How to Repair Common Hard Drive Errors

It feels good to help someone in need, even if their specific need is to have their computer fixed when it is broken.  To that end, part of the goal of this blog is to help people get their computers working again with as little work and cost as possible.

Today, I am going to explain how to repair errors on your hard drive using tools included with your PC.  Although it may take a little time, this simple measure is easy to do and costs nothing.  In fact, it is one of the first things I will do when attempting to repair a client's computer.

Sometimes problems with computers can source from any number of other things besides the hard drive, but the chances of your hard drive having errors are increased if you experience any of the following:

• You frequently start up and shut down the computer
• You are prone to shutting down the computer improperly
• The computers's power is frequently disrupted
• The computer case is frequently shaken or vibrated
• Your computer is old (8+ years or older)

If any of the above statements are true of your PC, it is worth doing a scan to check your hard drive for errors and repair them if necessary.  Even if it doesn't fix the true source of the problem, it will eliminate one thing from the troubleshooting list and possibly fix other issues as well.

Now, how do you check your hard drive for errors and fix them if they are present?  The answer lies in a simple piece of software included with Windows itself called "Check Disk."  It automatically scans your hard drive for errors and attempts to repair them if they are found.

To access Check Disk:

• Windows 7/Vista - Click the Start Icon, click on Computer, right-click on the hard drive you want to check for errors, click Properties, click on the Tools tab, and finally click Check Now under error checking.
•  Windows XP - Double-click on My Computer, right-click on the hard drive you want to check for errors, click Properties, click on the Tools tab, and finally click Check Now under error checking.
• In both cases, click the boxes that say Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

Select the hard drive you suspect has errors, and run an Error-checking scan

 The program will ask you if you would like to do a scan upon the next boot up of your computer.  Go ahead and click Schedule disk check and restart your computer.

Once your PC reboots, it should automatically scan your hard drive for errors and fix them if any are found.  This is going to be a long process, so you may want to start it at some point when you will be away from the computer for a while, such as when you leave for work in the morning, or right before going to sleep for the night.

Schedule a disk check and restart your PC

After Check Disk finishes the scan, your hard drive should be error free.  Assuming hard drive errors are indeed the culprit of your computer issues, it should now be fixed and the problem solved.  If your hard drive has bad sectors and Check Disk is unable to repair them, it is a good time to back up your important data and look for a new hard drive.  Too many bad sectors indicates a total failure of the hard drive is not too far away, and all your data will be lost with it.

Allow the Check Disk program to fix your hard drive's errors

Speaking of total hard drive failure, if your computer has suddenly started making more clicking or whirling noises and refuses to load Windows or specific programs, your hard drive may already be past the point of no return.  You could try doing a Check Disk scan by connecting it to another computer and booting from a different hard drive, but it's doubtful that the scan will be completed (usually it will just freeze up once it reaches a certain point).  If you absolutely need the data on that hard drive, a data recovery specialist will need to take a look at it to see what can be recovered.  Hopefully you backed up your important data so that risk is avoided.  Otherwise, chalk up the loss and get a new hard drive... making sure to make backups this time!

In conclusion, Check Disk is an extremely useful, simple program which can help you fix common errors on your hard drive.  Such errors can cause problems with the way your computer functions, and Check Disk can remedy that--in most cases.  If you've read my series on common computer issues, hard drive errors are perhaps the most common problem my clients have.  With this article, you can fix those errors at home without having to shell out big bucks at the computer repair shop.

And as always, if you have an issue that larger than just hard drive errors, or if you prefer someone with experience to figure it all out for you, feel free to contact me for assistance.  No problem is too small for PC Tech Repair Alternative to handle.

The Most Common Computer Problems, Part 3: Hardware Issues

It's been over a year since I have updated this blog, and what a year it has been!  I have been busy getting married and starting a family, and haven't had much time for writing informative and useful posts.  However, now that things are a bit more settled (for the time being, at least), I can start helping my readers figure out their PC problems once again.  It's good to be back.

Since it has been a year, feel free to review Part I & Part II of this series, which deals with hard drive errors and viruses/malware, respectively.

