Failing Hard Drive Symptoms

If your hard drive is making unusual noises (clicking, grinding or metal scraping), turn it off immediately! This symptom typically indicates a head crash that can destroy your data. Hard drives spin with extreme speed - from 7,200 to 15,000 revolutions per minute - therefore extensive damage can occur in a short period of time.

Other Signs;

• Computer won't boot

• Inaccessible drives and partitions

• Applications are unable to run or load data

• Corrupted or missing data

• Hard disk component failure

• Programs crash all the time

• On startup says "Operating System Not Found"

• On startup says "Invalid System Disk"

• Blue Screen on startup & while working

• Boots to desktop, fails to show icons

Recovery Tips

While most disk utilities provide excellent preventative maintenance by fixing minor problems, they can render data unrecoverable in the event of extreme corruption. Follow these tips to help ensure your drive and data safety.

1. Always Save an "Undo" File

* Save an "undo" file, a record of the changes the utility has made to your drive, in the event it does not correct your problem. By having this file along with your drive, you help ensure recovery of your data.

* Do NOT use a utility program if it does not allow you to save an "undo" file of the repairs it makes.

2. Strange Noises? Avoid Utilities!

* If your drive sounds or acts erratically in any way, DO NOT USE UTILITY SOFTWARE.

* Damaging sounds include clicking, buzzing or scraping.

* Back up your data immediately (if you are already booted up).

* Shut down the computer to avoid further damage to the drive and its data.