What to do if hard drive problems are detected. Windows has detected a hard drive problem - what should I do? How to get rid of a message in Task Scheduler

If, while working on your computer or laptop, a message with the title “Windows has detected hard drive problems disk", then this is quite serious. There is a certain risk of complete or partial data loss, as well as computer shutdown. In this article we will tell you what to do if your computer displays this message.

What does the message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” mean?

As you can guess from the title of the message, in this case we are talking about . For those who are not aware, we remind you that this is the component of the computer on which all your data is stored (photos, videos, games, music, operating system).

When turned on, as well as during operation, the computer and operating system poll all devices to determine their functionality. If at least one of them reports problems, then the operating system and BIOS issue warning messages.

"Windows has encountered a problem" message box hard drive»

As for hard drive failure messages, the Windows operating system notifies the user with the message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem,” and the BIOS notifies the user with “ “.

In both cases this means only one thing - HDD must be replaced, and important data must be urgently moved to other working media.

In most cases, this message is accompanied by a clear “computer slowdown” or even a complete freeze.

What should I do if I see a "Windows has detected a hard drive problem" message?

First of all, immediately save all the data that is important to you. Copy everything you need from your computer, to flash drives, external hard drives or cloud storage.

After this, be sure to check the hard drive for bad BAD sectors. If their number is more than 10, then the only option to solve this problem is to replace the hard drive with a new one.

If checking for BADs does not reveal any problems, then you can run a hard drive scan to detect and correct logical errors.

To do this, go to " My computer"and do the following for each local disk one by one:

Right-click on the local disk and select “ Properties«;

Launch hard checks disk for logical errors in Windows 10

In the window that opens, go to the “ Service" and click on " Check/check«.

If a window with checkboxes opens, check both of them and click “ Begin«.

This needs to be done for each local disk.

Running a hard drive check for logical errors in Windows 7

If errors are found, Windows will correct them automatically.

But it is worth considering that in 99% of cases, the message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” is associated with the presence of a large number of bad BAD sectors on it, the correction of which is simply impossible due to their size. The only way to fix this problem is to install a new hard drive.

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A number of users operating system Windows may encounter a system message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem.” If you skip this message, it appears again, and the frequency of its appearance increases over and over again. In this article I will tell you how to fix the error - Windows has detected a hard drive problem, what are the causes and symptoms of this problem, and how to fix it.

What does the message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” mean?

The main attribute of this dysfunction is the message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” that appears, as well as the system’s offer to immediately begin the process of archiving existing data. This problem occurs on almost all modern operating systems of the Windows family, from Windows XP to Windows 10.

Moreover, this message usually appears not just once, but over and over again, forcing the user to start thinking about a Windows error in which hard drive problems were detected.

Usually specified message is a litmus test for the appearance of serious problems on the hard drive, such as:

• The hard drive is crumbling and will soon stop working altogether;
• The information on the hard drive will soon be lost forever;
• The system files on such a disk are seriously damaged, and soon the system will no longer boot at all;
• The computer will slow down and freeze, take a very long time to load, and will soon stop responding to user commands.

Causes of the problem

Before we consider the solution to the “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” error, we need to determine the causes of this dysfunction. They are as follows:

How to fix the error when Windows detected problems with the HHD disk

So, how to fix the “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” error? I recommend doing the following:

If problems are observed on the “c” drive, and it is your system drive, then the chkdsk utility will suggest checking it the next time the system starts. Agree with the proposal by clicking on “Y”, reboot the system, and wait while the utility checks your disk for errors.

• Perform a hard drive surface test. Among the various programs recommended for these purposes, I would highlight free application MiniTool Partition Wizard (other alternatives can also be mentioned, such as MHDD or HDAT2). Download, install and run the specified application, right-click on the problem drive (usually system C:\), and select the “Surface Test” option. Then click on “Start now”. The program will analyze the surface of the hard drive; the more errors there are, the more “red” blocks you will see in the program’s graphic window.

As for the already mentioned MHDD, you can also take advantage of its functionality by analyzing the disk surface in REMAP mode.

You can also disable the appearance of the most problematic message “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” by changing the corresponding parameter system registry. To do this, it will be enough to follow the steps indicated in this video:

At the same time, I would advise you not to rush to disable this message, as it is an important indicator of the health of your hard drive and the operating system as a whole;

• Check the integrity of your OS registry using special utilities such as CCleaner, RegCleaner and analogues;
• Take care of cooling your hard drive. In some cases, the appearance of bad sectors was caused by overheating of the hard drive. Use special cooling pads with a built-in cooling system to avoid overheating of the hard drive.

