you should pay attention to. Loosen the screws holding the circuit board. Remove and flip the circuit, if there is oxidation, clean with an eraser until clean. Collect back, check the performance by connecting to a computer.

1. In the HDD of the previous generation, it was possible to replace a faulty board with a serviceable one from a similar hard drive. Modern ones use new architecture and technologies, each HDD contains a unique microcode. Simply replacing the printed circuit board will not only not solve the problem, but can also lead to a complete loss of data on the media. There are two reasons for this failure:

A) TVS diodes burned out, there are usually two of them - 5 and 12 Volts. They serve as surge protection. You can check with a multimeter, if the resistance shows about 0 Om, then the diode burned out. The problem can be solved by a simple replacement. Remember that without TVS diodes, the hard drive is left without surge protection!

B) If the multimeter showed the correct resistance, then you need to replace the board. A ROM block with a unique microcode is soldered on the board, you need to unsolder it and solder it to another similar working board. Some manufacturers' drives, such as Westrn Digitals, do not have a ROM block, and the firmware is contained in the main controller, which is almost impossible to replace.

Disc starts up and clicks are heard

Clicks mean damage to the magnetic heads, and there may also be a magnetic disk. With such damage, you should not run it, since the magnetic disk may completely deteriorate and it will not work to pull out information in the future. It is better to contact a specialized service. There, the HDD will be opened in conditions of complete cleanliness and the information will be restored. Opening at home exposes the device to dust!

Hard drive beeping

The motor is trying to spin the disc, but it can't.

The first reason is sticking of magnetic heads. After turning off the HDD, instead of getting into the parking spaces, the heads remained -on or -above the surface of the disk. An autopsy is required within the walls of a sterile room and only by a professional. Damaged magnetic heads are being replaced.

The second reason is the spindle lock. This is the axis of rotation of the disks. Usually fails when the HDD is hit or dropped. Recovery of a hard disk occurs in one of two ways: by replacing the spindle or by transferring magnetic disks to a donor disk.

The hard drive starts but is not detected or is detected with the wrong size

Damaged hard drive, or rather problems with the firmware. That is, your magnetic disk is not correctly read or written by a faulty magnetic head. It is eliminated only by specialists, in no case do not experiment!

Hard drive hangs

It occurs due to a large number of bad sectors on the hard disk - that is, damage to the surface of magnetic disks. The status can be checked by reading the chapter described above.

If the test showed a positive result, but the computer is slowly opening folders, then try swiping. If it does not help, then the problem is more likely to lie in a small volume or a weak processor.

Hard Drive Data Recovery

There are no programs for recovering a hard drive, but there are many for recovering data from a hard drive. I will not describe them. I will describe only one method that the user can use at home. Reasons for using this program: a lot of bad sectors and files cannot be opened, deleting the necessary data, . Under these conditions, R-Studio software can help you. More details in my article. .

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Hard drives tend to become unusable due to increased load, poor performance, or for other reasons, including reasons beyond the control of the user. In some cases, the operating system may notify us of problems with a warning window. Today we will talk about how to fix this error.

There are two ways to solve the problem with the system warning that appears. The meaning of the first is to check and correct errors, and the second is to disable the very function of displaying this window.

When this error occurs, first of all, it is necessary to back up all important data to a working medium - another "hard" or flash drive. This is a prerequisite, since during verification and other manipulations, the disk may “die” completely, taking all the information with it.

Method 1: Check disk

The Windows operating system has a built-in utility for checking installed disks for errors. With its help, you can also restore problem sectors if they arose for software reasons (“soft bads”). In the same case, if there is physical damage to the surface or a malfunction of the controller, then these actions will not lead to the desired result.

If after the end of the utility the warning continues to appear, then proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Disable error display

Before disabling this function, you need to make sure that the system made a mistake, and in fact everything is in order with the “hard”. To do this, you can use special programs - or.

By these actions, we forbade the system to show a window with the error discussed today.

Conclusion

With hard drives, or rather, with the information recorded on them, you need to be extremely careful and careful. Always back up important files or store them in the cloud. If the problem overtook you, then this article will help you solve it, otherwise you will have to buy a new "hard".

Hard drives are a basic part of our computers. Using a PC is about manipulating data, and the hard drive is, of course, the place where we store our data: family albums, music, work documents, email, and so on. Most of the components in your computer are electronic devices. They do not wear out with the passage of time, like a car. But your hard drive is one of several mechanical devices used in today's computers, which means it's doomed to die eventually. It is important to learn to recognize the warning signs of impending failures, as you may not have the budget for a data backup system, but you can save your data before it is lost - sometimes permanently, not recoverable at any cost.

