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When a hard drive fails, it can be anything from a minor inconvenience to a disaster, depending on how well the data was backed up. There are some Hard Drive Failure Issue is about to fail, and there are also things you can do to protect yourself from a drive failure. In this article, I’ll tell you how to get ready for the worst and what to watch out for.
Note that this article was written with a Windows PC in mind, and most of the software tools I talk about will only work on Windows PCs. However, the general ideas discussed apply to Mac and Linux computers as well.
Fixed: Hard Drive Failure Issue
Reconnect Hard Drive
- First, unplug all the wall outlet that supplies power to the computer.
- Press the power button for five seconds to discharge all the capacitors into the system.
- Remove the side panel by unscrewing all the screws on the sides
- The hard disk is usually located on the front of the P.C. case.
- Two cables should connect to the hard drive, SATA, and the power cable. Remove and reinsert both these cables.
- The other end of the SATA cable goes into the motherboard. Track this cable, remove and reconnect it.
- Once reconnecting all the cables, reattach the side panel and turn on the P.C.
Run O.S. In Safe Mode
- Press the Windows + I key to open Settings.
- Go to System > Recovery.
- Under Advanced startup, click on Restart Now.
- Once the PC restarts, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. The P.C. should restart again.
- Now Press F5 to run safe mode with networking.
- The P.C. will now boot into safe mode.
Update Disk Drives Driver
- Press the Windows + X key and select Device Manager.
- Expand Disk Drives. Here, you will see all the storage devices connected to the system.
- Right-click and update the drivers of all the devices inside Disk Drives.
Check Hard Disk Status
The Hard Drive Failure Issue might not be found if a wire is loose or if the operating system is broken. So, the first thing you need to do is check on the hard drive. For Windows, the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) feature of the hard disk is used by the operating system to find out how the hard disk is doing right now.
For Windows
- Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
- Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run Command Prompt as Administrator.
- Type wmic diskdrive get model, status, and press Enter.
- If all the storage devices connected to the system are fine, it should indicate OK. If not, the command will display Pred Fail.
For macOS
- Click on the Apple logo located on the top-left of the screen.
- Click on About this Mac and select System Report.
- Select Storage and click on the drive whose status you want to check.
- S.M.A.R.T. status should indicate Verified. This means the hard drive is healthy.
Saving data to another hard drive
- Enter your computer’s BIOS settings. For this, press the Windows button and R key together to open the Run option (applies to Windows 10 and 8).
- Search for msinfo32 and check your motherboard manufacturer. Then search online for their respective BIOS key.
- Restart your computer and do the necessary steps to get into the BIOS.
- Check Boot Sequence or Boot drive option to check if the external hard drive or USB is detected.
- Change the order such that the external drive with Windows boots first.
- Now connect the USB to the system and reboot. It should automatically boot from the USB.
Causes of Hard Drive Failure
One of the most important ways a computer stores information is on its hard drive. There are two common types of hard drives: HDD (hard disk drive) and SSD (solid-state drive). (Solid-state drive).
Hard drive failure happens to a lot of people every day, no matter what kind of hard drive it is. To fix a broken hard drive, you need to know what caused it to break in the first place. Here are a few of these factors:
- Firmware Faults: This can be termed as the fault of the manufacturer. However, the chances of this fault are the least, but if your hard drive is showing errors or unexpected issues from the start, this might be the problem.
- Corrupted Files: Corrupted files are one of the most common faults that are generated in the hard drive. This happens when the user follows unethical ways that include shutting down the computer abruptly. Make sure that you safely remove the USB from the computer.
- Electric Failure: Due to power fluctuation, the UPS is not able to deliver the full power supply to the user’s PC. This is one of the most common issues that occur from the user’s end.