Several factors can cause your external hard drive to malfunction or become damaged: a virus, mishandling, a more serious issue, and so on. When this happens, access to your data becomes impossible and the drive can no longer be opened. Depending on the severity of the problem, it may be possible to take steps to restore or repair it. However, this process should not be taken lightly. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to entrust your storage device to a professional. So how do you repair a damaged storage device? Here are a few answers to your concerns.
Damaged hard drive: what are the symptoms?
How do you restore a damaged device? First of all, it’s important to identify the problem. Several symptoms can signal a fault in an external hard drive. That’s why it’s recommended to run a diagnostic beforehand. This lets you know the cause of the fault on your device, so you can apply the right solution.
That said, the symptoms of a fault can appear in several ways. Among these are the following situations:
Format requested on a hard drive that still works
How do you know your external hard drive is damaged and needs to be restored? Your device may be detected by your PC, but you’re unable to access the files and the system prompts you to format it. This simply means the drive is faulty and needs to be repaired.
Certain files are inaccessible
Sometimes, certain files on your external hard drive become inaccessible. They may appear as shortcuts that can’t be opened. In this case, it could indicate a fault that requires a restoration procedure.
Hard drive inaccessible
How do you recognize a damaged storage device, and how do you restore it? Another symptom to watch for is when your device is simply inaccessible, no matter what you try.
External hard drive diagnostics: which tools to use
How can you restore a damaged external hard drive if you haven’t diagnosed it first? On Windows, you can use the “CHKDSK” utility to check that your device is working properly. With its /r and /f features, you can scan your drive to detect any faults. However, this tool is fairly complex and it’s important to know how to use it properly. Misusing it can lead to deletion and permanent loss of your data. You can use Smart Disk Checker: https://www.smartdiskchecker.com/
If you’re using Mac OS, you can check the health of your storage device using its SMART tool.
How do you restore a hard drive?
How do you restore a damaged external hard drive? Once you’ve identified the source of the problem, you can apply the right solution.
On Windows
On Windows, you can use several tools to repair your drive. That said, we always recommend backing up your files. This prevents data loss and ensures you have access to them whenever you need them.
To restore your faulty drive, you can use recovery software:
TestDisk
To use TestDisk, you first need to download and install it on your device. Then you’ll need to run it and follow the on-screen instructions. It’s a free program, though it can be fairly complicated to use. It’s important to have some knowledge of disk partitions if you want to use it.
Hexascan
Hexascan is also a good program that lets you repair a storage device and recover lost data. To use it, you’ll also need to download, install, and run it. The various commands to run are available in its interface.
On Mac OS
How to restore an external hard drive damaged under Mac OS? You can also download TestDisk and Hexascan to repair your storage device and recover your deleted files.
The particularity of these programs is that they require some computer knowledge.
What to do if it fails?
Have you tried to restore your damaged external hard drive yourself without success? What should you do in that case? The best option is to call in a professional. Even though the service comes at a cost, you can be sure your storage device is in good hands. At Chronodisk, we offer solutions tailored to your needs. Through our recovery service, we restore your deleted files and save them to your SD card or any other storage device you provide.
An external hard drive is a device you use every day. To avoid losing your data if it becomes damaged, we always recommend backing up your important files. In the event of a fault, avoid formatting the drive and contact us as soon as possible so we can help you!