What to do if the hard drive is damaged. How to recover deleted files

This article describes Causes and solutions to the error “Windows has detected a hard drive problem”. If you see this warning, it means there are problems with your hard drive. The system may be damaged or may not boot the next time you start it. As a result, there is a possibility of losing your data, such as photos, videos, music, important documents and more.

This is due to the fact that problems or other serious errors may occur during the operation of the disk, damaging the operating system, slowing down or even stopping its operation. It is very annoying because it can appear every 5-10 minutes. In most cases, such a message is a sign of a hard drive malfunction, system crash, loss of a system file, etc. It is not recommended to ignore it, and the best solution would be to find out the reason for the appearance.

Possible causes of the error

There are many reasons for this error to occur.

It usually occurs when a hard drive fails, but can also be caused by a registry error, low RAM, over-running or over-installing programs, a virus, malware, and many other reasons. You can solve this by trying to restore the system, delete unnecessary system files, or update it.

Possible causes of hard drive failure:

Mechanical or logical error. It is very likely that it is caused by file system corruption, bad sectors, or a mechanical problem. The hard drive is responsible for storing data, and its failure will lead to data loss.

Virus. When a computer gets infected with a virus, it will no longer function as before, even if the antivirus software removed it. The antivirus does not repair the damage caused by the virus, but only removes it. In such cases, the message is due to data corruption by a virus.

Damage to system files. Their damage can be caused by incomplete uninstallation of the program, deletion of important system information, incorrect shutdown of the computer, etc. A damaged file, in turn, will lead to the absence of data required by the system for proper operation.

Human factor. Many users, trying to improve PC performance, may cause a system problem. For example, changing system registry settings, or the location and properties of system files. Because they have poor understanding of system components, they follow incorrect instructions or perform incorrect operations. Some of them may damage your system or hardware.

How to fix the error

It is difficult to determine the cause from the error message. This does not mean that the hard drive is damaged or there is a problem with the system. Listed below are a few solutions that may help in fixing it.

Solution 1: sfc /scannow command

Use standard tools to fix errors that are built into the OS. These tools can help fix many serious problems. Standard utility "System File Checker" will check and eliminate the error in their integrity. To launch it, open the menu "Start" and enter cmd in the search field. Then right-click and select "Run as administrator".

For more information on how to launch the command line, watch the video

At the command prompt, enter sfc / scannow and press the key Enter.

The process will quickly show the result. This command checks system files and replaces damaged ones with a backup copy. Do not close the window until the scan is completed.

Solution 2: chkdsk command

If the first method does not work, you can check with the command chkdsk. On the command line we write it with the drive letter that needs to be checked. If you want to test the default section, you don't need to write anything else.

Enter "chkdsk" and press "Enter".

If you need to perform a full scan of your hard drive with automatic correction of system file errors and bad sectors, you need to add to the command chkdsk parameter /F.

Difficulties may arise with checking the disk on which the OS is installed; the system will prompt you to check it the next time you reboot, for which you need to enter confirmation "Y".

After checking, the problem should disappear. It is recommended that you back up your data before attempting this command. Since correcting errors may overwrite some data.

Solution 3: Find bad sectors

Check bad sectors. Victoria or HDD Regenerator programs will help with this. The latter even has the function of physically restoring damaged sectors. This is achieved through “magnetization” faulty areas. For more information about how these programs work, see our channel:

If the drive has a large capacity, the scanning process may take some time. After its completion, a report on bad sectors will be displayed.

During the repair process, data stored on damaged sectors may be erased, so it is recommended to make a backup copy before starting it.

Solution 4: Service Center

Contact a disk repair service center. Repairs require special equipment and spare parts that ordinary users do not have. Some disks may still not be recoverable.

How to turn off error messages

The error appears when the system believes that the disk is damaged and reminds you to back up your data. But there are times when everything is fine with it, but the OS throws an error. Which is very annoying when working on a computer, but it is possible to disable them.

To do this, press the key combination Win+R and in the window "Run" write a command gpedit.msc(not available in Windows Home version).

