Is your hard drive up to snuff?
Replacing hard drives is the second most common repair activity that I do. Recently, a customer contacted me to “unstick” the arm, which was stuck on the platter of the hard drive. This repair was a most uncommon one. Opening up a hard drive without the precaution of a clean environment subjects it to a lot of risks. I only did it for this customer because he requested it and wanted to recover his files from the hard drive himself.
Usually, this kind of repair is the domain of professional companies who specialize in this kind of recovery. Now if one chooses to send it to such a company, it will be super expensive. Prices range from $500 to $2500 to perform this service. Your files really have to be very important to spend this kind of money. There are, however, quite a few companies that will do this for you. The best thing is to get a quote before you start your recovery effort.
I replace laptop and desktop hard drives on both PCs and Apple computers which includes the installation of the hard drive, the installation of the operating system and any files which can be recovered. The cost can vary depending on whether you have or own the operating system and the recovery of files on your failed hard drive.
Being proactive and backing up your files, however, avoids this costly situation. Why don’t people back up their files? Fully 80 percent of my P C customers do not back up their files. Amazing! No wonder there are so many companies willing to do this work.
I find that customers that have Apple computers are more likely to have their files backed up on “Time Machine.” Apple customers, also, can obtain their operating system through a download. So a hard disk repair might be cheaper for my Apple customers, but this the only area that Apple customers can save money. Other Apple repairs are quite costly.
Call Perry’s Computer Repair to help with your repair options at 443-783-2269
Now you may be lucky and find your hard drive will give some warning signs before it fails.
Warning signs include:
- Frequent but irregular crashes, especially while booting up.
- Frequent and cryptic error messages while performing typical activities like moving files
- Folder and file names that have been scrambled and changed
- Disappearing files and folders
- Really long wait times to access folders and files
- Hard disk is silent for a long period after you request data by opening a file or folder
- Garbled output from open files or printing
- Hard drive grinds away constantly because of noisy bearings
You may be able to use an old dos program, “chkdsk,” to repair bad sectors on your hard drive. Actually, you should run this program periodically to keep your hard drive working efficiently.
All hard drives, sooner or later, will eventually fail. One study found that 90% survived for three years and 80% for four years. Depending on how much it is used, your hard drive is heading toward failure.
Why do hard drives fail?
They fail because:
- A hard drive could be defective when purchased.
- Excessive heat is the most common cause because of fans not working or not working well.
- Power surge or electronic failure.
- Spindle motor or circuit board fails on the hard drive.
- Corrupted files can cause the drive to crash.
- Age.
Replacing a failed hard drive can be a fairly simple process in a computer. If you have a backup of the system, you simply restore your system on a new hard drive. Or once the faulty hard drive is replaced, one reinstalls the operating system and/or the backup. The cost will vary but most desktop hard drives will cost about $90.00, plus the cost of the installation which can range from $60 to $90 dollars.
How do I know that my hard drive has failed? Well, the system fails to boot or may hang during booting. Or there may be a telltale clicking noise from the computer. If you hear this noise while you are working, back up your files immediately and then shut down your computer.
A technician may use software to determine the health of your hard drive. One test built in to the hard drive is the so-called SMART test (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology). Windows 10 has a computer management tool which one can view the health of the hard drive and help with this determination.
Call Perry’s Computer Repair to help with your repair options at 443-783-2269
Viruses can corrupt systems and ultimately contribute to hard drive failure. System bios will be unable to detect the hard drive. The system may freeze or you will get a black screen of death.
Windows 10 now has the capability to detect that malware and remove it using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) technology. Even so, your hard drive will eventually die. Users can corrupt their own system by not shutting down their system properly, installing bad software or wrongly modifying registry settings.
OK so you haven’t treated your computer well, and your hard disk has failed without a backup.
What are your options to get your files back?
Options include:
- Using a data enclosure to get your files back. This only works in 60% of the time.
- Using data recovery software to find your lost files. This works only in a limited number of cases.
- Disassembly of your hard drive to repair it. This only works about 60% of the time.
- Sending it away to a data recovery company which is super expensive.
One last option is to freeze your hard drive. Wrap it in a double freezer bag and put it in your freezer for a couple of hours. Then reinstall the hard drive to see if it will run so that you can back up your files. This is a last-ditch effort and does not always work. I have tried it without success. But if you have tried options one and two above and are desperate, it is worth a try.
Call Perry’s Computer Repair to help with your repair options. 443-783-2269
