The hard drive is like the heart of your computer; it is your hard drive that stores all of your documents, emails, music, pictures and videos etc. Most of the elements that are used to make up a computer are electrical rather than mechanical – such as a car – electrical components do not have a lifespan that depends on time, unlike mechanical products. Your hard drive however, is one of the only parts of a computer that is mechanical so it is inevitable that it will fail over time. The more it is used and the more it stores will obviously shorten the lifespan. For this reason it is important to recognize the signs that your hard drive is failing so that you can back up all of your data – whether that’s on the internet or via a USB memory stick – as, if your hard drive fails all of your data will be lost and it is impossible to retrieve.
[Read more: Why an External Hard Drive is Important to You]
So what makes computer hard drives fail?
There are quite a few things that can cause the failure of a computer hard drive and there isn’t a promising diagnosis on any of them. Logical failures are to do with the software within the hard drive and although these problems are cheap to fix, they’re also extremely uncommon.
Media failures happen when the magnetic platters become scratched, this is also an extremely rare occurrence but if it does happen then any data that remained on the hard drive will be lost.
Head failures are one of the worst, they’re also extremely common; if this happens it is because the read/write head has collided with the platters and it cannot be repaired.
Mechanical failures are the reason for most hard drive failures though and it is to do with the motor burning out and bearings getting stuck. Most of the time, this type of failure means a new hard drive however, recovery may be possible if the platters weren’t affected, although this will be pricey.
[Recommended reading: Is Defragmenting Computer Drives Really Necessary?]
Can you tell that it’s going to fail?
Sometimes yes, there are some indications that should tell you to back up your data quickly, other times though, they can just die with no prior warning. If you suspect a failure is imminent you should never try to open it up as they’re extremely sensitive and even the slightest amount of dust will destroy them immediately. If you are given any idea that your hard drive is failing you should back up your data straight away as it’s much easier to back it up than it is to recover it – it’s much cheaper too.
If you hear strange noises within your hard drive then this is an indication that it’s coming to the end of its life – if you’re hearing these noises then it’s beyond repair. It could also mean that you have noisy bearings or the motor has failed; if you hear these noises be sure to back your data up quickly in whatever way you can as you won’t have much time.
Other indications that you could be about to face a problem is disk errors or data disappearing. If you encounter disappearing data be sure that someone hasn’t removed it or that your computer doesn’t have a virus before you go any further.
Your computer not recognizing the drive, slow access and constant crashing when you open programs are also all indications that your hard drive is on its way out. Act quickly and it’ll be a much easier problem to overcome. Just to remind you, prevention is better than cure, hence taking good care of your hard drive with regular maintenance is the best way to make its lifespan longer.
So, when was the last time you run a maintenance schedule on your hard drive?
[Read more: 6 Common Computer Nightmares and Possible Ways to Fix Them]
Hi Peter,
Few years back when I was using Desktop, my hard drive was completely damaged and the main reason behind that crash was OVER HEATING OF HARD DRIVE. Due to inappropriate ventilation in CPU.
Lack of proper ventilation could also leads in failure of hard drive. 🙂
Reminds me of people using their laptop on their bed or sofas. This could block ventilation too and could possibly causes damage to HDD or even the whole laptop. Thanks for the comment, Mohammed.
A layer of dust can collect over the heat sink of your PC which is one of the main reasons for CPU’s over heating. I’de recommend cleaning it every month or so with a pressured air can.
SMART tools will tell you better about weather your hard drive is failing or not. Using disk check utility on a timely basis can make your hard drive life a little longer than usual.
Sometime, your hard drive might suddenly failed and using data recovery services will be the only option left to recover your data. Data recovery firms like ‘Stellar Data Recovery’ can recover your data and provides full security.
Thanks peter for your informative article though.
Yea, using utility tools is a good idea. You would grab any opportunity to promote that product huh, Abhay Jeet? 😛
The hard drive in my laptop died a few years back. There really wasn’t any warning. One day I turned it on and I got the blue screen of death. I had never replaced a laptop drive before, but ended up doing so. The one I had was fairly small much smaller than a desktop hard drive. It felt light weight and much cheaper made than ones found in desktops. I don’t know if that may have something to do with their lifespan or not. Good thing I didn’t keep important files on it though.
Yea I actually never heard of anyone saying there was any warning at all too. Maybe there was warning, just that we didn’t realize it I don’t know. I’ve never got a dead HDD before and I hope I never will.
Hi Peter,
I once had a hard drive problem where my computer suddenly restarts or hangs. I tried to fresh install the OS but it kept hanging to some point. I was then told by my brother that my hard drive has problems so he sent me one of his spares that fits my laptop perfectly. When I installed the OS, it worked fine and I was able to use my laptop again without any problems. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve my personal files located on the other drives. I’m not sure what kind of problems my hard drive had and it sure was quite stressing.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for sharing this post with us. I wish I would have read it before as my hard drive crashed recently and I lost almost all my data. If only I had known it was coming, I would have been prepared for it. But better late than never. I learned good tips here and would pay heed to the warnings next time.
Yes, that is very true that with the help of utility tools one can easily judge the condition of the damaged drive.
According to my experience, one must pay attention to these points:
1. Your computer slows to a crawl while loading or saving files. The hourglass may just sit there and spin. The file may or may not load or save and you may get an error message.
2. Your computer frequently hangs up and you lose all control. The keyboard and mouse don’t work and you are forced to use the power button to shut down.
3. File loss or corruption.
4. Your computer frequently hangs up while booting or you get a message saying “One of your disks needs to be checked.
If you face any of such problem that means certainly your computer hard drive need repair.
I thank you for sharing this post with every one of us.
Good Read!!