Symptoms of a Defective Hard Drive

Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it clacks. Another time, or possibly in addition, the hard drive is no longer recognized by the system. Learn more about the symptoms, their causes and how you can recover seemingly lost data.

The Most Common Signs of Defective Storage Devices and Impending Data Loss

Opened hard drive with visible read-write heads for diagnosis

Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it clacks. Other times, or possibly in addition, the hard drive is no longer recognized by the system. Learn more about the symptoms, their causes, and how you can rescue seemingly lost data.

File cannot be opened / access is not possible
Computer does not start / "No operating system" message
System freezes when opening a file / hangs
Cryptic names of folders and files in the file directory
Errors in Word / Excel documents
Computer makes strange noises (clicking, clacking, squealing)
PC / Mac does not recognize the hard drive
No file access
Files cannot be copied
CDs / DVDs cannot be read
Memory card not readable

First Aid Measures

Professional diagnosis and analysis of a storage device

Because it is not always immediately apparent where the cause of data loss lies, you should refrain from hasty do-it-yourself data recovery attempts. Free recovery tools from the internet can make a subsequent professional hard drive data recovery impossible.

First steps for data loss