Nothing lasts forever, including your computer's hard drive. Hard drives are mechanical devices and as such they will eventually wear out and stop working. When this happens you may lose any data stored on the drive, and if you don't have proper backups in place, there is no guarantee you can get that data back.
Fortunately, in many cases, your hard drive will begin to show signs of degradation before it fails completely. There are no guarantees, but this may give you time to properly back up your files and replace your hard drive before it dies completely.
Here are the top 10 signs of an impending hard drive failure:
1. Unusual grinding or clicking noises.
If you hear any unusual sounds coming from your computer, it may be a sign of mechanical damage within the hard disk. Often it's an indicator of damage to the read/write heads. If the read/write heads are damaged, they can come into contact with the disk platter, marring the surface and making it impossible to access your data.
2. Your computer locks up during booting.
Virtually all computers experience this problem on occasion, but if it happens regularly or becomes increasingly frequent, it is often a sign that there is a serious problem.
3. Files suddenly go missing for no apparent reason.
If files start to disappear and you're sure you haven't deleted them by mistake, it is likely a sign of hard drive failure. Sometimes the deleted files may not be important, but you may begin to lose important system files that could drastically affect the performance of your computer.
4. Incredibly long wait times to access your files.
Sometimes it takes a little bit longer to access your files than usual. This is normal and can be due to a variety of factors. However, if it routinely takes an extremely long time to access your files, this can be a sign that your hard drive has been compromised.
5. You get a message that your hard drive is not recognized by the system BIOS.
If you get an error message saying that your system BIOS (Basic Input Output System) can't access or doesn't recognize your hard drive, you have a problem. Another variation of this scenario is that the drive is identified as being a different make or model that it actually is. Either way, in all likelihood this means your drive is not working properly and needs to be replaced.
6. Your computer frequently locks up during the booting process.
Sometimes computers lock up during the booting process. In isolation, this is not necessarily an indication of a bigger problem. If it begins to happen on a regular basis, chances are that the drive is beginning to fail.
7. You get an error message saying that the hard drive is not formatted.
This is a sign that your hard drive is very close to complete failure. Occasionally you may be able to reboot your computer a couple of more times and get it to work, but this is a certain indication that you need to back up whatever files you can and replace the drive.
If you do get this error message, don't be fooled into trying to reformat the drive as this will cause you to lose all of your data.
8. You get an 'operating system not found' error.
This is an indication that your hard drive is severely damaged and is not working at all. If this happens, your computer can not detect the drive and you'll need a new hard drive as well as the services of a data recovery company to retrieve your lost files.
9. Your computer frequently reboots on its own.
If this happens occasionally, it may not indicate a bigger problem, but if your computer often reboots on its own during use this can be a sign that your drive is approaching the point of failure. If this problem starts to happen with increasing frequency, it's a very clear sign that there is a major problem.
10. The "Blue Screen of Death."
The dreaded "Blue Screen of Death" is more technically called a Stop Error Screen, and presents itself as a series of error messages on a bright blue background screen. A stop error screen can be a sign of any one of several computer malfunctions and most commonly indicates a problem with a device driver. However, it can also be a sign that your hard drive is near the end of the line.
If you see any of these signs, the best thing to do is to back up your files as soon as possible, with the most important files taking priority. Recognizing these signs and acting on them quickly gives you a better chance of saving your important files.
If your computer has already crashed, you may want to contact a reputable data recovery company. A data recovery specialist can recover lost files in many cases. The sooner you take action, the better chance that you can save your data.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Stevenson
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