Conclusion

The most common cause of the error “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” is the collapse of the hard drive, with the latter gradually failing. In this case, it is recommended to first make a copy (backup) necessary files on this disk(some make a copy in the form of an image of the entire hard drive), and only then carry out the whole set of actions described by me above. If the problems with the disk are random, then the system utilities chkdsk and sfc will restore the functionality of your hard drive, guaranteeing its stable operation in the future.

In contact with

One day it may turn out that a PC or laptop refuses to start the Windows operating system or freezes during important and urgent work. Hard drive errors when Windows work- not the last reason for computer failure. However, any problem can be corrected if you know what its cause is.

The essence of the disk problem

Whether it is a traditional hard drive or a newfangled SSD drive, a critical error appears anywhere on it. Disk error - physically or software damaged sectors, infection Windows systems viruses, failures in PC components (from parts of the drive itself to components of the computer’s motherboard). The user's task is to figure out what caused the errors on the disk.

How to fix hard drive problems detected by Windows

Hard drive problems are unspecified errors on it that are not signed with a numeric code (for example, error 11). First of all, the media from which it is proposed to copy valuable data is indicated.

Windows warns you that your data could be seriously damaged

Action plan:

1. Urgent copying of important files to another storage device: flash drives, disks, memory cards, placing some of these files on cloud Internet services.
2. Checking the disk for bad sectors.
3. Antivirus scanning.
4. Checking the CMOS/BIOS settings on your computer.
5. PC maintenance: checking the integrity of the cables, external inspection of PC components and cleaning them.
6. If you find faults that you could not fix on your own, take your PC or laptop in for repair.

The last two points will not be considered - this is the task of specialists at computer service centers.

Backing up files in Windows 7

Do the following.

1. Click “Start” and enter the word “backup” in the search bar of the Windows main menu. Launch the Backup and Restore application. Click on the first option offered - this is the wizard Reserve copy
2. Start setting up your archiving program. Click "Set Up Backup".
   Get started setting up your backup
3. Select the disk or partition where it will be created backups. Best suited external drives and large-capacity flash drives or memory cards (from ten gigabytes).
   Select another, healthy and working disk
4. Click on "Give Windows a choice." However, if you have clearly decided what you need first, choose the independent option.
   If you give the system a choice, Windows will copy the contents of all custom folders default
5. Select system folders user files and/or the contents of the copied disks - except for the disk on which the copy will be created.
   Select everything you want to copy except the destination drive
6. Windows will ask for confirmation and display the categories of files being sent to backup storage.
   After this, the system will ask you to double-check the settings and start copying

To restore files from a backup, do the following:

The process will start. After the copying is complete, check if everything has been restored.

Click the link that appears to view a list of files and folders from the previous copy

Checking the disk using the Windows 7 command line

Disk scan identifies logically or physically problematic sectors of the hard drive or SSD drive, which is the main one in the computer. Do the following:

If you still don’t trust standard disk checking tools, use the Victoria program. The Victoria version for Windows is almost identical to the version for DOS - with one exception: after downloading it, you can immediately run it to check the disk running another working system Windows without resorting to other disks, including removable ones.

Also get a new disk - in case the old one has outlived its usefulness.

Checking your PC for viruses

Boot viruses corrupt the boot record and the NTFS(5) file table, with which Windows 7 works. Because of this, valuable data “flies” and is not easy to recover. special utilities, as well as the system itself.

As an example, use the Dr. utility. Web CureIt, which allows you to quickly check your hard drive for malicious code.

The application takes up more than 100 MB - due to the extensive antivirus database of all times. After two days of work, this database is considered outdated - viruses appear almost hourly.

If an error appears when starting Windows

The computer refuses to boot from the hard drive, reporting an error reading system Windows files.

To try to resolve the hard drive read error, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart

A professional way to resolve such an error is a third-party disk check utility from bootable media of Windows or another operating system (if there is a version of this utility for it).

Checking the disk using built-in tools hides some details, although its use is not useless.

What makes no sense to do:

• restore the Windows system to an earlier date;
• run automatic recovery;
• launch safe mode Windows.

Setting up the BIOS to boot your PC from a flash drive or external drive

Change the PC boot priority from different drives in the BIOS. Do the following (the Award BIOS version is taken as an example).

