Hard drive problems are one of the top 3 computer problems. Included in this list is power supplies and RAM. After that, it’s the hard drive. There are a variety of issues when it comes to hard disk drives, but they usually boil down into a software issue (Windows or Mac OS doesn’t work quite right or there is something physically wrong with the drive.
The type of problem that you can hear, an audible “clicking” noise, generally indicates a physical issue. These are somewhat difficult to fix. The idea is to get your drive back into working capacity, if it’s already not working, and get your critical data off of it — PRONTO!
If your drive is working, but making noise, and it contains anything for which you don’t have a backup or an image (and why not? See backup and image for foolproof ways to do this), backup or copy the data onto another disk as soon as possible! Don’t hesitate. Buy another drive if you have to, but do it now.
Put It On Ice
If your hard disk has already stopped working, there’s still hope, but you have very little time. One thing to do is take out your disk, put it in a Ziploc bag, place in the freezer for several hours, then re-install it. Boot up your computer and make a copy of whatever data you need right away.
Here is an article by Fred Langa where he shows the various methods he and his readers have used to bring back a dead hard drive —
How To Fix a Hard Drive
200 More Ways to Fix a Dead Drive
Believe it or not, this sometimes works. For many more ways to fix a hard drive, check out this article in TechRepublic where they chronicle over 200 ways to fix your drive.
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