Hard Drive Failure: How to Check & What to Do

Most users encounter hard drive failure, but don't worry. Hard drive failure doesn't necessarily mean the end of its lifespan. On the contrary, you can still utilize it, but bear in mind that this disk may fail at any moment.

Thus, when encountering a hard disk error warning, the primary concern should be to back up all the data currently stored on the disk. Once the backup is done, it's necessary to diagnose the disk's health, analyze the cause of the disk failure, and rectify the issue with the hard drive.

• Stage 1. Perform a Disk Health Check - 2 Methods
• Stage 2. Hard Drive Failure: 2 Options to Prevent Data Loss
• Stage 3. How to Prevent Hard Drive Failure

This article will provide you with step-by-step instructions. Firstly, we need to conduct a disk health check on the current disk. How to proceed? Please keep reading.

Stage 1: Conduct a Disk Health Check - 2 Methods

tools Partition Master Professional offers two features, "Disk Health" and "Surface Test," to assist you in checking the current disk condition. With these functions, you can visibly inspect the disk's health score and the quantity and distribution of bad sectors. Install the tool and proceed with the following two steps.

Method 1: Run Disk Health Check

By examining the current disk temperature, Power On Hours, Power On Count, and other indicators, the utility Partition Master can estimate the approximate remaining lifespan of your hard drive. It can also provide timely warnings if the temperature or other health parameters are abnormal. Here's how to utilize this tool:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and click the blue arrow to activate the "Disk Health" feature under the "Discovery" section.

Step 2. Choose the target disk and click the "Refresh" button. You will then see the health status of your disk.

"Video Tutorial on Checking Disk Health"

Please refer to the "Status" section, and cross-check the following list to ensure that your disk is in good condition:

• Good: The disk is in good health and performing well.
• Bad: The disk is unhealthy and may fail at any moment.
• Unknown: The disk is already damaged, and Partition Master tools cannot detect it.

If the outcome is "bad," back up your data and OS first; be prepared because you may need to recover data or boot from another disk.

If the result is "unknown," send it for repair or replace it with a new one.

Method 2: Check Bad Sectors

Bad sectors can also gradually accumulate over time and lead to disk failure. You can use the tool Partition Master to locate bad sectors on the disk by running a disk surface test.

Here's how:

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the disk that you wish to check, and then select "Surface Test".

Step 2. The operation will be performed immediately, and all bad sectors will be marked in red.

Bad sectors will be marked as "Red" during the test. If many bad sectors show up, you should pay attention and back up your data first. The accumulation of bad sectors can lead to hard drive failure.

Through the above two methods (Check hard drive health and check for bad sectors), you can determine the potential remaining lifespan of the failing hard drive. Based on this information, it's advisable to promptly replace the hard drive or migrate the system from the failing drive.

Share this article and the two methods, so others can learn how to check the health of a hard disk.

Stage 2. How to Fix Hard Drive Failure - 2 Options Translation: Stage 2. How to Repair Hard Drive Failure - 2 Options

Hard drive failure can lead to data loss at any time. Furthermore, if your system disk fails, your computer might freeze or encounter startup issues. Hence, to prevent such scenarios, we will guide you on how to replace the system disk or migrate the operating system to another disk in this section.

Option 1: Clone and Replace the Failed Hard Drive

Prepare your new hard drive and connect it to your current computer. Before replacing the hard drive, you need to clone the existing data or system directly onto the new hard drive; otherwise, you'll lose all your personal data and system settings. Using cloning software like Partition Master, you can clone the failing drive without manually transferring any data.

Here's how to clone:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, go to the Disk Clone tab, select "Clone OS Disk" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the target new drive where you wish to clone the OS to, then click "Next".

Click "Yes" to confirm that you wish to proceed with the OS disk cloning process.

Step 3. Review the disk layout, then click "Start" to initiate the OS cloning process.

Step 4. When the process is done, you'll see a confirmation message asking if you want to boot your computer from the clone target disk.

• Reboot Now means to restart your PC and immediately configure the computer to boot the operating system from the new disk.
• Done means you want to make changes later.

 

Option 2. Migrate Operating System to a Healthy Disk

If your current disk only contains a Windows system and no other important data, you can also opt for system migration. This method is relatively straightforward and time-efficient compared to cloning the entire system disk. Furthermore, using the tool Partition Master, this process becomes even more simplified. With just a few easy clicks, you can migrate your system from the faulty hard drive.

Depending on your requirements, you can choose to either migrate the operating system to an SSD or to a new HDD. Here's how:

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant and go to the Disk Clone section. Select "Migrate OS" and click Next.

Step 2. Select another disk as the destination disk and click "Next." Then, click "Yes" to proceed.

Step 3. Preview the layout of the target disk. Then click "Start" to commence migrating your OS to the new disk.

The above discusses how to check disk health and the remedies we can employ to mitigate losses resulting from disk failures. Nonetheless, preventing disk failures in the first place is equally crucial.

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Stage 3: How to Prevent Hard Drive Failure

Hard drive failure can occur due to various reasons, including human error, corrupted firmware, damaged media, hardware malfunction, overheating, water damage, power issues, and accidental incidents. Consequently, the maintenance measures that can be taken to address these common causes are as follows:

Related Article: How to Analyze Disk Space on Windows 10

• Use surge protector: Sudden power outages and surges can cause severe damage to the hard drives in your system.
• Regularly monitor hard drive health: Forming the habit of proactively checking hard drive health can effectively prevent data loss due to hard drive failure.

Conclusion

Hard drive failure can result in your system being unable to boot or crucial data being lost. However, this is an issue that most users will encounter at some point, so don't panic excessively. This tutorial is intended to assist you in detecting the health status of a failing hard drive and prevent potential problems arising from disk failure.

If this article has been helpful to you, please share it to help more people learn how to handle disk failures and preventative measures.

Hard Drive Failure FAQs

This section covers frequently asked questions about disk failures. If you have additional queries, referring to this section might be beneficial.

1. Can hard drive failure be repaired?

某些 logical hard drive errors, like file system issues, can be fixed. However, if the physical hard drive is damaged, it can only be safely and effectively repaired by trained expert engineers. The performance of the repaired hard drive might not be as good as it was before.

2. What causes hard drives to fail?

Many factors can contribute to hard drive failures, including human error, corrupted firmware, compromised media, hardware malfunction, overheating, water damage, power issues, and accidental damage.

3. Can an HDD fail suddenly?

Yes, hard drives can indeed fail at any moment due to factors like age, sudden power surges, viruses, or the accumulation of bad sectors. This may lead to irreversible damage to the disk's surface. To guard against such potential disk failures, it's immensely beneficial to cultivate the habit of regularly backing up important data in a timely fashion.

**4. Do hard drives eventually fail?**

Yes, the lifespan of a hard drive is indeed limited. Solid-state drives (SSDs) typically have a longer lifespan, lasting around ten years or more, whereas hard disk drives (HDDs) generally survive for 3-5 years due to their mechanical components. In other words, every hard drive will eventually fail.