How to Tell If a Hard Drive Is Bad

A bad hard drive can ruin your day, especially if you didn't see it coming. Most people have a lot of personal information and files on their computer that can't easily be recreated. To avoid a hard drive crash, know the signs of a bad hard drive. If you pay attention to these signs, you will more often than not know when your hard drive is starting to go bad.

Instructions

    • 1

      Turn on the computer. If you notice any hard drive errors or the computer won't load the operating system, then most likely the hard drive is bad.

    • 2

      Search the hard drive using an error-checking tool. Windows has a built-in program called Scandisk that will look for and repair bad sectors in a hard drive. Run the program and look for the number of bad sectors. One or two bad sectors does not mean the hard drive is necessarily bad, but more than a few will indicate that it probably is.

    • 3

      Listen for noise. A hard drive can often make a crunchy noise if it's busy, but if you hear any other kind of noise, especially a noise with a harsh metallic or any other loud sound, there is a good chance the hard drive is bad.

    • 4

      Observe your computer. If you notice frequent errors where the computer shuts down or goes to a black or blue screen, that is a good sign the hard drive is bad or doing bad.

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