Even if you don’t consider yourself a techie, learning the ways of repairing a hard drive is a must. Because hard disks wear out, it’s a problem you’ll eventually face. Here are some suggestions.
Required Tools and Materials
Hard disk repair utility
Internet access
Backup discs
Step 1
Some of the most common problems that affect hard disks are bad sectors. When bad sectors appear, the OS will display a message saying there are bad sectors (the screen may turn blue when the message is displayed). When this happens, get your backup discs. Back up all your files.
Step 2
Next, go to My Computer. Select the drive that has the bad sector. Right click the drive and choose Properties. Go to Tools and click the “Check Now” tab. This is located at the “Error Checking Status”. To start repairing a hard drive, run a “thorough scan” or “recover bad sectors.” The name may vary depending on the Windows version you have.
Step 3
After scanning, all the bad sectors would have been marked. No data will be written there.
Third Party Utilities
If you don’t want to use Windows’ built in scandisk, you can buy third party applications instead. These programs are usually bundled with defragging utilities, back up tools and others. Follow the direction for installing the applications.
Dealing with Virus Infected Hard Drives
If the hard disk slows down but there are no bad sectors, the culprit could be a virus. Close all open apps and run the virus scanner. When the virus has been removed, reboot the computer.
Other Ways of Repairing a Hard Drive
First you need to determine just what the problem is. Signs of hard disk problems are scratching, the blue screen of death and noises. First, check the space available; lack of space will slow the hard disk down. Next, check the power cables. Turn off the computer. Tighten the cables and start the computer again. Sometimes the error may be due to faulty wiring.
You may also try to adjust the connectors. Turn off the computer. Take off the computer case. Take off the connectors and insert it again firmly. Turn the computer on.
Tips and Warnings
When repairing a hard drive, remember the following. Once a bad sector has been marked, the disk will avoid that sector and move to another one. However, this will force the good hard disk sectors to work some more. The end result is faster wear and tear. More bad sectors will eventually appear.
For this reason, it’s imperative you back up all your files the moment a bad sector appears. Even if you use third party utilities, the hard disk will still fail; hard disk repair tools may delay this. Use the time to back up your files and buy a new disk. Always test your backup discs, Make sure they can be copied to your hard disk.
You don’t need to panic when bad sectors appear. By being aware of techniques for repairing a hard drive, your data will be safe.