1. When you turn on the computer, after the manufacturer's logo appears (or immediately below it), a prompt line to enter the BIOS will appear - press this key.
   Press the key indicated at the end of the list of devices scanned when turning on the PC
2. After entering BIOS Setup, select “Integrated Peripherals”.
   To enter component management, select Integrated Peripherals
3. Check if the USB port controller is active.
   USB Controller Enabled means that the USB controller is enabled
4. If USB support is enabled, exit this submenu using the Esc key. If disabled, enable USB support using the Page Up\Down keys (the meanings of all keys for managing BIOS settings are revealed below), then exit by pressing Esc.
5. From the main BIOS menu, select Advanced BIOS settings».
   Go to the advanced BIOS settings to control how your PC boots from different types carriers
6. Enter the hard drive priority menu and turn on the flash drive as the first boot disk.
   To configure the system, the boot order from media must be changed
7. Use the “+” or “Page UP/Down” key to designate the flash drive as the first boot device.
   The first place in the boot list should be a flash drive.
8. Exit this submenu by pressing Esc and set USB drives as the first device to be launched.
   Set the USB-HDD parameter in the First Boot Device section (First boot from a USB drive)
9. Exit all submenus to the main BIOS menu and press F10 to save the settings.
   When a message appears asking the BIOS to save settings, press Y and Enter
10. Give the command “Y” - “Enter”, the computer will restart.

Now, when you restart the PC, it will first poll the ports for the presence of a flash drive or removable hard drive (HDD/SSD) - and only then try to start Windows from the built-in disk.

Checking a hard drive from a flash drive running the Victoria program

For example, we took a ready-made flash drive with Victoria under DOS and a laptop with a faulty disk. Do the following.

1. Insert the USB flash drive and restart the PC. The boot menu with Victoria should appear.
   In the window that appears, select Victoria
2. Victoria app can offer different versions- select the version for laptops.
   In the Victoria for Notebook section, select the second option
3. If you want to familiarize yourself with Victoria's functionality, read the key help by pressing F1.
   First, find out how to launch different functions of the Victoria program by pressing F1
4. To exit the help, press the X key or any other key that is not in the list.
   To exit the help, press X and go to Check Disk
5. From the main menu, press F2 to display disk information. If this does not happen, press the P key to select the IDE interface channel on which the disk sits. All modern PCs are equipped with hard drives SATA drives.
   In the window that appears, select Ext. PCI ATA/SATA and press Enter
6. After selecting the channel type, enter its number, for example, 1. If there are no other hard drives, the following numbers will be empty, there is no point in entering them.
   Busy channels in the program are immediately visible - enter the channel number of your disk and press Enter
7. Wait until Victoria detects the disk on channel 1.
   A message indicating successful channel detection will appear at the bottom
8. If your disk turns out to be IDE-based, go back to the interface selection submenu and select one of the options Primary/Secondary Master/Slave (English: “Primary/Secondary Main/Auxiliary disk”) - check on the disk itself what position it is in switch. IDE is obsolete - modern SATA-based drives do not require switching. The Primary Master mode is taken as an example.
   Select the mode with the cursor keys and confirm the selection with the Enter key
9. The disk details will appear at the bottom. Press F2 to display information.
   The channel port number is attached to the disk information
10. Initialization (passport data) of the disk shows that its recognition by the Victoria application has been completed.
    After the disk is fully initialized, you can start checking it
11. Press F4 - the disk scanning menu will appear. Here LBA is a disk sector (512 bytes). We multiply the number of LBA sectors by 512, divide by 1024 3 - we get the size in gigabytes. The size of the disk area being scanned in Victoria for DOS should not exceed 1024 GB. If the size is more than 1 TB, calculate the beginning (Start LBA) and end (EndLBA) and scan the disk in several stages.
    Check that the disk size does not exceed 1 TB
12. Press the spacebar and enter an integer number in gigabytes or percentage - this will determine the location of the last sector in the scanned area. The scanning start point is also changeable - similarly calculate the size in gigabytes. When you're finished typing, press Enter.
    Enter the last gigabyte that will end the scanned disk area
13. The size of the scanned disk area will be recalculated into the number of LBA sectors. Go to linear reading. Do not change this reading algorithm to another (random and “floating” reads will take longer and wear out the already old disk more).
    Select the program's linear disk scanning mode
14. Go to the next item and select “BB (Bad Blocks) Advanced Remap”. Options are selected using the left/right cursor keys or the space bar.
    Select the BB Advanced Remap option - it will use sectors from the spare area
15. Don’t rush to set the “Erase 256 sect.” algorithm. (“Erasing 256 adjacent sectors”) - in place of one problematic sector, 128 KB of data on the disk will be erased. In this case, the size of the destroyed information will be multiplied by the number of “broken” sectors - depending on the proximity of each of these sectors to each other throughout the scanned area of ​​the disk. Try other sector recovery options first! Press "Enter" to start scanning.

