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.

References

• Henry Amon; Freelance Information Systems Specialist; Salisbury, Maryland