Home / Handy Tips /
When your hard drive crashes, it takes your important data with it. Unless you’ve got a backup system in place, recovering your lost data will require the help of a professional.
If you know the signs of a failing hard drive, you can make sure you’ve backed up everything you need (passwords, family photos, movies, important docs etc.). NAS storage is great for backing up your information securely, but while you’re backing up your information, have a read – it could save you time, money, and a lot of anguish.
Signs of a Failing Hard Drive 1: Computer Slows Down
If your hard drive is about to crash, your computer will slow down – a lot. You computer will take much longer than usual to start up. Opening files and folders will also be very slow, and opening programs could cause your machine to freeze.
As your computer slows down, you may also experience the ‘blue screen of death’ (BSOD), which will look something like this:
The BSOD is a sign that something’s seriously wrong with your PC. If you are getting constant BSODs, it may be time to book in for computer repairs before it’s too late.
Signs of a Failing Hard Drive 2: Corrupted Data
Corrupted data is another sign of a failing hard drive. A file is corrupted when you can see the file on your computer, but when you open it, an error message pops up or Windows shows it as a corrupted file.
Having corrupted data on your hard drive makes backing up difficult, and may require specialist software. If you are having issues, book in for a pc repair so we can help you retrieve your important information before it’s unrecoverable.
Signs of a Failing Hard Drive 3: Hard Drive Noises
One of the most common signs of a failing hard drive is a clicking noise coming from inside your machine. The noise occurs as the write head of your hard drive attempts to write data into the hard drive, but can’t. It tries again and again to do so, causing the noise to sound at regular intervals.
If you hear a grinding or rattling noise, this may not be a sign of a failing hard drive. Instead, it could be a sign of an incorrectly or loosely installed hard drive. Our computer maintenance team can check for you today.
Signs of a Failing Hard Drive 4: Chkdsk Command Runs on Start Up
Does the Chkdsk command run every time you start up your computer? That’s a surefire sign of a failing hard drive. The Chkdsk command looks something like this:
If your computer was shut down incorrectly, this may run during start up, which is normal. However, if Chkdsk runs time and time again, your hard drive could be in trouble.
Signs of a Failing Hard Drive 5: Bad Sectors
Bad sectors are groups of data on the hard drive that are unable to be read. There are two types of bad sectors:
- Hard bad sectors, which cannot be repaired.
- Soft bad sectors, which can be repaired using Windows Chkdsk.
Hard bad sectors are a sign of a failing hard drive. But, if you come across either type of bad sectors, I suggest backing up your hard drive, just in case.
Get Tech Help
If you’ve experienced any or all of the signs of a failing hard drive listed above, and you’re not sure what to do next, please get in contact. We can determine whether or not your hard drive is failing, and help you to backup all your important data. Give us a call on 1300 553 166 or fill out the form on this page.
Good on you Paul, your subjects are always broad and informative, and not just flogging a product. Good on you!