how to repair a faulty hard drive

• To start the corrupted hard disk repair process, open Command Prompt in Admin mode (Right-click Start button and click Command Prompt (Admin)).
• Type the following command to start the error checking and fixing process for your internal or external drive: chkdsk C: /F where C is the drive letter. ...
• Press Enter. Press Y if the system asks you for a restart (in the case of internal drive).
• Wait till the Check Disk utility repairs your hard drive for errors.

How do you fix a bad hard drive?

You can attempt to fix your corrupted external hard drive using Check Disk, a utility that’s included with Windows that scans for hard drive related errors and attempts to fix them. Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Admin). Type chkdsk E: /r. Replace E: with the drive letter of your corrupted hard drive.

How to fix your computer harddrive in under 5 min.?

Tidy up computer space with Disk Cleanup

• Choose Start→My Computer or Start→My Computer. ...
• Right-click the drive you want to check and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. ...
• Click the General tab, if it isn’t already open. ...
• 4. ...
• Clear the check boxes next to any files that you want to keep; check the check boxes next to any additional files that you want to clear off the disk. ...
• Click OK. ...

More items...

How to recover a dead hard disk?

How to Repair a Corrupted, Damaged, or Dead Hard Drive

• Method #1: Repair Using CheckDisk. CheckDisk is a file system repair utility that can be used to repair logical errors on your drive. ...
• Method #2: Fix Damaged Windows Files. If any of your Windows files have become corrupted or missing, it could prevent your system from running correctly.
• Method #3: Scan for Viruses. ...

How to fix a physically broken hard drive?

• Remove the drive and repeat the first step. ...
• If needed, reheat the device and, while holding the drive in one hand, sharply spin and hit the drive on a hard surface. ...
• Repeat the first step. ...
• If you can hear a rhythmic "click" in time with the movement, the chances are that the drive heads are free on their mounts and are not jammed. ...

Can a faulty hard disk be repaired?

If the hard drive is inaccessible, TestDisk is a program that can repair it. Though challenging to use due to its scanty interface, this free little tool proves itself to be a powerful tool to save your hard drive. Alternatively you can use Ontrack EasyRecovery with its SMART tools.

How do I fix my hard drive repair?

You can fix the 'Disk Structure Corrupted and Unreadable' error by:Unplugging and re-plugging the external HDD or USB drive.Uninstalling and reinstalling disk drive.Running hardware and device troubleshooter.Running disk scan for hard drive errors.Running CHKDSK command.More items...•

How do I get my hard drive to work again?

How to fix external hard drive not working?Check and fix the bad sectors using CHKDSK utility.Reinstall the hard drive drivers.Rebuild the partition table and recover lost partitions.Reformat the hard drive.

How do I fix a corrupted hard drive that won't boot?

Fixing “Disk boot failure” on WindowsRestart the computer.Open the BIOS. ... Go to the Boot tab.Change the order to position the hard disk as the 1st option. ... Save these settings.Restart the computer.

What causes hard drive failure?

Causes. There are a number of causes for hard drives to fail including: human error, hardware failure, firmware corruption, media damage, heat, water damage, power issues and mishaps.

What are the symptoms of a faulty hard drive?

Symptoms and Signs Of A Failing Hard DriveComputer freezes, slows down or displays a blue screen.Data gets corrupted and the buildup of bad sectors.Unusual and Alien Sounds.The Read/Write – Heads Crashed.The Hard Drive's Spindle Motor Malfunctioned.The Hard Drive Exhibits PCB Problems.Adaptives Deviations.

Will formatting fix a corrupted hard drive?

While formatting can repair a damaged hard disk, there's no guarantee that your data can be recovered after the drive is formatted, especially if a Full Format is performed. Right-click Start and click Disk Management. Right-click the corrupted partition and click Format. Check Perform a quick format.

How do I fix a corrupted hard drive?

You can fix a corrupted hard drive via CHKDSK command. Type cmd in the Windows search box. Right-click the best match and then choose Run as admini...

Can hard disks be repaired?

There are two types of sectors, a hard and soft sector. In most cases, Windows is able to repair a soft bad sector, as it's almost always related t...

How much does it cost to recover data from a damaged hard drive?