In the window that opens, look for the folder "Disk diagnostics" / "Diagnosis of the disk. Set up custom alert text"

This will turn off notifications, but will not fix the disk problem. So before you do this, make sure that the HDD is not causing the problem.

Backup in case of error

As already mentioned, disk problems can cause the loss of important data. Therefore, it is recommended to make a backup copy if such an error occurs. By copying it to another disk or media.

This can be done using standard Windows tools, more details in the video clips:

The cloning speed mainly depends on the disk speed, the selected mode and the amount of data.

How to recover files from "broken" disk can be found in the video of our channel

The hard drive is one of the most important devices in a computer, which stores all the information recorded on your computer. Any problems have serious consequences, because you can permanently lose important data. In most cases, these devices suffer from bad sectors, which are the first sign that the disk is starting to crumble. They manifest themselves when, when opening some files, an “Access Denied” error occurs or the computer starts to slow down when starting a program (accessing the disk), and the noise of the hard drive fan increases.

Let's consider one of the errors, when an operating system occurs, it displays the message: “Windows has detected a hard drive problem.” The error occurs on versions of Windows 7, 8.1, 10. How to find a solution and what to do when the following message appears, and what this problem can lead to.

First of all, you need to transfer all recorded files and folders from the damaged media. If your computer has two hard drives or you have a local network (or Wi-Fi) set up at home, you can perform this operation by simply copying it to another hard drive or computer. But what to do if you use one hard drive.

There is no point in transferring to another local drive (C: or D:), since the hard drive itself begins to crumble. In this case, you cannot do without an external drive. If the volume is small, at least copy the most important documents.

If this error occurs, it is better to contact the service center so as not to aggravate the situation further.

How to copy damaged files?

When you were unable to transfer some files when copying information, this indicates that bad sectors have appeared on the surface of the disk. If there are important files among the damaged files, we try to restore the disk using the special MHDD utility. It should be launched from bootable removable media - a flash drive or CD/DVD disk, so you need to create a boot disk and burn this utility. During diagnostics, the program will be able to extract information from damaged sectors and transfer it to a reserved area of the hard drive.

After treating the bad sectors, it is possible to copy previously “damaged” files.

Why do you need a backup?

So, what to do with the hard drive. After testing with the MHDD utility, the “Windows has detected a hard drive problem” error should no longer bother you. But to save yourself from unnecessary troubles, you should definitely back up your hard drive using Acronis True Image.

After all, if after some time Windows again detects problems with the drive, there is no point in restoring it; it needs to be replaced with a new one. This also applies to the case when many bad sectors were identified during MHDD testing.

You can easily restore the entire disk image from a backup copy to new media. And if it was the boot system drive (C:\), you will no longer need to reinstall Windows 10 or another operating system.

Antivirus scan

In some cases, Windows has detected hard drive problems due to malware that is preventing the driver from working properly. The error occurs when the operating system incorrectly detects the hard drive controller.

Therefore, you need to check the HDD with an anti-virus scanner. You can use Kaspersky or Dr Web antivirus. Conduct a deep scan of your computer and after treatment, do not forget to restart your PC. After this, the drive failure detection error should disappear.

What not to do

There are ways to disable this message in Windows 7/8/10 operating systems. But we strongly do not recommend doing this, even if you are 100% sure that the hard drive is working. And the saddest thing is that if you disconnect, you can permanently lose the data on the drive. It is better to look for the cause of the problem and find a solution, rather than disabling it.

Conclusion

We looked at the main causes of the problem and the ways you can get rid of it. And most importantly, do not forget to make backup copies or, as a last resort, copy important files to another medium, thereby saving yourself from unnecessary problems with restoring the necessary information from the hard drive.

The R-Studio program will help you recover your files after: deleting them, formatting your hard drive, disappearing files due to a virus attack, MBR corruption, and in many other cases.

I want to warn you right away that the program is paid! At the moment, R-Studio costs $80, but it’s not cheap, and yes, it’s really worth the money!

