Were you working on your laptop when it suddenly stopped working, flatly refusing to start up? Your internal HDD or SSD storage may have died, which can mean a considerable loss for you, especially if you don’t have a backup. Of course, the fault could also lie elsewhere. So, how can you tell if your hard drive is dead?
How do you find out the condition of your hard drive?
Let’s be upfront about it: a hard drive or USB flash drive always ends up dying eventually. This kind of incident is actually quite common and can be the result of a software or hardware fault. How do you know which one is behind your problem?
Software faults
Software faults are generally due to a malfunction of the operating system installed on the device, or to human error. This can include accidental data loss, accidental formatting, a corrupted file system, a virus attack, etc.
Software faults typically show up as:
- An error message displayed when your laptop starts up;
- Certain data becoming inaccessible;
- A considerable loss of speed;
- Corruption or encryption of certain data, etc.
Software faults are the most common and the least dangerous for your hardware and your data, since the data can be recovered using specialized software. However, this can take an incredibly long time, and you may never fully get to the end of it.
Hardware faults
Hardware faults on the internal storage device result from a physical or electronic malfunction of one of the hardware’s components. They can be caused by a hard shock or a power surge, voltage spikes, normal or premature wear of an electrical component, damage to the read heads, an issue with disk symmetry or rotation, etc.
Hardware faults on an internal or external storage device typically show up as:
- A hard drive making all sorts of noises (clicking, ticking, vibrating, etc.);
- A considerable loss of access speed;
- The computer failing to recognize the SSD or USB storage device.
Hardware faults are the most critical, as they lead to significant data loss, and recovery depends on repairing the hardware.
In practical terms, to find out if your internal storage device is dead, you need to pay particularly close attention to how it behaves.
How do you check the health of your hard drive?
A dead hard drive is one of the worst computer failures that could happen to you. Fortunately, your laptop includes a feature that lets you run a scan of your storage device for bad sectors.
Windows does in fact include a CHKDSK (CheckDisk) feature that lets you get an overview of the health of every corner of your internal storage device.
How do you run CHKDSK on Windows?
- Open the “This PC” window, then right-click on the drive to be analyzed;
- Then click on “Properties” and go to the “Tools” tab;
- Now click on the “Check” button found in the error-checking section.
This operation will let you know the status of your internal storage device, detect issues, and potentially repair damaged sectors. Checking it regularly will help you prevent your hardware from failing and plan a backup before it eventually breaks down.
You can also check the health of your storage drive via the BIOS. This method is recommended when the hardware is running but not displaying anything. In that case, once your computer is powered on, you need to enter the BIOS using the trigger key. Then, check the “Advanced” menu to see all the drives connected to your laptop.
If your drive is recognized but doesn’t appear as an accessible drive, this may mean that the problem lies in the storage device having internal damage. A sound scan can also help you check the health of your hardware.
What should you do if your hard drive is dead?
If your internal storage device is dead, there’s only one thing left to do: hand it over to a technician and cross your fingers that they can recover the majority of your data. However, before you panic, you should make sure the problem isn’t coming from somewhere else.
Sometimes you think you know the internal storage device has failed, when in fact it’s simply poorly connected to the motherboard. So, before calling in a technician, remember to check the connection of the data and power cables.
To do this, start by turning off your computer, then discharge any static electricity it holds by pressing and holding the power button for 30 seconds. Next, remove the internal storage device and open the case to check that all the cables are properly connected.
If everything checks out with the connections, you can now restart your computer and see if the problem is resolved.
Your storage device’s failure could also be due to a broken circuit board. In that case, you can simply replace the board, but be aware that doing so puts you at risk of losing all of your data.
However, it’s important to remember that a hard drive, whether internal or external, is a very sensitive component. That’s why, in the event of a failure, it’s recommended to hand it over to a technician. They have professional tools and experience that allow them to know how to proceed in order to recover the data.