Almost every day, I work on computers where the hard drive fails. The failure often leaves the user in a state of panic. Why panic? They usually do not have their data backed-up. It is frustrating to me that they have no back-up of data when they have a CD/DVD burner, flash drive, or access to a server for storing data.
Why hard drives fail? The question is not really why, buy when. Hard drives are man-made and will fail at some point. Hard drives are susceptible to heat, humidity, dust, electromagnetism, static electricity, and rough handling.
Your data can become corrupt or lost due to a hard drive failure. Data can also become corrupt because of an improper shut down, poorly written software, viruses, and mechanical issues.
Myth: I will know when my hard drive is about to fail. Truth: Maybe not. There are systems like SMART that will give a warning before hard drive failure. However, even if you have SMART enabled in your BIOS, you may have an unexpected failure.
Your system may give you some signs that the hard drive is about to fail. For example: unusual hard drive noises, unexpected shut downs, BSOD (blue screen of death), error messages, files/data disappear, and file folder name changes.
What to do if you receive any signs of failure? If you hear unusual noises, shut the system down immediately. Turning off the system may allow any remaining life in the drive to be used for backing up data. In case of other signs: Back up your data!
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