No one is immune from data loss; it can happen under a variety of circumstances. For example, if there is a sudden power outage, the file system may be damaged (at one time my data was damaged for this very reason). You may accidentally format the wrong drive (a fairly common mistake, I must say, and easy for a novice to make when installing an OS).

What to do if the hard drive is damaged?

If the drive is physically damaged, turn off the computer, disconnect the hard drive, and take it to a professional. Do not attempt to recover information on your own! Recovery programs will not help you, but you can cause more damage to your HDD.

What to do if data is lost (for example due to deletion or formatting)?

1) First of all, you must prevent any data from being written to this disk. Since when new data is written, the likelihood of recovering lost files is reduced. If the disk with the lost data is a system disk, turn off the computer and disconnect this disk; further steps to recover files must be performed by connecting this disk to another computer.

2) For the recovery procedure, you will need a hard drive whose size is equivalent to the size of the lost data. You cannot save recovered files to the disk from which the recovery is taking place!

3) You will need a file recovery program. You can find many different recovery programs on the Internet, both paid and free. You can follow the link at the end of this article and purchase R-Studio. If you are not ready to pay for such a program (or it is not possible), look on the Internet for a free file recovery program.

How to use R-Studio:

1) Select the disk to analyze, and click the “Scan” button.

2) A window with settings will open, I advise you not to change anything. The only thing is that if the disk being scanned is large, I strongly recommend saving the scanning information to a file. To start the process, in the settings window you need to click the “Scanning” button.

3) Now we wait for the scanning process to complete, which can take quite a long time (depending on the size of your disk).

4) Upon completion, the right window of the program will be filled with multi-colored squares. You can see what the different colors mean in the program; under these very squares there is their decoding. In the left area of the program, under the disk being analyzed, you will find something like this:

Select the most suitable line (focus on the file system and size), and double-click on it with the left mouse button.

5) If you made the right choice, you will see your files. Mark the files you want to restore and click the “Restore marked...” button.

6) Now all that remains is to choose a location to save the files. Let me remind you once again that you cannot save files to the disk from which the recovery is taking place!

Download file recovery program:

the-komp.ru

Hard drive problems: causes and solutions

The hard drive is designed for long-term storage of files. Problems with the hard drive can lead not only to unstable computer operation, but also to the loss of important and sometimes irreplaceable information.

One of the reasons for HDD failure is natural aging. Like any mechanical device, a hard drive has a certain service life. For example, drives manufactured by Seagate can withstand up to 50 thousand on and off cycles.

Hard drive failures may occur due to overheating. The HDD temperature should not exceed 55 degrees. You can check it using special utilities. For example, the AIDA program. If the hard drive temperature is higher, you need to install additional cooling. However, keep in mind that low temperatures are no less dangerous. It should not be below 20 degrees.

Increased vibration, which leads to bad sectors, is also dangerous for the hard drive. It occurs when fans in the power supply, processor coolers and video cards are running. The HDD must be attached to the case via rubber washers. If possible, you should choose a video card whose cooler runs at low speeds. When buying a hard drive, it is better to choose models whose spindle is attached not only to the bottom, but also to the top of the lid.

Another important cause of mechanical damage to a hard drive can be a low-quality or weak power supply. This is due to the fact that when the computer is turned on, the actual power consumption is much higher than its normal value. A low-quality power supply does not have time to adjust the voltage in such a short time. To avoid problems, you must have a power reserve of at least 20%.

Violation of operating rules can also lead to problems with the hard drive. This is especially true for external drives and laptops. Portable drives often fall while turned on, which leads to spindle bending and magnetic heads sticking. Laptops are used when traveling in public transport, and shaking has a negative impact on the condition of the hard drive. The shock reliability that all manufacturers write about applies only to a disconnected device with parked heads.

The main symptoms of a hard drive failure

Hard drive malfunctions can be divided into two groups:

mechanical (physical wear, unreadable sectors, failure of the magnetic head unit, spindle jamming, failure of the control unit);
logical (operating system failures, file directory damage due to virus infection, accidental formatting).