That's it, the process has begun, the Victoria application will notify you of completion with the sound of a beep on the computer. When bad sectors are found, “remapping” (reassignment of sectors) will be automatically performed.

Replacing bad sectors using Victoria is one of the effective ways to temporarily fix a hard drive

The future operation of the disk can be predicted based on SMART monitoring data. Press F9. The status will be indicated at the top. If it is “Good”, there is still a reserve for replacing bad sectors. The status has changed - the disk will be replaced with a new one. If it is not possible to replace the disk, try to programmatically trim it, excluding the bad sectors from the cropped area (often they are close to each other, many of them in a row), but this is for those who like difficulties.

The Good status indicates that the disk is in good condition.

Other ways to check the disk

There are several options:

• using other applications recorded on a flash drive in a similar way (DOS boot loader);
• scandisk.exe utility launched through DOS using the appropriate commands;
• team Windows string XP running from LiveCD/DVD;
• connecting the problematic drive to another computer via a free cable.

Video: checking and trimming “broken” space

Error 11 when writing or unpacking data

The “11th error” has nothing to do with damaged sectors on the disk. This is 90% a software problem. It occurs when installing unverified programs that have installation sources that were compiled by the developers with some omissions. The message is generated by the system library unarc.dll, which is responsible for unpacking content for any installed program and is one of the components of the Windows Installer service.

Error code 11 can be replaced by any code from 1 to 10

Some users, not understanding the problem with the source code of the installed program, update or replace this file (it “lies” in the C:\Windows\System32 directory) with any version of it from the Internet. As a result, Windows may report that some files have been replaced with unknown versions, and require you to insert an installation DVD or flash drive to restore them.

The solutions to the problem are as follows:

• try not to allow Russian names of files and folders in installed applications. For example, instead of the \Truckers-2 folder, when installing the game “Truckers-2”, the \Rig&Roll folder is created. If, after all, the directory name is written in Cyrillic, it means the game is from a dubious source, download the licensed one (hacking the version does not matter, as long as it has a file structure like the licensed source);
• There is not enough disk space (in any of its partitions) for the program to be installed. Clean the disk from unnecessary programs, documents and other content;
• error unpacking archives downloaded from the Internet. Install several archivers (for example, WinRar, WinZip, 7zip and several others);
• disable your antivirus and Windows firewall- sometimes they become an obstacle, especially if any application or game requires crack (activator with key selection).

Other hard drive errors

They may be:

• 3f1 (the error is inherent in HP laptops);
• 300 (boot record not detected);
• 3f0 (no boot disk);
• 301 (SMART disk health diagnostic error), etc.

Video: checking partition C: and flash drives for errors in Windows 7/8/10

Restoring the functionality of a PC or laptop in the event of disk failures is not a problem if you act wisely and consistently. May you be lucky!

In a modern computer there are only two types of units with moving parts left: cooling system fans and storage drives. hard drives- "Winchesters". The presence of plates and a block of magnetic heads rotating at high speed in a hard disk makes this device very vulnerable to mechanical stress, as a result of which errors and fatal damage can occur on the disk. How to test a disk in a timely manner, detect errors and in what cases they can be corrected, and when it’s time to go to the store for a new hard disk is an important question. Take it seriously, because money cannot buy missing data.

Hard drive malfunctions and troubleshooting at home

A lot of thick books have been written about hard drive reading errors, there are a dozen specialized forums, and even a specialty has appeared as a “data rescue service engineer.” In order not to get lost in this ocean of information, let us firmly understand one thing: there are two types of errors that arise - software and hardware (“hardware”).

Hardware errors occur for several reasons:

• physical damage to the surfaces of the hard drive due to impact or movement with high acceleration;
• malfunction computer unit power supply, due to which increased voltage burns out the electronic components of the controller;
• banal age, because the hard drive is in constant motion, and the life of bearings, motors and solenoids is limited.

Errors of this type cannot be eliminated at home. All we can do is track their occurrence in time and try to save the data before the disk completely fails.

