I received a call last week from a new client because the hard drive crashed on their PC. Hard drives will not last forever (nothing computer related does), so here are a few things to watch out for and be prepared for concerning your computers hard drive health.
Backups – This is a topic way too deep to address as part of this Tech Tip, but make sure you have all your sensitive data backed up, if your hard drive fails, you will be very happy you did this easy procedure.
Signs – If you are fortunate, you will notice signs that your hard drives health is poor and the inevitable is coming. Here are a few of the signs to be mindful of:
- Files Disappear
- Computer locks up when booting up
- File access is unusually slow
- Saving files is unusually slow
- Computer freezes often
Blue Screen of Death – There is no gray area here, your hard drive will either work or not. In the event of hard rive failure; you probably will see the Blue Screen of Death, now is the time to call your IT guy. I hope you have a maintenance agreement with him!
Diagnose – The first thing your IT Tech will do is run a diagnostic test of your computer. This will help determine the severity of the damage to your hard drive and the potential of data recovery.
Data Recovery – Much like backups, data recovery is a topic too in-depth to cover as part of another Tech Tip, but if the diagnostic report indicates your data may be recovered, consider the value of the data vs. the cost of recovery.
If your PC or Mac has shown any of the indicators for hard drive failure, or you are seeing the Blue Screen of Death, call me personally, I may be able to help.
John McCann
704-662-6845
John McCann & Associates