External Hard Drive Repair And Diagnosis
Posted by: Brad
Tags: external hard drive repair, hard drive repair, hard drive repair software, hard drive repair tools, laptop hard drive repair, onsite computer repair
Any diagnostic work done as part of an external hard drive repair will always begin with checking for mechanical faults. In this article, we’ll look at some of the checks you can make for yourself.
The first check you can make is to listen for odd sounds coming from the external hard drive. This is usually a good indication of some component damaged inside the device. If the motor is starting to fail then this will often begin making a clicking noise repeatedly. If internal components are seizing up (i.e. they have tightened up) then you will hear a screeching or scratching noise.
You can open the hard drive casing for yourself but always make sure to remove any static electricity your hands by touching it metallic chair or object first before opening the drive case.
Check inside for any loose components which may be rattling around the disk. Try to identify any components that are seizing up or not moving freely and if they can be loosened up a little. If you spot any signs of damage or scratches on the disk platter then this is quite a severe problem so you should backup your data if possible or seek professional help to do a mechanical recovery of the data.
Outside of the drive itself, you should also check all connections on ports. Try using a different USB cable or checking that the existing one is in good condition. Try plugging the drive into a different USB port on the computer (the port itself may be at fault) or even try connecting it to a secondary PC (your PC/OS may be having a fault with the drive). It is a common onsite computer repair technique to try connecting the drive to a different PC in order to isolate that the fault is with the drive itself. Once software solution to external hard drive repair is to check the Device Manager application and see if the device drivers are being picked up correctly and the hard drive has been detected correctly.