The end of this series deals with more of the physical aspects of computers failing, the hardware.

The hardware of your computer are all the physical parts that are combined together to make your computer function.  Some of the most common pieces of computer hardware include the CPU (a.k.a. processor, central processing unit), the memory (a.k.a. RAM, random access memory), the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, the power supply, and many others.

All of these pieces of hardware serve a specific purpose, and a failure of one or more of these parts may lead to error messages, crashes, and sometimes even keep the computer from starting up.

Hardware problems can be a bit trickier to diagnose compared to problems like malware, which are usually evident right from boot up.  Some issues could possibly stem from more than one part, making a diagnosis difficult at times.  For example, if someone brings me a computer that only displays a black screen upon start up, it could be faulty or misplaced RAM, a bad video card, a failing power supply, or perhaps even the entire motherboard is toast (not likely, but still a possibility).
  

Various hardware compoents of a PC (Image credit: Damien van Holten)

In situations like that, the old adage "K.I.S.S." can help tremendously.  "K.I.S.S." literally means "Keep It Simple, Stupid."  As with many things, problems with computers are often the cause of the simplest thing going wrong.  Perhaps in the situation described above, the real problem was the monitor's video cable was not actually hooked up to the PC, which can also cause a black screen.  Starting with the most obvious solutions first can eliminate a long and frustrating (and potentially expensive) troubleshooting session.  Gradually work from the easiest possible solution, making your way up to the most difficult one by one.  More often than not, the problem will stop after the first couple of checks.

Generally speaking, the most common hardware problem I have encountered myself is a faulty memory module.  I, myself, have had random crashes, blue screens and reduced performance because of a faulty stick of RAM.  After ruling out all other possible problems, a simple Windows 7 memory check confirmed that one of my RAM modules was faulty.  After removing it, my computer worked flawlessly again... albeit with 2GB less RAM.

RAM often malfunctions over time (Image credit: devilll0991)

  I have since replaced it with another 4GB so no worries there.  But I'm not the only one that's had this problem... many friends and clients have brought me their PCs, complaining of random crashing and errors.  After checking the usual suspects (hard drive errors, malware, and simple fixes), the RAM is almost always to blame.  Pop in a new stick and their PCs are ready to go again, just like before.

This is not to say that all hardware problems are as easy to diagnose as this, however.  Many times hardware issues are vendor specific.  I once had a client whose laptop hadn't started up in over a year, although the power was clearly on and the computer seemed to work, just with no display.  After a thorough internet search, it turns out her specific laptop had an issue with the video card popping out of its slot over time from the computer being turned on and off.  Heat from the computer being on makes computer hardware expand just a little, and cooling does just the opposite.  Over time, this process had moved the video card just enough to lose signal to the motherboard.  After properly reinserting the video card into the slot, the computer ran normally again, even after a year of not working.

Another client of mine had a computer that would literally restart itself at random times for no reason.  This one really had me stumped, and I must have replaced every part on this computer thinking it would be the key to fixing the restarting problem.  After trying just about everything with no success, I started to think about the symptoms.  It appeared as though someone was walking by randomly and pressing the power button on the PC, but of course there wasn't.  Then, it dawned on me: the power button!  Sure enough, once I wired a new power button on to this PC, it started working just fine... no more random restarts.  From this case, I learned that not all problems are necessarily from the internal parts of a computer.  Even the smallest piece of plastic attached to the case can cause major issues at times.

So in summary, hardware issues are a relatively common computer problem and can be difficult to diagnose at times.  Using a "K.I.S.S." approach to finding and fixing hardware problems is generally the easiest and most efficient way to figure out which piece of hardware is causing the trouble.  Keep in mind that sometimes even the most simple of parts, such as a fan or a switch, can cause big issues.


This concludes the three part series on the most common computer problems.  Hopefully, this information will be of use to computer users trying to solve their own computer issues.  If you are having a problem that you can't figure out on your own, feel free to contact me and get some advice.  Or have me fix it if you live locally... my rates are very competitive.

At PCTRA, we keep this from happening. (Image credit: karindalziel)

Good luck, and come back soon for more simple and useful computer repair knowledge!