But software errors can be corrected at home, and you don’t have to be an engineer or a computer guru. The nature of these errors is almost always related to a deferred write failure. The thing is that both the operating system and the hard drive controller use cache memory. Before reaching the magnetic surface, your data ends up in the cache, because its speed is several orders of magnitude higher than the speed of magnetic recording. Once the cache memory is full, it is paged out to the magnetic disk. And if before the cache is written, your electricity is turned off and there is no UPS, then the controller will already reserve space on the disk for data, but will not have time to write it. As a result, we will get errors in the file system and directory system. In the worst case, so-called SoftBads are formed - disk sectors that are problematic according to the logic of the controller, but are physically perfectly functional.

UPS - source uninterruptible power supply- helps to avoid hardware failures during a sudden power outage. At a minimum, it gives time to shut down the computer correctly.

Types of disk errors encountered in Windows 7

The most unpleasant, but at the same time the most easily eliminated errors are problems with boot sector disk (MBR) and errors in accessing the hidden system partition. The reason for their occurrence lies in the incorrect installation of the operating system, the use of software for managing hard drives, or the incorrect connection of the drive. The latter happens if the disk is often removed from the computer for use as removable storage.

Disk read error when booting Windows 7

Among all the mistakes, this is the worst. It occurs immediately after turning on the computer and passing the tests, but before loading the OS. But there will be no download; instead, we will see a disk read error on the screen.

Correcting this error using the operating system is impossible, since the system will not boot. We will need an OS emergency recovery disk, or even better, a flash drive. Before starting treatment, a few words about how such errors occur.

On every computer with the Windows 7 operating system, the hard drive contains an MBR (Master Boot Record) - the master boot record. There is a small program that starts further loading of the operating system. Starting with version 7 of the Windows operating system, boot files located on a separate disk partition, hidden from the user. It is to this that the MBR transfers control.

Thus, if the MBR is damaged, we see a “disk read error” on the screen. If it is damaged or contains errors hidden system partition, then the error will be slightly different.

Both options can be the result of either the action of a malicious program or unskilled user intervention. The latter most often happens either when using disk partitioning programs (Partition Magic, Paragon Partition Manager), or when trying to install a second operating system, and a lower version. For example, when Windows installation XP on a computer with Windows 7.

An attempt to install a lower version of an OS on a computer than the one already installed will, with 100% probability, result in the impossibility of booting from the hard drive, since the MBR will be corrupted.

Restoring the disk's functionality in both cases will occur according to a similar algorithm. We will need a Windows 7 distribution kit or an emergency recovery disk of the same system. It is better to create a disaster recovery disk in advance, label it and keep it handy. To do this, you need to download and install the Media Creation Tool utility from the Microsoft website, which, after launch, will independently download the necessary components from the network and create bootable media.

MBR recovery

Recovering an active partition (hidden system drive)

Almost certainly, while playing with a disk partitioning program, you assigned the “active” status to some partition, which automatically removed this status from our system partition. Bring everything back in the program with a beautiful graphical interface You can do it in a couple of mouse clicks. The only problem is that the program, along with the operating system, remained on that disk, which now does not load. And again the command line will come to our aid.

Repairing Windows bootmgr and boot store configuration files (BCD)

In rare cases, along with the MBR, the playful hands of the experimental user (this is not about you and me, old man?) they demolish the operating system loader and boot storage configuration files, i.e. everything that lies in the root directory of the hidden system partition. Or rather, it was lying there. Fortunately, Microsoft employees have foreseen this development scenario. The emergency recovery disk includes utilities that will allow you to cure the system partition. Let's get started:

Disk Error 11 in Windows 7

This error usually occurs when there are problems with the cable that connects the hard drive, or with the hard drive controller on the board. Physical damage to the disk surface is also possible. The main symptom is that the speed of disk operations drops to indecent levels. When copying large groups of files, the process may freeze for 10–15 seconds.

