A corrupted hard drive is a common instance. This unwelcomed guest does not knock your door before coming. If you say that you are facing the data corruption issue since computer era commencement, then there is nothing erroneous. Thus, if you ever come across scenarios like
- Corrupted digital picture/files
- Inability to access data
- Failure to open a file within an application, etc.
Then, your data is at stake. These are just a few most common incidences of data loss. However, the instances of corruption are wider than what you consider.
When a message saying hard drive corruption knocks the door, the only big query that triggers the mind is how to fix corrupted hard drive? Broadly speaking, three approaches are available to deal with them. You just have to choose the best-fit for you taking into account how critical your data is and how much does it worth.
These approaches are:
- Manual Methods
- Use Data Recovery software
- Connect with Professional Data Recovery Service Provider
Prior digging into it, let us clear few questions that must be coming to your mind might be what is it, why it gets corrupt, and what are its symptoms?
Data Corruption Introduction
In simple words, it is a state under which code of a file or data inside a file alters from the original state.
Data Corruption Reasons
On the whole, several reasons are that tends to cause data corruption. Some most common occurring factors are:
- Virus Attack
- Human Error
- Physical Damage
- Sudden power loss
- File System Damage
- Boot Sector Corruption
- Ageing out of storage device
Hard Drive Corruption Symptoms
- File System appears as RAW
- A message stating “Sector not found” pops up
- Presence of weird characters in Filenames
- An occurrence of the message: Invalid media type reading drive. Abort, Retry, Fail?
- Generation of format warning: disk not formatted. Do you want to format now?”
Methods to Fix Corrupted Hard Drive
As discussed, there are three ways are to fix the corrupted hard drive. Let’s discuss each of the three points.
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Manual Methods
Several manual methods are known to handle the corrupt hard drive. These are:
- Launch a comprehensive Disk Check
- Go to Computer/This PC >> Select Hard Drive >> Choose Properties
- Select Tools >> Error checking >> Check now >> Check local disk >> Start
- Shut down all open and running programs >> wait for the system to check upon the next boot >> restart the PC
- Use Control Panel
- Go to Control Panel >> Select System and Security >> Action Center
- Click and expand Maintenance section >> select Run Scan >> Restart
- Use File Manager
- Open-File Manager >> Select the desired Drive >> Properties
- Select Tools >> Check under Error Checking
- On completion of drive, errors fix, click Repair This Drive
Note: All these are manual driven approaches, thus requires a bit of technical expertise. Moreover, these ways work for limited cases. For advanced issues, you require professional assistance. Last but not the least, these have compromise problem, integrity issue and data loss risk associated with it.
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Use of Software
In several cases, data recovery software is able to locate the fragmented file parts on the hard drive other sectors and rebuilt them. Nevertheless, the challenging job here is a selection of the right recovery software as the market is flooding with a plethora of tools. Out of this extensive collection, some are dependable, and some have potential to aggravate the situation further. Most importantly, the software only in cases of logical damage.
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Connect with Professional Data Recovery Service Provider
Though counting as the last resort, but in all, it is a remarkable all-in-one option. You can use it for both scenarios—logical and physical. Another best point about this technique is you just have to hand over the corrupt hard drive to the experts. While the service provider themselves takes care of data integrity, data security & confidentiality during recovery.
This is the time when Stellar Data Recovery comes into the picture. Since last two decades, it is considerably delivering the secure, reliable, and confidential data recovery service to its vast clientele. The 2 million + satisfied customers, Class 100 Clean Room lab, high success rate, and on time delivery are a testament to it.
Tips to Consider
- Don’t Panic
- Check for backup
- Regularly perform disk health tests to analyse the health level of the hard disk
- A big NO to built-in repair tools (It has potential to cause more damage and make recovery impossible)
Conclusion
In most corrupted hard drive cases, the data has not gone forever. You just have to identify your state of despair and choose the correct measure to retrieve the lost, deleted or inaccessible data.
If the data is very critical and you are not ready to take any risk, then going to the reliable service provider as recommended above is a sure-shot. Reason being, the strong business acumen and a foothold in data recovery niche.