That clicking sound your computer is giving off may be signaling a hard drive failure. Check out other failing or damaged hard drive symptoms and learn their basic fixes.
Hard drives are the most crucial thing in today’s computer world, and you can understand how frustrating it might be when your system screen pops up with an error message “hard drive failure.” What do you need to know about a failing hard drive? There are textbook symptoms that warn of a failing hard drive. Actions should be taken quickly to save your files.
Hard Drive Failure Signs
There are two main types of hard drive failure—physical and logical. The signs vary, depending on the type of failure.
Signs of a Hard Drive Physical Failure
- Overheating
- Strange noises
- Stuck spindle motor
- Blue screen of death (BSoD) errors
- Inability of the device to boot
Signs of a Hard Drive Logical Failure
- Frequent error messages during normal operations
- Files and folders disappear or get corrupted
- Irregular system crashes and disk errors
- Operating system (OS) won’t boot
- File or folder names have changed
- S.M.A.R.T. monitoring shows an issue with the hard disk drive (HDD)
Why Does a Hard Drive Failure Happen?
A hard drive may fail at any time for different reasons. Here is a list of the major factors that cause a hard disk failure.
- Improper voltage, manufacturing faults, or interruption during firmware upgrades
- Unreliable power source or supply
- Improper ventilation or faulty central processing unit (CPU) fan
- Accidental closure of programs
- Accidental deletion of files or directories
- Wrong installation of OS
How Do You Fix a Hard Drive Failure?
If you notice something wrong with your hard drive, identify the signs that will point toward a possible reason. Based on that, you can choose a solution below.
Method #1: Contact the Manufacturers for Help
Generally, you can’t fix physical errors on a hard drive. For example, when your system hangs or fails to boot while using the HDD, you can’t fix the hard drive on your own. You need to contact its manufacturer.
This method applies to these failure signs.
- The hard drive freezes during startup.
- The system can’t detect or identify the hard disk at all.
- The system fails to boot when using the hard drive.
The reasons behind hard drive failures differ but they result in permanent data loss in most cases. Therefore, recovering data from a crashed or failed hard drive at the earliest is essential. Before you send your hard drive to its manufacturer, you can try to recover data from the failed hard drive with third-party data recovery software, such asData Recovery Wizard, Recuva, and Disk Drill. These tools enable you to retrieve data from a hard drive, Secure Digital (SD) card, memory card, solid-state drive (SSD), universal serial bus (USB) or flash drive, and other storage devices.
Method #2: Make Sure the CPU Fans Are Working Fine
What if the hard drive is overheating? What can you do to make it work well? You can check your fans to solve the problem.
This method applies to these failure signs.
- Excessive heat is generated shortly after turning on the device.
- CPU fans move slowly or turn off.
- Your hardware makes clicking sounds or noises.
Ensure the fan is spinning smoothly by checking for loose bolts or clips. You can also apply thermal paste between two contacting heatsinks on either side of your processor to help reduce noise when it operates at higher speeds.
Method #3: Check Your Hardware and Repair Corrupted File Systems
The command prompt (CMD) is the best option for diagnosing hard drive failures if you are trying to repair them manually. It allows you to identify problems with your hardware and take action quickly.
This method applies to these failure signs.
- The files get corrupted or damaged.
- The hard drive becomes inaccessible.
Here’s how to check your hardware for errors.
- Press the Windows key and type “cmd.”
- Right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
- Enter the command chkdsk D: /f /r /x. “D” refers to the partition drive you want to check. Errors found will be fixed automatically with this command.
- In case of possible system file corruption, you can run the Windows built-in System File Checker (SFC) tool to repair missing or corrupted system files. To do that, type the command sfc /scannow into the command prompt and hit “Enter.”
Method #4: Keep Your System Updated and Run Your Antivirus
This method applies to these failure signs.
- Grinding or clicking sounds emanating from the hard drive
- Files becoming invisible or get corrupted
- BSoD
Make sure your system has the latest Windows updates. You can check by going to the Windows settings. After that, run a complete virus and malware check since malicious software can often cause problems you could mistake for problems with your drive.
Conclusion
Don’t let your hard drive fail and regularly back up your data. If you do not have a backup, you may lose important files, such as pictures and documents. Ask a professional data recovery service provider for help if the drive is already dead.
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FAQs
Physical contact or damage, heat, humidity, dust, power surges, or even time can cause hard drive failure. Dust, water, or dropping are some reasons HDDs fail, shortening their lifespan. Avoid taking your device with you when it's not needed and cleaning it helps you conserve the hard drive and the data on it.