When viewing the event log, the controller to which the patient disk is connected produces error 11. Then it gets worse: the computer suddenly begins to freeze and reboot, and not the first time. The algorithm for solving the problem in this case is as follows:

1. Open the computer case and inspect the integrity of the SATA connectors on motherboard and hard drive controller board.
2. We inspect the computer's power supply - it should not be hot or have a burning smell.
3. If knowledge allows and there are instruments, we measure the voltages of the +12V and +5V lines on the computer that is turned on. A deviation of 1–1.5V is already a reason to sound the alarm. The power supply needs to be replaced.
4. SATA cables must be firmly held by the connector and not dangle.
5. Checking the surface of the hard drive standard means operating system:
   • open “My Computer” on the desktop and in the file explorer we see a window with a list of disks;
   • select the disk that needs checking with the right mouse button, call up the context menu and open “Properties”;
   • go to the “Service” tab and select the “Run check” action in the disk check section;
   • enable the checkboxes “Automatically correct system errors” and “Scan and repair damaged sectors”;
   • Click the “Launch” button and wait for the test results.
6. Using the Victoria for Windows program, we conduct an extended SMART test and a drive speed test over the entire surface:
   • download the program from the network;
   • run from an administrator account or with administrator rights;
   • select the disk to check and press the red “Pass” button;
   • Go to the “Smart” tab and click the “Get Smart” button. The program will display the Smart attribute table. For each attribute, we are interested in the rightmost column of the table - “Health”. If the value is in the red zone, then the condition of the disk is critical and needs to be replaced;
   • To conduct a surface test, go to the Test tab, select the reading test (read) and click the Start button. We are waiting for the test to finish. The presence of deep dips in the reading graph means damage to the surface and the presence of reassigned sectors;
7. The presence of 5–10 orange or red sectors in the “legend” indicates that the hard drive has physical surface damage. It's time to buy a new drive and transfer important data to it.

It should be noted that despite the high variability of the causes of the error, in most cases it warns of physical damage to the hard drive or its wear. In this case, performing surface tests with a high load on the hard drive can provoke an avalanche-like formation of “bad” sectors and even make the disk unreadable. Be sure to back up important files before testing.

Video: checking the hard drive with Victoria

Windows has detected a hard drive problem

This is the message the user sees most often. It appears after each incorrectly completed work session (the computer rebooted due to an error, a power outage, or the owner simply pulled the cord out of the outlet instead of shutting down normally). Even kicks to the body system unit standing under the table do not pass without a trace. The case is inexpensive, there is no vibration isolation from the hard drive, and all shocks are transferred to the patient. And in modern HDDs, the recording density is such that even a slight touch of the heads to the surface of the disks - in normal mode, the heads fly above the surface on a cushion of air - leads to micro-scratches of the surface. Areas are formed to which the controller can no longer write data.

This is even more true for laptop disks. The recording density in them is higher than in desktop ones, the mechanics are lighter and have less strength. Impatient owners fold up the laptop and begin moving it without waiting for the system to fall asleep and the hard drive spindle to stop.

In such cases, deferred write errors (rewriting the disk cache onto the magnetic surface of the disk) 100% occur, and the next time you boot, the operating system displays a message about problems. In addition, each such error changes the SMART attributes of the hard drive, and when their number exceeds a threshold value, the system signals a critical disk error.

If you see a window with the error “Windows has detected a hard drive problem”:

A damaged drive can be used as external storage for low-value data: movies, music, audiobooks - things you don’t mind losing. A complete failure of such a disk can occur at any time.

A hard drive is a complex electronic-mechanical device, and it is the mechanical component that makes it so vulnerable. That's why Account in popular cloud service(Google Drive, DropBox, YandexDisk) and regularly copying important data there will allow you to sleep peacefully and not tear your hair out if your equipment fails. And the future belongs to solid-state drives (SSD), their price has already dropped enough to install such a drive as a system drive.

You have become familiar with the most common cases of hard drive errors in Windows 7. Various damages have been left behind. file system, in which logical drives and file directories are not visible. Recovering such errors requires special software and a thorough knowledge base. For the average user, in this case, the most reasonable thing is to turn to specialists. If their verdict is “it’s time for the disk to be scrapped,” then don’t wait until the last minute to buy a new drive and transfer data. After all, a fatal failure can occur at any moment, and you will be left with nothing.

The hard drive is considered one of the main components of a computer system, since without it the system simply cannot work. It is capable of storing a large amount of data that can be accessed at any time. However, sometimes you run the risk of losing important data, for example if your hard drive gets damaged in some way. A hard drive can fail after bad sectors accumulate over a long period of time or suddenly crash. Gradual hard drive failure is difficult to detect because its symptoms mimic other computer problems, such as viruses and malware. These symptoms are usually file corruption and poor PC performance.

Hard drive failures usually occur due to an increase in the number of bad sectors that accumulate over time. Hard drive failure can be sudden, complete, gradual or partial in nature and in most cases, data recovery is the only solution. However, data recovery can never be guaranteed with complete certainty. In this article we will try to answer the question: is it possible to repair a faulty hard drive and how advisable is it in various situations? So, what kind of malfunctions can repair a hard drive?

