How to Handle a Hard Drive Crash?

While many people believe the believe OS and hard drive crash to be the same thing, there is a lot of difference between the two. If the operating system of the computer-whether it is Mac, Linux or Windows- crashes, it is called Logical Failure. On the other hand, if the hard drive crashes or malfunctions, it is called Physical Failure. In both the cases, though the data is still present in the system, it is not readily accessible for your use. A proactive approach to back up all the data stored in the drive may prevent any loss that you may otherwise encounter because of the hard disk crash. For individuals who are not familiar with hardware repair, it is always better to seek help of a desktop computers repair professional. If you are, however, well-versed with the technicalities, here's a step to step guide to handle a situation when your hard drive crashes.

Find Out the Cause of the Crash

The first step is to find out the cause of the failure, which may be logical or physical. In case your computer crashes, it will not boot to the OS. The same error will be reflected in case the crash was caused by logical or physical failure. If the computer doesn't boot and you hear clicking or whirring sound, this might be a sign of physical drive failure. It is advisable to avoid trying to boot the computer or reload the OS in case of physical drive failure.

Physical Hard Drive Failure

If the hard drive has crashed as a result of any kind of malfunctioning in the hard drive, chances are high that the data will be accessible and intact. You can try to boot the computer to get an image of the drive or clone the hard drive, though it is a risky process. However, don’t start the computer to copy the files to an external disk as it may add onto the stress and result hardware failure. The safest way to copy your data is to remove the hard drive, put it into a different system and fetch the important data through a Data Recovery Software. If the data is retrieved, you can buy a new hard drive and reinstall it in the computer.

Logical Hard Drive Failure

When the hard drive is in good condition but is unable to boot into the OS, it results in a logical failure. A human error, virus, system driver conflict or software malfunction may trigger the failure. The methods of imaging or cloning won't be of any help in this situation. You are also advised not to reinstall the OS or run any other tools such as CHKDSK. The data recovery software may help in dealing with the problem.

It is advised that you seek help of a home computer repair expert in case of logical failure so that the data can be retrieved safely. Hard drive crash is a common problem but may cause major damage, if you don't backup your data regularly.