Most people mostly associate the word corrupt with SD cards, pen drives and some individuals in society. However, other things can be corrupt and hard drives are among them. Hard drives are sturdier and rarely run into problems, unlike flash drives. But that should not mean that they last forever. Some conditions can damage or corrupt them and as a result, people have developed ways of repairing them.
How a hard drive gets corrupt
Hard drive corruption occurs due to software issues, mechanical component issues or unexpected electrical events. Serious data corruption is more possible with the very large files than the smaller files because large files occupy larger space on the hard drive’s platters. If your hard drive has read/write head or tracking issues, the corruption might affect more folders or files simultaneously. Physical hard drive issues that cause corruption include poor ventilation, mechanical stress and tear.
The common causes of data corruption are:
- Bad sectors
- Read/Write Head Tracking problems
- Sudden Power Failures During File Processes
- Software Failures
- Virus Damage
- Malfunctioning Antivirus Software
The symptoms of data loss and file corruption
File corruption errors mostly occur after a sudden system shutdown, program crash or Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). That prevents the HDD from carrying out requested processes properly and causes localised file damages.
If corruption affects a file, the parent program will fail to open it. The commonest error messages relate to “unrecognized file format”. The folders and files might also disappear entirely and the operating system of your computer might refer to some bad sectors when they refuse to open particular commands.
If any symptom of electronic or mechanical failure shows up, shut down the hard drive immediately. Avoid writing any more data on the corrupt hard drive.
Repairing the corrupted files from the external hard drive
If your computer can detect the external hard drive, but all your saved files are corrupt, follow the steps below to repair the files.
- Step 1: Open “Start” on your computer(or Command “Win+R”) and type “cmd.” Hit Enter to open the Command Prompt Window.
- Step 2: Type “chkdsk g:/f”. That is if your external hard drive is the Driver g. Click Enter.
The two steps will help you repair your corrupt hard drive and all the files in it. If the saved data is inaccessible, do not panic. Continue reading.
If you are uncertain whether it is the USB port or the external hard drive is corrupt, use another USB port to connect the hard drive. You can also connect it to another PC. If the computer can read the drive, use of the data on the hard drive is possible. If it is undetectable, use data recovery software to recover your files and data from the hard drive.
How to recover your data using a third party software
Recovery software should help you get your important data from the corrupted hard drive with a few simple clicks. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a great choice for Windows 10/8/7 users and is easier to use. Download it, install, activate and follow the following steps.
- Step 1: Connect the hard drive to your personal computer and run the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Select the location of your corrupted hard drive or the Lost Partition. Click Scan.
- Step 2: Allow the software to scan the data and files on your hard drive with both Quick Scan and Deep Scan modes.
- Step 3: Preview the data and restore. Save it in a safe place. After restoring the data, you might now proceed and repair the corrupt hard drive.
Helpful methods of fixing the corrupt hard drive
Method 1: Quick fix by formatting
Follow the following steps:
- Connect the hard drive to your PC
- Right-click on the corrupted hard drive and click Format
- Set the new file system as NTFS or FAT and click OK to finish this process
Method 2: Use Windows CMD tools
Follow the following steps:
- Right-click the start button and then click on the Command Prompt (Admin)
- Type chkdsk C: /F – C is your drive letter
- Press Enter. If the system asks you to press Y, do that.
- Wait for the completion of Check Disk utility repairs
Method 3: Use CMD to format
Follow the following steps:
- Open CMD in the Admin Mode
- Type “diskpart” and then press Enter
- Type “list disk” for the storage media you have connected to the system to pop up
- Type “select disk x” – X is that disk you are trying to format
- Type “clean” and press the Enter key to erase the data in your drive
- Create a new partition on your drive by typing “create partition primary.” Press Enter.
- Use the “format f=ntfs” command to format the new partition
- After the format process ends, assign a letter to your drive. Use the “exit” command to quit.
END!
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