How do you know when a hard drive is failing? ›
Common signs for a failing hard drive include sluggish performance, unusual noises (clicking or loud component sounds), and an increase number of corrupted files. These are textbook symptoms for the inevitably of a failing hard drive and action should be taken quickly to save your files from being lost.
What is a hard drive short answer? ›
A hard disk drive (HDD) is an internal or external computer component that stores data, such as the operating system, applications, and user files. HDDs are “non-volatile” storage devices, meaning they retain stored data even when power isn't being supplied.
Can hard drive failure be fixed? ›
Hard drives are easily replaceable commodities, and repairing a hard drive rarely makes sense. Burn damage to the PCB of a failed hard disk, the result of a power surge, as seen under a microscope. The other reason hard drives are not meant to be repaired is due to their inherent complexity.
How to fix a hard drive? ›
Methods to Fix Corrupted Hard Drive
- Go to Computer/This PC >> Select Hard Drive >> Choose Properties.
- Select Tools >> Error checking >> Check now >> Check local disk >> Start.
- Shut down all open and running programs >> wait for the system to check upon the next boot >> restart the PC.
Quick fix
- Use CHKDSK to fix logical file system errors and metadata of the file system. ...
- Run a System File Checker (SFC) to repair corrupt Windows files, which may have caused the error to occur. ...
- If none of the above helps, use a data recovery tool to recover the data from your corrupt or damaged hard drive.
A disk at 100 in Windows 10 can be caused by errors on the disk, which can occur because of malware, corruption, power issues, physical damage, or other reasons. Since they can lead to data loss, disk errors should be addressed immediately, and Windows 10 will usually prompt you if it detects a hard disk problem.
What are the chances of my hard drive failing? ›
The first segment links to the first year and a half where 5% of the hard drives fail per year. The high initial failure rate can be chalked up to manufacturing defects. Every batch of hard drives will have a few lemons. After that, the failure rate levels out to 1% per year.
Can a hard drive fail without warning? ›
Don't Let Your Hard Drive Fail!
It is more likely to fail unexpectedly without any warning signs whatsoever. Rather than trying to forecast something that is even less predictable than the weather, you should rely on backups.
What's inside a hard drive? ›
The hard drive contains a spinning platter with a thin magnetic coating. A "head" moves over the platter, writing 0's and 1's as tiny areas of magnetic North or South on the platter. To read the data back, the head goes to the same spot, notices the North and South spots flying by, and so deduces the stored 0's and 1's.
They can store operating systems, software programs and other files using magnetic disks. More specifically, hard disk drives control the reading and writing of the hard disk that provides data storage. HDDs are used either as the primary or secondary storage device in a computer.
What happens in a hard drive? ›
A hard drive uses magnetic disks or platters to store data. The disks spin rapidly while an arm with read or write heads moves across them, reading and writing data as needed. This process is accomplished by utilizing magnetism to write and read data on the disk's surface.
Do hard drives get corrupted? ›
Corruption - Corruption occurs when the hard drive reads information from the wrong area of the disk. This may occur when a computer shuts down suddenly while in the middle of a read/write operation, and it can also occur when a hard drive starts to fail physically.
Can a hard drive be replaced? ›
To replace a hard drive, you'll need to back up any data you want to keep, uninstall the old hard drive, install the new hard drive, and then restore the backed up data.
What is the lifespan of a hard drive? ›
Hard disk drives have more moving parts and are less durable and more likely to fail than their solid-state counterparts. For this reason, hard disk drives tend to last between 3–5 years. Get it repaired fast at one of our stores. Just stop in or make an appointment⎯we'll handle the rest.
How can I check if my hard drive is OK? ›
Right-click on the disk and select "Properties". In the Properties window, go to the "Tools" tab. Under the "Error checking" section, click on the "Check" button. Windows will now check the disk for errors and report any issues it finds.
How do I check the health of my hard drive? ›
Type "cmd" into the search bar as before—but this time don't hit enter, instead right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as Administrator." Once the new Command Prompt window opens, you can then type "chkdsk" and hit enter. Much more information will be displayed than with the S.M.A.R.T.
How to tell if your SSD is failing? ›
Eight of the Most Common Failing SSD Symptoms
- You Encounter Crashes During Startup. ...
- Very Long Time to Save Files. ...
- You are Unable to Read or Access Specific Files. ...
- Frequent Restarts are Required. ...
- An Error Shows the File System Needs Repair. ...
- The System Shows You Errors Involving Bad Blocks. ...
- Your Disk Drive Overheats.
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