To recover data from a damaged hard drive will only cost you less than $100 with a piece of professional data recovery software, but the prerequisi...

How do I recover data from a crashed hard drive?

Get MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate from its official website and install it on your PC. Launch Data Recovery. Then select the partition whe...

How to repair a corrupted hard drive?

It can also selectively clean up different partitions to repair the corrupted internal hard drive. 1. Double-click "My Computer/This PC" and then click "Manage". 2. Click "Disk Management" in the list on the left. 3. Right-click on the local hard drive you want to format and select "Format".

Why is my hard drive corrupted?

The hard drive may be attacked by the virus or physical damage due to power failure or unsafe ejection and so on. That makes it corrupts easily, no matter an internal hard disk or external hard drive. Formatting will erase your important data. You may have stored a lot of files there.

What does it mean when you get a warning when you open a hard drive?

1. When you access the hard drive in "My Computer", receive a warning: "You need to format the disk in the drive before you can use it .". 2. A message of "H: is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable". prompts up when you intend to open your hard drive. 3.

What to do if you can't read your hard drive?

If you fail to read hard drive, for an external hard drive, try to plug hard drive into another USB port and open your hard drive again. As for the power check of the internal hard disk, there may be challenges. But if the PC can detect the internal drive, repairing the damaged internal hard drive is independent of the power supply.

How to open a hard drive on another PC?

To do so, you can：. Step 1. Navigate to My PC, right click on it to find Manage and then click on Device Manager. Step 2.

How to keep HDD in good condition?

The best way to keep your HDD in good condition is to use the CHKDSK command utility. This utility scans the hard drive, corrects logical sector errors, marks bad sectors that cannot be fixed, and moves data to safe, healthy places on the hard drive. It's a handy tool, but it doesn't operate automatically.

What does it mean when a disk has a bad sector?

When a drive incurs this kind of operational bug, the unreadable parts of the drive are reclassified as bad sectors . When a disk has a bad sector, it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything physically wrong with the disk drive; it usually means that the drive can probably be repaired with software.

How to run check disk utility?

To run the check disk utility on a PC with one drive, enter chkdsk. This command only checks your disk for errors; it won't fix any problems it finds. To fix problems, you must add command switches, which are optional parameters that tell a command-line utility to take an extra step.

Is CHKDSK needed for SSD?

The utility is primarily meant for PCs with hard disk drives, so if you have a computer with a solid state drive (SSD), CHKDSK isn't necessary. SSDs come with a built-in system to deal with errors.

Why is my hard drive corrupted?

Hard drive can become damaged or corrupted due to various hard drive errors like bad sectors on hard drive, file system corruptions. So you must learn these basic tips. After reading this article, you may find that hard drive repair is not so complicated.

What to do if your computer cannot read your external hard drive?

If your computer cannot read your external hard drive, you can connect it to another PC to see if the drive can be read and work normally. If it works, you can make external hard drive repair by reinstalling the device drivers on your computer. Here are detailed steps for you to reinstall your hard drive's drivers.

How to uninstall hard drive?

Right-click the hard disk with hard drive failure and then click Uninstall device to uninstall the drive. Step 4. Restart the computer and connect the hard drive. The drivers will start installing automatically in most cases. After restarting, you can check if your external hard drive can be read.

Can a hard bad sector be repaired?

Formatting the drive will almost always fix this. But, if it's a hard bad sector, this indicates physical damage , which cannot be repaired.

Can a hard drive run into problems?

Hard drives can run into problems sometimes. This article will show you how to make hard drive repair and recover data from a hard drive. When your hard drive needs to be repaired, you can try the top 4 solutions in this article to fix the hard drive.

Why does my hard drive stop working?

If there's a power surge or a component failure on that board, your drive will stop working, but only because it doesn't know what to do next. Look for signs of damage—burns or scorch marks.

What does it mean when your hard drive crashes?

If it's an inconvenience when your system crashes, it's a disaster when your hard drive heads south. Usually, that means your data is destroyed, and your bits are blasted—unless you backed up, of course.

What to do if you can't hear anything?

If you still can't hear any noises, go on to the next step. However, if there is a difference, reattach the drive to your computer and listen for spin-up of the drive and normal clicking that indicates head activity. If all seems well so far, try to access the drive, and move your data onto a good drive.