Steps

Detect an imminent failure before it happens. This is not always possible, but sometimes the hard drive simply dies; but it's still important to monitor the symptoms of an imminent hard drive failure so that you have a chance to duplicate your data and get professional help. Hard drives are extremely sensitive hardware, so don't try to open them and look inside if you're not sure what you're doing. And it's important to understand that opening the cover will expose the platters to open air: hard drives can only be opened in Class 100 clean rooms, otherwise they'll be destroyed by dust. It is much easier (and cheaper) to back up data than to restore it. Once you find traces of errors, you need to make sure you have a backup of your data and, if you don't have one, then create a restore point. In the event of a drive failure, you can return it under warranty if it is still valid, or continue on with a new hard drive. Data recovery can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and without a data recovery guarantee; it's a really outrageous amount of money, but you don't have many options when looking for the best price. The cost of migrating data to a new drive is much cheaper than data recovery by a specialist.

Listen for strange noises: Sometimes rubbing or pounding sounds mean that your hard drive is beyond repair - for example, if the hard drive head has dropped. Or it could be a sign of a broken hard drive motor or bearing failure. If you hear strange sounds, then you should act very quickly: most likely, you have little time left.

Monitor for data disappearances and disk errors: Your computer won't let you save the document? Or are you sure that the file you had yesterday is gone? Programs that have always worked suddenly stop working and ask you to specify the location of the system file? These are potential signs that your hard drive is dying. Of course, this could be caused by your kids moving files or by a virus, but data disappearance is always a bad sign for your drive unless you can attribute it to alternative causes.

Your computer has stopped recognizing your drive: It may seem obvious, but if your computer no longer recognizes your drive, then the problem is most likely with it and not with your computer. Test it on another computer and see if it is recognized. This will usually be a logical error, unless you hear strange sounds that indicate a mechanical or disk head problem.

Computer crash: Does your computer often give a blue screen error or restart on its own? Do you often experience crashes while booting your PC? If your computer crashes, especially during file operations (for example, during the download procedure), this may indicate a problem with your disk.

Really fast access time: Launching a folder in Explorer can take half an hour, while emptying the Recycle Bin can take up to two hours. People run into this problem year after year, and it's always followed by a hard drive failure within a month or two.

Sound is a good indicator. If the sound of operation is abnormal and you hear a lot of clicks and scratching sounds from your drive, you should shut down your computer immediately. Be mindful of how your drive sounds when it's new and working, because you'll need to hear even the slightest difference from how it will sound when it's older.

1. If your computer crashes or cannot find recently used files, it may mean that your hard drive has done its job, but it could also be a simple file system error in formatting the drive. These types of errors can usually (but not always) be fixed using the chkdsk function, which is standard on almost all versions of Windows. To fix a file system error on drive C: open a command prompt in administrator mode - if you're using Windows Vista or newer - and type "chkdsk C: /f". (If you want to check the data for errors with chkdsk, then add the parameter: "chkdsk C: /f /r".) chkdsk will check and repair the file system on the C: drive (It will also check and fix errors in the data, if any). the /r option is used). If you have more than one logical drive, you can replace the C: value with the name of the additional hard drive. (In the case of E:, the command will be "chkdsk E: /f /r".) In most cases, this will clear the file system of errors and the disk will work normally again. If the error repeats, reboot and within 12 hours track the appearance of the same error; if it repeats, then your drive is close to failure, and you should save all the necessary data from it before removing it and replacing it with another drive. (This is irreversible and continued use of the disc will only make the problem worse)

   • Logic Errors: Logic errors occur when the hard drive electronics fail or the software (firmware) has a problem. This type of error is usually the cheapest and easiest to fix. Unfortunately this is a pretty rare issue.
   • Data error: If the hard drive has been handled roughly, or the magnetic platters are damaged, read/write errors occur, or low-level format problems occur, then this is a data error. They are also quite rare. Once the platters are damaged, data will begin to disappear.
   • Why do hard drives fail?
   • Mechanical Errors: Mechanical errors probably make up the bulk of hard drive failures. The motor burns out, the disk overheats, the bearings get stuck - you will find the same type of errors in the event of a machine breakdown. This may sound bad, but if the error did not affect the plates.
   • Head Error: A head error occurs when a read/write head falls on the platters (head drop), gaining an “incorrect flight altitude” for the distance between the logical surface and an optical “eye” failure is the main cause of read/write head errors. This is a common problem. Head drop is a serious flaw.

   Warnings

   • When it comes to hard drives, just remember to pay attention to their performance and act quickly. And of course, back up your data, even if it means skipping shopping once a week.
   • When you contact a data recovery specialist, they will provide you with details on how to ship the disk, but they will likely prefer personal delivery of the disk to prevent further damage.
   • Don't be heroic. If it's time, take a backup of your data. If not - unpleasant noises, for example - remove it from the case, wrap it in antistatic plastic or aluminum foil and leave it alone until it is handed over to a specialist. Hard drives are very sensitive. Don't be careless.