A storage device that clicks ? This is generally the sign of a mechanical failure. This happens when your equipment has suffered a shock or a fall, causing damage to the magnetic platters or the read heads. As a result, the heads repeatedly return to the same point and cause your device to click. This situation can lead to the permanent loss of your data if action is not taken quickly. So, how do you repair a damaged hard drive ? At Chronodisk, we give you advice on the steps to take !
How do you know a hard drive is damaged ?
A hard drive malfunction, a shock, or the presence of malware can damage your internal or external storage device. As a result, this can prevent you from accessing your data, or simply delete it. When this happens, and depending on the severity of the failure, you can take certain steps to repair your equipment.
What should you do in this case ? You must first make sure it is actually faulty, and that it is not instead a problem or malfunction of your PC. The symptoms of a damaged storage device are numerous :
- Your PC manages to detect it, but you cannot access your data. Perhaps the system requires you to format it before you can open it. In this case, it may be a failure of several sectors of your storage device, and this can slow down your computer.
- It can also happen that the computer simply no longer recognizes it.
- An error or failure message appears when you want to perform certain operations.
- You can no longer find certain files that were on your device.
- The device smells burnt : it may have suffered a power surge that burned out one of the internal components, etc.
Repairing a hard drive on Windows
How do you repair a hard drive on Windows ? You can check the state of your external storage device using the CHKDSK utility accessible via the command console, in the ” Run ” menu. To do this, you must run the /r and /f options, which will allow the system to thoroughly scan your equipment. The purpose of the scan is to detect the causes of the failure and repair the data that can be recovered.
If the partition of the damaged hard drive is the one containing your entire system, then we recommend running the scan when your computer starts up, or using another PC to carry out the operation.
Additionally, you should know that CHKDSK software is very powerful and effective. So how do you use it ? We advise you to thoroughly research it so you have a good understanding of how it works. Used under the wrong conditions, it could cause the deletion and loss of your data.
Repairing a hard drive on Mac
Do you use a Mac computer and want to know how to repair your hard drive under OSX ? The SMART tool is your ally. Thanks to it, you can check the state of your storage device and carry out repair operations if needed. Indeed, it detects faulty sectors on your equipment and helps you take the necessary steps.
You can also use AppleJack software to deal with your damaged storage device. Thanks to this tool, you can repair or correct your device’s fault, and reallocate space to healthy areas.
Calling in professionals
How do you repair a clicking hard drive when you are afraid of damaging it permanently ? If you are not certain you can fix your internal or external storage device yourself, or if the software has not worked, do not take unnecessary risks any longer. Simply entrust it to professionals.
It may be a deeper failure, and they will find the right solutions after carrying out the proper diagnosis. This will prevent you from permanently losing your data.
After the repair ?
What should you do after your hard drive has undergone a repair ? Often, the operation erases certain important data on the storage device. When this happens, and you want to recover it, you need to contact professionals. At Chronodisk, we put our data recovery expertise at your disposal.
Our team is available and ready to step in whenever needed. We help you identify the origin of the failure, in order to provide the right solutions for recovering your files.
Knowing how to repair a hard drive is important, and it can be useful to you at any time. Indeed, if the problem is minor, you will be able to fix it yourself, instead of spending money to call in a professional.