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.