Hard drives are very sturdy and last much longer than they used to, but the truth is that your hard drive will fail eventually. Every time you write something to your hard drive, the storage cells in the hard drive deteriorate a little more. Unless your hard drive has been exposed to too much heat or physical damage, it’ll usually fail gradually over a longer period of time. If you notice clicking or screeching noises, corrupted files, crashing, or slow transfer speeds, it might be time to part ways with your hard drive. Here’s a guide to checking the status of your hard drive and handling a hard drive that’s failing.
Check S.M.A.R.T Status
The majority of modern drives come with a feature known as S.M.A.R.T. (Self-monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) which monitors different parts of the hard drive and notifies you of failure before you risk losing any data. If you receive notifications from your computer about the function of your drive, it might be time to back up important files for more security. You can also manually check the S.M.A.R.T. status of your hard drive on Windows or Mac. On Windows, it will display “pred fail” if your hard drive is in danger of dying soon, and “Ok” if the drive is doing fine. On Mac, it will either read “verified” or “failing”.
How to Handle A Failing Hard Drive
If your S.M.A.R.T status reads “failing” or “pred fail,” it might still be good for a while longer. Still, you should back any important files up on a flash drive or the cloud so you don’t risk losing them. Backing up too many files at once can cause issues, so start by only exporting the most important stuff first. Once you’ve secured those files, you can attempt to do a full drive clone using EaseUS Todo Backup Free for Windows or Carbon Copy Cloner for Mac.
Prepare For Hard Drive Failure
Failing hard drives are a very normal part of owning a computer. Every hard drive has a limited lifespan, and you never really know when yours will give out. That’s why it’s important to regularly back up your files, even if your drive is brand new. Either save all your files to a cloud drive or put them on external drives to keep them safe. Files can corrupt and data can be lost even with a healthy drive, so do everything you can to protect your important files so you don’t lose them for good.
Computer Repairs and Data Recovery With ComputerCPR
If you need to replace your hard drive or recover lost data, you can always rely on ComputerCPR. Our team of experienced computer repair technicians are skilled in repairs, data recovery, and remote tech support. We strive to give our clients the best service, every time. Feel free to call or visit our website to get in touch with a computer repair technician today!