5 Warning Signs that Your Hard Drive is about to Crash

It’s nerve-racking when your hard drive begins to sputter and make unpleasant noises. Computing is a stressful endeavor when it feels like a crash is imminent and you’ll unexpectedly lose all of your precious data. Thankfully, a devastating crash like this rarely happens out of the blue. Instead, a troubled hard drive will first give you warning signs that something is wrong.

Here are the five warning signs you need to look out for in order to avoid a hard drive crash. If your hard drive is showing any of these symptoms, you need to take immediate action to resolve the issue, or else. Also, remember to always be backing up your data so that your files can be recovered in a worst-case, hard-drive-crash scenario.

Frequent Crashes and Regularly Freezing Up
Obviously, if you’re experiencing frequent computer crashes, your hard drive is close to kicking the bucket. In the case of some computer crashes or freeze-ups, they only amount to lost time, but not lost data. The reason for a PC hiccup like this is that it can’t locate the important file needed to perform a function. If this is the case with your PC, you should consider the small crashes as warning signs that a major disaster that will cause data loss is inevitable.

Lost Data
“Where did I put that file?” While it’s perfectly natural for a human to forget something small like this, a computer should never “forget,” i.e., lose its data. One sign that your PC’s data is leaking is when it fails to open needed applications because necessary files are missing. While it’s possible that your needed files may simply be misplaced due to a user manually moving or deleting files, it’s more likely that you’re experiencing hard drive issues like data leaks.

Weird Noises
It’s normal for your PC to make a noise like the hum coming from its fans, or the whirring of your hard drive starting up, but anything beyond this is abnormal and cause for concern. Especially if you hear crunching noises like metal grinding on metal. In ear-piercing situations like this, we recommend that you cease using your computer, shut it down, and seek out the assistance of an IT professional. Otherwise, the noise will only get louder, your problem will get worse, and eventually, your system will crash.

Your PC Doesn’t Recognize Your Drive
It’s one thing if your computer can’t locate a file, it’s completely another thing when it can’t locate an entire drive. Maybe the issue isn’t as bad of a problem as it seems and your hard drive is fine, but your computer just can’t read it for some reason. One way to test this is to try having another computer that you know is in good working order read your hard drive. If this second machine can’t recognize your drive, then it’s likely toast.

Processing Speed that’s Agonizingly Slow
When the loading of an application gives you enough time to pour yourself a cup of coffee, then your hard drive is experiencing major issues and may be on the verge of crashing. Technically, depending on what function you’re trying to perform, it might be a different component giving you grief. For example, a video that skips may point to a problem with your video card, or maybe your RAM, but not your hard drive. Although, if you’re consistently having problems loading files and applications, and your computer doesn’t perform like it used to, even when accessing programs that have always functioned flawlessly, then a hard drive error is a likely cause.

Is your troubled hard drive experiencing one or several of these symptoms? If so, you need to get them resolved before you experience a major crash and lose all of your precious data--something that will crash the operations of your company as well. Instead of reacting to major hard drive issues like these, it’s better to be proactive and maintain your PC with proven IT best practices.

This is the approach that Computerware takes when caring for computer hardware. We’re able to perform maintenances remotely so that issues like these are prevented in the first place. If we happen to detect any of these hard drive symptoms, we’ll jump into action and take care of it for you, meaning that you don’t have to worry about the possibility of a major crash. To get your business signed up with our managed IT service, give us a call today at (703) 821-8200.