Hard Drive Repair Using Free Software

Contrary to popular belief, if a computer does not boot due to hard drive corruption all data is not lost and the hard drive may even be repairable. There are 2 types of hard drive damage. One is fixable by you and the other requires a professional data recovery facility.

Physical Drive Damage - Physical damage is the worst. Data recovery can only be done by professionals and can cost up to $1,500 (sometimes higher). Physical damage usually consists of bad actuator arms, damaged platters or fried controller cards.

Non-Physical Drive Damage - Non-Physical damage (NPD) is what we're going to be discussing in this article. NPD occurs when the operating system's file system (fat or ntfs) gets corrupted due to an improper shutdown (for example). While this damage is may seem really bad (if it's preventing you from booting your PC), it's easily fixable with some software that's already including in any Windows PC and a USB external hard drive enclosure.

Here are a list of items that you'll need to follow the instructions below:

Another working computer with Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
Find out what kind of hard drive you have. There are 2 types. SATA (small flat connector) and PATA (a.k.a IDE) which has a connector with about 30 pins. An external USB hard drive enclosure with a connector for the type of drive you're going to be connecting to it (you can grab one of these at BestBuy for about $50 USD).

Please follow the steps below to perform a non-physical repair (software repair) on a non-bootable hard drive.

1. Take the drive out of the computer.
2. Connect the hard drive to the connector on the USB enclosure.
3. Connect a USB cable from the enclosure to the computer that's working.
4. Power on the USB enclosure.
5. An external drive will probably load in your list of available hard drives. You can see this list by opening "My Computer" or "Computer". Take note of the drive letter for the external hard drive.
6. Now it's time to load a program called CHKDSK (Check Disk).
7. Click Start (if you're on Windows XP) or click the Windows globe (on the bottom left for Vista and Windows 7).
8. On Windows XP click RUN, then type CMD. On Windows Vista and 7 type CMD where it says "Search Programs and Files". This will open a black command prompt window.
9. In the command prompt type chkdsk "the drive letter you want to check": /r and press enter. So here is an example chkdsk g: /r then press the enter key.
10. This process can take hours. I've had a few that took days.
11. If this command completes successfully your drive should be repaired enough for you to recover the data from it and you might actually be able to boot from it again.

A word of warning. If your drive ever has any errors on it (bad sectors) it's reached the end of it's life and should be replaced ASAP. You'll be able to see this in the report provided to by the chkdsk command at the end of it's scan.

Remove Disk Repair Fake Computer

Disk repair is rogue computer program that seems as real hard disk optimization tool. It comes on targeted system silently without any authorization with other malicious downloads. It installs automatically in the system and modifies registry settings. It performs several malicious activities on compromised system to harm system security and performance level. It displays fake scanning results that misguide users to think about their system is infected with numerous virus and malware items. It also shows notification alerts that include memory errors, bad sectors problems and hard drive errors. It displays numerous pop-up alerts and promotional adverts that promote users to buy full version of fake disk repair program. It can hijack internet browser and blocks secured windows applications. It is extremely important to remove Disk Repair fake computer optimization tool upon detection to avoid any further damage on system.

Some dangerous effects of Disk Repair:

· Create duplicate system files and programs
· Corrupts system programs and files
· Modifies registry settings
· Redirects web browser to malicious sites
· Displays numerous fake alerts, one such fake message is:

"Critical Error

Windows can't find hard disk space. Hard drive error"

You must remove Disk Repair from infected system to save your system from harmful effects of this rogue application. Expert system users who have adequate knowledge of registry entries and disk repair contaminated files can remove it manually. But you must have full system backup before moving towards removal steps.

How to remove Disk Repair:

· Use windows task manager to stop all processes run and managed by this fake program
· Remove disk repair program from windows control panel followed by Add/Remove program
· Open windows registry editor and delete added registry values
· Delete other contaminated files associated with this fake program.

You can remove this fake computer optimization program by following manual removal steps. But manual removal is not always safe. If you delete any important registry values mistakenly then it may crash complete system. If you are general system user then use any professional tool to remove this infection. Anti-spyware is a specialized virus removal tool that detects and removes virus and malware items automatically from the system. You can further use registry cleaner program to upgrade system performance and repair registry errors. It is better to update your system with anti-spyware software regularly to avoid any further virus attack.

