How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive with Bad Sectors

"My Windows 10 computer is stuck in a Startup Repair loop. After some investigation, I found bad sectors, especially on System32. I want to retrieve data from the old hard drive. How can I recover data from a hard drive with bad sectors?"

What does "Bad Sector" Mean in Windows 10/8/7?

Bad sectors usually occur when the disk surface is physically damaged or there are transistor failures. Typically, bad sectors on a hard drive or external storage device are inaccessible or unreadable. As the number of bad sectors on a hard drive increases, you stand to lose more data. The hard drive may even fail to function or operate properly.

Given this characteristic of bad sectors, we strongly recommend backing up your hard drive to a new storage device before the bad sectors spread and render the drive unusable.

Tip 1: Clone and copy hard drive data to a new one, skipping bad sectors

When your hard drive has bad sectors and fails to work properly, the direct solution is not to repair the existing bad sectors, but to clone the disk data to a new safe drive by skipping over the bad sectors.

Here, we recommend you try a 100% effective disk cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Standard, which can clone system disk or upgrade hard drive in Windows with just a few simple steps.

It can be used to clone the data from a hard drive without bad sectors to a new one. To ensure a higher success rate, we recommend creating a bootable disk in advance. You can start the operation by following the tutorial below:

Step 1: Download, install, and run a disk cloning tool on your computer.

Click “Disk Mode,” then select the hard drive you want to copy or clone. Click “Next.”

Step 2: Select the target disk.

Note: If you are copying or cloning a source disk, the target disk must be at least as large as the source, or larger.

Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout.

If your target disk is an SSD, remember to check the “Target is SSD” option.

If prompted to erase the data on the target disk, click OK.

Step 5: Click “Continue” to start the hard drive cloning process.

If your hard drive isn't working properly or won't boot at all, see How to Clone a Failed Hard Drive to a New HDD/SSD instead.

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Tip 2: Recover data from a hard drive with bad sectors

Another way to retrieve data from a hard drive with bad sectors is to restore both existing and lost data to a secure disk or external storage device.

Professional Hard Drive Data Recovery Software - Data Recovery Wizard tool can find all existing and lost data on the hard drive, including bad sectors. In addition, this data recovery software can:

• Easily recover lost files, including documents, photos, audio, music, and emails.
• Recover files from an SD card, as well as data from emptied Recycle Bins, memory cards, and flash drives.
• Support for data recovery due to accidental deletion, formatting, hard drive failure, and virus infections.

If the hard drive with bad sectors is still running on your computer, you can recover from and access data from a hard drive with bad sectors by following these steps:

Step 1: Select the hard drive where you lost data and click on “Scan”.

Select and Scan the Hard Drive

Step 2: Once the scan is complete, use the "Filter" or "Search" option to locate the lost file.

Step 3. Select all the files you want to recover and click on “Recover.” Browse and choose a different secure location to save them.

If your hard drive is completely dead, refer to the How to Recover Data from a Dead External Hard Drive guide for instructions. The process is similar for an internal hard drive.

Additional Tip: How to Fix Bad Sectors on a Hard Drive

After you clone the hard drive and recover your data, you can try fixing the drive with these steps:

Download and install the CleanGenius app. Now, let's proceed to scan and fix file system errors on your device.

Step 1: Click "File Display" to proceed.

Step 2: Select the target device and check the "Check and repair file system errors" option. Click "Run" to start fixing the problem device.

Step 3: After the repair is complete, click “Here” to open and use your device.

Conclusions

To recover data from a hard drive with bad sectors, you first need to clone the damaged drive to a new one using a disk cloning tool, and then utilize data recovery software to retrieve your files. Remember to ensure the encoding format is UTF-8 while performing these steps.

Bad sectors on a hard drive can render it completely inaccessible and cause data loss. If your hard drive has bad sectors, try the solutions in this post. You can easily fix hard drive errors with a disk cloning tool.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to recover data from a hard drive with bad sectors? 1. What are bad sectors? Answer: Bad sectors are physically or logically damaged areas on a hard drive that hinder normal data reading or writing. 2. How do I know if my hard drive has bad sectors? Answer: Indicators of bad sectors might include slow performance, file loss, error messages, or increased noise. Running a disk checking tool can also uncover bad sectors. 3. Will bad sectors affect all the data on the hard drive? Answer: Not always. They usually impact specific sectors only, but if left unaddressed, they can spread and affect more data. 4. How can I recover data from a hard drive with bad sectors? Answer: Use specialized data recovery software that can bypass bad sectors to get your data back. Alternatively, you can reach out to professional data recovery services. 5. Can data recovery software ensure 100% data recovery? Answer: No software can guarantee a full recovery, but good data recovery tools will strive to recover as much data as possible from bad sectors. 6. How can I stop bad sectors from getting worse? Answer: Upon detecting bad sectors, minimize read-write operations on the affected drive. Backup important data to another healthy storage device and consider swapping out the hard drive. 7. Do I need to replace my hard drive right away if it has bad sectors? Answer: If there are just a few and they don't affect vital data, replacement might not be urgent. However, if bad sectors occur frequently or disrupt the system, replace the drive to avoid data loss. 8. How can I fix bad sectors after data recovery? Answer: Fixing bad sectors typically involves professional hardware repairs, like low-level formatting or head assembly replacement. Always back up your data prior to attempting repairs. 9. Can I prevent bad sectors from forming? Answer: Regular maintenance, monitoring your hard drive's health, avoiding overheating, reducing power fluctuations, and timely data backups can help prevent bad sectors. 10. What should I do if my data is critically important? Answer: For critical data, quickly engage professional data recovery services, as they have specialized tools and knowledge to deal with bad sector issues. Always maintain multiple backups of your data.

1. Should I replace my hard drive with bad sectors?

It's recommended to replace the hard drive with a new one if it has bad sectors. If you don't want to lose data on the old hard drive, you can use professional cloning software, such as Disk Copy tools, to clone the hard drive to the new one.

2. Can data be recovered from a bad sector?

In some cases, data can be recovered from an HDD with bad sectors. However, due to the way bad sectors work, there are never any guarantees.

3. Can HDD with bad sectors be repaired?

Bad sectors on a hard drive can be repaired, but whether they can or not depends on the type of bad sector. Logical bad sectors, also called soft bad sectors, sometimes have the chance of being fixed. However, if it's a physical bad sector, also known as a hard bad sector, that area is usually irreparable.