Why is my iPod hard drive jammed?

Community Answer. If it's an iPod hard drive, where failures are generally due to drops, then your issue is usually a jammed arm. Smacking it gently while it is clicking might fix it for a while. This also works with any drive that was physically dropped (laptop drives, external drives).

How to back up a plugged in computer?

The inside of your plugged-in computer will usually work. Slide in the new board, making sure it's seated firmly into the drive, then re-attach the screws. Reconnect the drive to the computer, then power back up. If it works, congratulations! It's a good idea to back up your data at this point, but you're ready to go.

What is an external hard drive?

An external hard drive is just a regular internal hard drive in an external case. You can open the case and take out the drive, and from here you can connect it to a computer in a number of different ways. Or you can find a replacement case and install the hard drive so you again have a functioning external hard drive.

Can you replace a burned out controller board?

The idea is that if you only replace the burned out controller board, your drive will spring back to life. Truth is, maybe it will! But there's one big caveat: the chips on the controller are, more and more, calibrated for that particular drive, and there's no guarantee a replacement will work.

First things first

The PCB might not be the problem after all, then, but it's the one area of the drive that you should tackle first when something goes wrong. After all, a replacement PCB from a specialist like www.hdd-parts.com will set you back around £25 delivered to your door, so it's a relatively inexpensive way of fixing your drive.

Back to life

Does it really work? Well, we tried it on a drive that had suddenly stopped working one day. There were no horrible clicking sounds, it simply wouldn't power on – the thing was lifeless. So, we replaced the PCB with an identical working one and managed to get it working again.

Symptoms of Hard Drive Corruption

When a hard drive has become the victim of corruption, it’s quite easy to tell. Before we look at ways to repair a corrupted hard drive, we must first understand how corruption presents itself.

How to Recover Data From a Corrupted Hard Drive

Before we look at ways to repair your damaged hard drive, we’re going to cover what you can do to recover your data beforehand. Some methods used to fix a corrupted hard drive may involve the deletion of your data, so recovering what data you can now prevent some loss.

8 Methods to Fix Corrupted Hard Drive

Finally, let’s look at ways you can fix your corrupted hard drive. Some of the below methods allow you to repair a corrupted hard disk without formatting, others may require formatting if such methods don’t work. While some methods may seem basic, it’s important you work through the list methodically to ensure no troubleshooting steps are missed.

How to Protect Your Hard Drive From Corruption

Of course, the most effective way of fixing a corrupted hard drive is actively avoiding corruption in the first place. Do so by picking up these simple habits.

Conclusion

The methods outlined above can be used to recover your data and effectively fix a corrupted hard drive. Once the hard drive is free of corruption, you should evaluate what caused the damage, back up your data, and consider a replacement drive.

How to repair a corrupted disk?

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the corrupted disk and select “Rebuild MBR”. Step 2. Select a proper MBR type for your current operating system and click “OK”. Step 3. In the main interface, click “Apply” on the top left corner to commit the pending operation.

How to reformat a corrupted hard drive?

Reformat the corrupted hard drive. Step 1. In the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click any partition of the corrupted disk and select “Format Partition”. Step 2. Select a file system (ex: FAT32) and click “OK”. Step 3. Click “Apply” to start formatting the partition.

What to do if your hard drive is not detecting?

Can I recover data from hard disk which is not detecting? If your operating system can’t detect your hard drive, you won’t be able to use any data recovery software application to recover your data. Sometimes, all you need to do to fix this problem is connect your hard disk to a different port or computer.

How to recover deleted files from a hard drive?

To Recover Deleted Data from a Damaged Hard Drive: 1 Download & Install Disk Drill on your computer. 2 Select your hard drive & click the ‘Recover’ button. 3 Preview files. 4 Select & save your files.

Why does my hard drive show up as another storage device?

That could happen because it’s not the hard drive that’s faulty but the operating system installed on it . Unfortunately, most data recovery cases are not that simple.

What is disk drill?

In the large sea of file recovery programs and apps, Disk Drill stands out with its polished user interface that allows anyone to recover files from external hard drives or SD cards or just about any other storage device in just a few minutes.