How to Repair Hard Drive

How to Fix Hard Drive Errors and Slowdown

Repairing hard disk and doing basic troubleshooting is not difficult unless your hard drive is under serious complications. This is common in users to store more information on their hard disks than ever and the reason is simple, consumers require more space now and hard drive manufacturing companies have responded to this need by producing immense 500 GB disks that are suitably enough for users. However, such hard disks demand more maintenance than smaller ones. This article provides you with unique information regarding how to fix hard disk related problems.

Check Hard Drive Health:

Run the Check Dist, Utility, and CHKDSK to fix hard disk failure. This is a Windows application which allows you to scan your hard drive to detect errors. Most of the times you can fix hard disk problems by using this utility. This will work by making error zones and instructing your computer to repair the errors.

Here is how it works:

• Open " My Computer"
• Right click on your selected hard drive
• Click "Properties"
• Click "Tools"
• Click on "Check Now"
• If you wan a systematic repair, click "Automatically fix file system errors" and then "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors".
• When you see new window, click on "Schedule disk check" to start the process.
Make sure to run this utility every 3 months to avoid hard disk slow down, and fix hard drive errors.

Organize Fragmented Data:

Another way to fix hard disk problems is to organize the data on your hard drive. You load immense data on your hard almost every time when you use your computer. Though, your operating system organizes this data, but it's not a perfect system. So, many times the data you are adding is placed in an inefficient location on the hard drive, this is called fragmentation. Thus, you should take some steps to defrag the data to overcome poor performance of hard disk. The way to defrag data is mentioned below:

• Go to "Start Menu"
• Open "My Computer"
• Right click on C drive
• Click "Properties"
• Open "Tools Menu"
• Choose "Defragment Now"
• Click Defragment in the Disk Defragmenter Menu

Take Out the Trash:

Now that you have enabled your system to fix hard drive problems and errors its time to clean up the newly de fragmented data. Microsoft has developed great tool that can be used to clean up defragmented, unnecessary and temporary data. So, use this tool to clean and avoid hard disk slowness.

How it works:

• Click on "Start" button
• Click "Programs" and open "Accessories"
• Choose "System Tools"
• Click on "Disk Cleanup"

Follow these easy steps to fix all your hard related problems and speed up the Windows performance incredibly. If you understand and follow these steps properly, you can save yourself to spend money on hard drive repairs and speeding up the speed of your computer. On the other hand, you can start giving your services to your friends or family friends to earn some money.

Hard Disk Repair Tips

Hard drives work like the human body in the sense that if we don't keep them properly maintained, we will need hard disk repair. It's also similar in that we have a tendency to not worry about small problems until things completely stop working because of a serious issue. Before a hard drive crash we don't think about the measures for hard drive repair and why backups are a superb choice. Since data recovery techniques are not easy tasks and frequently must be handled by trained professionals and computer proficient people, it often remains "out of sight, out of mind". Fortunately, despite the technical nature of a hard disk, damage can be quite predictable.

Hard Drive Crash Warning Signs

Understanding the early signs of hard drive failure is key to being ready for a crash. It doesn't mean that these signs will automatically lead to hard disk crash and a need for data recovery, but it will surely help. The always infamous "blue screen of death" (BSOD) in Windows systems, is a key indicator, as it can predict crashes better than most signals. Your BIOS' S.M.A.R.T. system can also alert you to signs of a failed hard disk.

Other key physical failure signs include abnormal clicking, scratching or crushing noises. If you observe any of these, shut down your system immediately. In this case, it's likely your hard drive might be having a mechanical issue and needs data recovery. This sound is the sound of your drive heads, which may be scraping the platters. The more your drive heads damage the platters, the more critical data may be lost.

Are You Backed Up?

When hard disk damages occur, professional hard disk repair is the best possible option to enable your hard drive to recover its data. This hard disk repair is best performed by professionally trained people. Understand that it is possible that 100% of the data cannot be retrieved. The most prominent reason for this is the permanent damage to the hard drive. This is why backing up your data on a daily or at least weekly basis is really the only way to be certain about your data protection.

Platters in your hard drive spin at thousands of RPM. Small elements like dust particles and unnecessary movements can create irretrievable harm by damaging platters. When the data is backed up, it reduces the probability of data loss due to hard disk failure. The frequency of backup should depend upon the magnitude and significance of data.

Put The Drive Down... Slowly

Avoid opening the cover of a damaged hard drive with the intent to repair. Technologies have changed: hard disk drives are completely susceptible to damage from minor dust particles, gases and atmospheric elements. This is not a time to be a mechanical hero.

Keep It In Shape

Taking care of your drive through disk checks and defragmentation is a proactive way to ensure its future. But, be aware that failure is inevitable, and one day you may have to consider professional hard disk repair.