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How Can I Tell If My Hard Drive is Broken?

Modern hard drives (hard disk drives (HDD), or hard disk) a operating lifespan of 3-5 years by their warranties. I think that after 5 years, a traditional hard drive, should be replaced with a new storage device. Hard drives consist of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, that are positioned around a spindle inside of a sealed casing.

Unfortunately, no hard drive or storage medium lasts forever. Multiple reasons exist why a hard drive can fail. Many of which are electronic or mechanical components can fail or wear out.

How can you tell your hard drive is broken?

Here are a few tips. This is not a comprehensive list of complete hard drive failures. These are the most common signs of a damaged or failing hard drive. However, failure scenarios can vary greatly.

If you believe your storage media is failing please submit a data recovery case.

Common Signs of a Broken Hard Drive

  1. Unusual or no noise

Properly working drives should not make any of the following noises:

  • Whirring
  • Buzzing

Drives that make any of these noises most certainly have a problem. Most modern hard operate quietly:

  • Clicking
  • Grinding
  • Buzzing
  • Beeping

Clicking sounds or beeping sounds are frequently seem with physical hard drive failure. Clicking is some times called the “click of death”, allmost all of these cases are recoverable even dropped drives, drives with the click of death, or bad read write heads.

  • No sound

No sound usually indicates that the drive is receiving no power at all.

Any of these noises are for sure an indicator of bad hardware.

The hard drive freezes the computer, or is very slow when connected.If an external or internal hard drive freezes the computer when connected or plugged in, or files are very slow to read or copy those are signs of a failing or failed hard drive.

  1. Your operating system will not boot.

If you get “operating system not found”, “hard drive not found”, “NTLDR is missing”, or a a folder with a flashing question mark on macOS may occur if the hard drive has suffered a failure, or logical problem.

  1. Issues opening files or files missing.

File issues can occur with hardware errors. Errors can occur when fragments of a file are “missing,” which can make files unopenable or inaccessible. Files can also be missing or a computer can try ask to initial CHDSK on a bad drive.

  1. Repeated system crashes, reboots, or errors

These can often show in the form of:

  • Repeated system crashes or reboots
  • Problems installing software or performing updates
  • CRC (cyclical redundancy check) errors
  •  I/O errors
  • Bad sectors messages or a drive fails a health test
  • Other error Messages

Professional Data Recovery Services for a Broken Hard Drive

If you have a broken hard drive, your drive is not working correctly, or your have encountered issues accessing the data stored on it, look for a professional data recovery company with an established reputation. Modern hard drives are extremely-precise storage instruments, and data recovery requires advanced knowledge, tools, and certified clean rooms.

I have over a decade of years of experience in getting data back from broken hard drives.

Eric’s Computer Services has excellent reviews and offers clear transparent pricing. It’s easy to see why Eric’s Computer Services as a Data Recovery Specialist has expertise to retrieve your valuable data.