Electronics board fault

Usually this problem occurs due to power outages, power surges, etc. In 99% of cases, this malfunction can be diagnosed by a complete lack of response to power supply. The HDD should not spin the spindle or give any signs of operability at all; also, if there is a short circuit, some of the elements on the board may become very hot.

HDD repair is possible in this situation. It can be elemental, i.e. Individual elements on the electronics board are changed, and the board can be replaced with a similar one. However, the second repair option involves only restoring the disk's functionality, but not restoring data. The thing is that the data recovery process differs from the repair process in that when data is extracted, a similar electronics board is adapted to the “patient bank”, and in the case of hard drive repair, on the contrary, the “bank” is adjusted to the board, and a new one is created accordingly service information and user data will no longer be available.

The presence of a small number of unreadable sectors in the user area of ​​the hard drive.

Repairing the hard drive in this case is only possible if the amount of damage is small and can be hidden in factory defect lists, or if unreadable sectors have appeared in a certain area and it is possible to cut off part of the user area to prevent the appearance of even more problem areas. However, we consider such repairs acceptable only if this drive will not be used to store important data. The fact is that the appearance of bad blocks usually has an avalanche-like character and it is very unlikely to restore life to a “broken” disk for a long time!

Damaged service area of ​​the hard drive

This problem has begun to occur quite rarely in recent years, and nevertheless, there are cases when the creation of a new service area (translator, defect lists, etc., leads to the full return of the drive’s functionality). Sometimes this requires running a full scan and creating a new “service”, sometimes only small manipulations, such as clearing SMART, recalculating the translator, or shifting service zones by small amounts. In case of mechanical damage, it is no longer possible to restore the functionality of the hard drive under any circumstances. Even when opening the hermetic zone of a hard drive under special conditions, it is almost always impossible to achieve its normal operation. Therefore, if your disk has been subjected to any physical impact, with a very high degree of probability the disk cannot be repaired, or it is completely impractical, since it cannot guarantee its normal operation.

Damaged files

Damage system files usually occurs when the system shuts down suddenly, making it impossible to access your hard drive and therefore to your system. Some of the causes of corrupted files include power surges, the use of malware, accidental closing of a running program, and improper shutdown of the PC. The solution, or rather the prevention of this problem, is to close all running programs before turning off the computer. In addition, it is best to turn off the computer itself in a standard way, and not hold the start button or even pull it out network cable from the outlet (although hardly anyone else does this nowadays). In addition to this, you should avoid installing malware in general and regularly scan and clean your HDD to ensure that no unwanted programs remain there for long.

Viruses and malware

Computer viruses and malware are the next factor that can have an extremely negative impact on the performance of a hard drive. They infect the system and damage the system files stored on it. They usually enter the system from an external source, such as the Internet or external storage. The attacks of these viruses and malware are initially aimed primarily at the hard drive, and subsequently can spread to other computers if they are connected to the infected machine via local network. Updating your computer's operating system is one solution to this problem. Moreover, another possible solution is to install and frequently update a high-quality antivirus program. This antivirus will protect your system and your hard drive and make sure it remains safe from their threats. So, if the data stored on your hard drive is of great value to you, then you should not skimp on antivirus.

Manufacturing defect

Oddly enough, this point should also not be overlooked if you want the HDD to serve you as long and efficiently as possible. Hard disks that have not been tested in advance may fail even after several months of use. This problem occurs mainly in new hard drives. The reason for this most often lies, of course, in a manufacturing defect, which leads to hard drive failure. The best way to prevent this problem is to approach the issue of purchasing a new hard drive as carefully as possible and, if necessary, seek qualified assistance. It is extremely important to test a new hard drive before installing it on your computer system, if possible. And yet, you can never be one hundred percent sure that this will not happen to your purchase. So, in such a case, the only way out is to return and replace.

Overheat

Overheating is also one of the most common problems that cause hard drives to fail. If the system is overloaded, the cooler may begin to spin more slowly, causing the system to begin to heat up immediately after booting. Moreover, there is a high probability of hearing extraneous clicks, which indicates that the hard drive is overheating. This is caused by a lack of proper ventilation or a faulty CPU cooler that overheats the system to the point that the hard drive begins to fail. Part of the solution to the problem is to install the cooler correctly and provide sufficient cooling for the hard drive. Additionally, you can set special program, which will notify you about the temperature of the hard drive. If it starts to exceed the maximum limit, turn off the computer for a while and let it cool down before resuming operation, but in the future, of course, carry out proper diagnostics.