It is often possible to notice incipient problems with a hard drive before the equipment finally fails. Signs of mechanical problems include:

extraneous noise during operation (rustling, tapping);
slower work with files;
loss of documents or lack of access to them;
operating system malfunctions while reading or writing files;
pop-up messages;
the appearance of a “blue screen of death”;
the disk is not visible in the BIOS or certain sectors are not read;
the operating system cannot be loaded.

If the controller malfunctions, the disk does not vibrate or make any sounds when the system starts. The information stored on the hard drive is retained, but access to it is not possible. Tapping during operation indicates damage to the magnetic heads, and a sharp whistle indicates a malfunction of the spindle. Windows malfunctions, system error messages, slow reading and writing of files indicate the presence of bad sectors.

Signs of logical violations are similar to those that occur during mechanical failures. But the disk is visible in the BIOS, and no extraneous noise is heard during operation.

What to do if you have problems with your hard drive?

At the first sign of HDD failure, you need to save the data to backup media or the cloud as soon as possible. This is especially true when tapping of magnetic heads occurs - the disk can completely fail at any moment.

After all important information is saved, open the computer case and remove the data cables from the contacts on the motherboard and on the hard drive itself. Clean the contacts from dust. You need to act carefully, without opening the hard drive case - hard drives are very sensitive to dust.

It is possible that due to the installation of a weak power supply, there is not enough power to operate the HDD. Try temporarily turning off all additional electrical consumers. The easiest way to check that your hard drive is not damaged is to connect it to another computer.

Run an antivirus program and scan your computer. It is better to do this by starting from a bootable CD, which antivirus manufacturers offer to create. An image of such a disk can be downloaded on the Internet.

How to check the status of a hard drive using special programs?

If you are working in a Windows operating environment, then in all versions of the operating system you can check the disk for errors using the built-in utility. To do this, open the “Properties” of the disk whose serviceability is in doubt, go to the “Service” tab and click the “Run check” button. If the test results indicate that the HDD is faulty, it should be replaced as soon as possible and the data restored from the saved backup copy.

Among third-party programs, the most famous is the Victoria utility. The program finds bad sectors, after which you can mark them as non-working or try to restore them. To test your hard drive, mark it on the first tab, and then go to the Tests section. Run HDD testing. If you see rectangles with access times of 200-600 ms colored orange or green, this means that the hard drive sectors are damaged. Check the Remap checkbox to have the program mark them as non-working. In this case, the best option would be to replace the hard drive.

For novice users, the free Seagate SeaTools utility may be a more convenient option. The program has a Russian interface; you can download it from the manufacturer’s website. In the Help section you will find a detailed description of the program.

There are two versions of the application:

SeaTools for Windows, designed to work under the operating system;

Seagate for DOS - as a boot disk image in ISO format. After booting from it, you can check your hard drive for errors and try to fix them. Using this version helps to avoid errors that occur when accessing the operating system disk.

useron.ru

"The disk structure is damaged and cannot be read." What to do and how to fix it?

A computer system is not a simple thing. It is difficult to cope with, especially if you do not have basic knowledge. When you don’t understand which components are responsible for what, why you need to use this or that driver, or how the PC works in general. Problems also arise when working with it. We often encounter errors and problems that hinder our further work.

And then, one “fine” day you saw on your monitor screen: “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." Not everyone knows what to do in this case. And even those who have already encountered a similar problem can get into trouble when they discover a new cause of the problem. The main thing is to remember, do not immediately agree to formatting. Otherwise you will lose all your personal files.

What's happened?

So, you decided to look at the photos that were sent to you on a flash drive. Insert the drive into the port and wait until the system synchronizes with it. But instead you see on the screen: “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." The flash drive was definitely working and you know about it, which means either it was broken for you, or some changes occurred in the system.

The same may apply to one of the drives on your PC. If you want to switch to HDD, and it shows you such a message, do not panic. This is not a problem yet and it is quite possible to cope with it.

Why?

There is no point in talking about the symptoms of this problem. And so it is clear that the main indicator is the appearance on the screen of the notification “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." We'll talk about what to do a little later. First, let's try to understand the reasons.