The computer cannot detect the hard drive or BIOS

The computer's inability to detect the BIOS or hard drive is due to interruptions in the power supply provided by the UPS. This causes the hard drive to not spin properly, causing the PC to not detect either the BIOS or the hard drive. The best way to solve this problem is to ensure that the power supply for your PC hardware components, especially the hard drive, is functioning properly. You can do this by simply replacing the cable connecting the UPS to the computer, and also replace the uninterruptible power supply itself with a model from a more reliable and proven company.

Unexpected computer crashes

When a hard drive gets too old, it starts to exhibit all sorts of problems that can cause your computer to crash unexpectedly. The reason for this is mainly due to the accumulation of bad sectors over a long period of time. As bad sectors accumulate, the drive's motor and read/write head become jammed. If this happens, you will begin to hear grinding noises and files and folders will suddenly begin to disappear. You can avoid this by periodically running various scans on your hard drive and (again) installing antivirus programs that protect your hard drive from the threat of viruses that can create bad sectors. Moreover, replacing the hard drive every 3-4 years is also in a good way solutions to this problem.

Human factor

Errors made by the user also have an impact on the occurrence of hard drive failures. For example, incorrect installation operating system, making changes to the system registry settings and changing the location of system files are all very common user errors that can cause irreversible damage to the hard drive. Avoid making any unnecessary changes to system registry settings or changing the location of system files. Also, make sure you install the operating system correctly.

Hard drives are vital to the proper functioning of a computer system. However, they are vulnerable to damage and problems that can lead to the loss of data that was stored on them. However, by taking the necessary precautions, you can avoid possible malfunctions hard drive. Below are some tips to remember if you don't want to lose your precious data:

• Install a good one antivirus program to your computer and update it regularly.
• Always back up your data to a separate location.
• Never turn off your computer while any program is running.

For assistance in preparing the material, we thank the experts of the AIKEN laboratory.

The best programs for diagnosing a hard drive

If you don't know anything about the state of your hard drive, you may simply not have time to save your data when the critical moment comes. You must understand that any of the possible hard drive failures can take you by surprise, which is why you will need to know when it is time to back up your data. To monitor the condition of the hard drive, especially if visible reasons no problems are observed, it is best to install a high-quality software for periodic diagnosis of his condition. You can find some of the most popular programs below.

CrystalDiskInfo

It's convenient free program, which can control S.M.A.R.T. attributes, and will display basic information about the disk and its temperature. It comes in several versions that include more themes and support for multiple languages. The installer may offer other software, so be careful, as you probably don't want to install a couple of unnecessary programs along the way. The program uses a simple interface that will display information about the status of your hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. attributes, hardware characteristics and temperature. If a problem occurs, you can easily find it in the list of attributes.

HDDScan

HDDScan was created to support all types of hard drives, regardless of who makes them. This program is portable and once downloaded, you can run it directly without installing it. It can check the status of your hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. attributes, and in addition, you can access a wider range of tests and functions. It also supports working with RAID arrays, which allows it to conduct tests for them as well. These tests include writing, reading and erasing information on the HDD. All completed tests will be added to the Test Manager section, and will automatically be queued to run upon completion.

PassMark DiskCheckup

This hard drive testing software is free for personal use. To begin with, you will need to download a small file of 2 MB in size, and then simply install the program. In the corresponding S.M.A.R.T. tab. Info in the program, you will see the current status and attribute values, such as the disk package spin-up time, the error rate when reading data from the disk, errors that could not be recovered using hardware error recovery methods, and other S.M.A.R.T. parameters. In addition, the program records the history of the characteristics observed DickCheckup, which can be used for comparison if they get out of control or fail. DiskCheckup can also run two types of disk tests: short (5 minutes) and extended (up to 45 minutes).

HDD Regenerator

HDD Regenerator may help reverse some of the negative effects caused bad sectors to your hard drive. In some cases, it can repair problem areas, so if successful, you can continue using your computer as usual. In other cases, HDD Regenerator at least gives you the opportunity to get important information before you need to completely replace your hard drive. This program is quite useful because it supports many different types of hard drives. The developers claim that it can restore approximately 60% of hard drives. And although this is not the highest chance of success, this outcome is still better than nothing. The only subjective downside is that HDD Regenerator may be a little more difficult to master for novice users.