Most often, the problem is caused by the fact that the integrity of the file system or partition structure on the disk or flash drive is damaged. This “disease” does not appear out of nowhere. It is usually associated with a number of factors. It is difficult to identify all of them, since as technology develops, problems also develop. But the main and most common:

problems with network voltage;
emergency interruption of PC operation;
virus programs;
software glitch;
“aging” of the drive;
unsafe removal of the flash drive;
failure of the device at the physical level.

Now that we know the reasons why the system writes: “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." Let's consider the solution separately for the hard drive and flash drive.

Checking the railway

So, if you decide to view files on your hard drive, but are denied access to them. Then you should carefully check several ways to fix this error. The most common one is restarting the computer. Unfortunately, in everyday use we often encounter similar problems. But fortunately, many of them can be resolved by simply rebooting the system. It happens that the user rarely turns off the PC and often puts it into sleep mode, which is why the system may not cope and get tired. Therefore, you need to restart your computer regularly so that it receives the necessary updates and restores operation.

If nothing happens after this method, try getting to the case and hard drive. To do this, disconnect the computer from the power supply, open the case cover and find the hard drive there. Take a closer look at the cables with which it is connected to the motherboard, you may see some visible problems or damage. Maybe one of the cables burned out due to voltage drops, so it’s better to check this right away so as not to delve into the system itself.

Software fixes

If the above methods did not help, and the screen still shows the error “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible,” then you will have to use a software method to fix the problem. Therefore, we work with the CHKDSK system application. It’s worth noting right away that this will not always work. Sometimes, when starting it, another error appears that confuses the user. We'll look at what to do next.

And if you did manage to run this utility, let's see what you can do with it. In order for it to work, you need to open the command line using the Win+R combination. There we enter “chkdsk c: /f/r” or the letter of the drive that gives the error.

You can programmatically restore access to files. To do this you need to install a special program. In general, there are a lot of them on the Internet. For example, iCare Data Recovery does a good job of this. The program is free, but in English. Although it is quite simple to use, you need to download it, install it and open it. In the window, click on Deep Scan Recovery. Select the damaged disk from the list. After the utility finds the files, check the boxes next to those that are needed for recovery.

Point of no return

It happens that you were able to recover data after the notification “No access. The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." And if everything is fine, then you are really lucky. But some users are not so lucky. The whole process turns out to be palliative. You have achieved the desired result, but temporarily. After a while, all recovered data is blocked again.

Usually this state of affairs is caused by the “aging” of the disk. This process is often called “shedding.” Due to long-term use, the railway has worn itself out and started the process of “self-destruction”. In this case, you can repair it or buy a new one.

What's happened?

The same may apply to one of the drives on your PC. If you want to switch to HDD, and it shows you such a message, do not panic. This is not a problem yet and it is quite possible to cope with it.

Why?

problems with network voltage;
emergency interruption of PC operation;
virus programs;
software glitch;
“aging” of the drive;
unsafe removal of the flash drive;
failure of the device at the physical level.

Now that we know the reasons why the system writes: “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." Let's consider the solution separately for the hard drive and flash drive.

Checking the railway

Software fixes

Point of no return

Checking the flash drive

On the screen you see the message “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." What to do if this happened to the hard drive, we figured it out, but what if the flash drive showed an error? In fact, there is practically no difference. First, let's try rebooting the system again. Your PC may be tired and inattentive. If everything is so, you can move the drive to another port. There may be a problem with a specific connector. It would also be a good idea to check the flash drive on another PC. If this does not help, then try again using the system utility using the chkdsk command.

Software fix

Many people do not immediately manage to get rid of the error “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible." What to do in this case? We use an already proven scheme. Download software like iCare Data Recovery and use it to recover all information, if possible. You can try several applications if this one does not give results. If everything worked out, all that remains is to format the flash drive.

You can try to transfer the drivers to the drive. To do this, go to the “Task Manager”. To do this, launch the command line and enter devmgmt.msc. The flash drive can be in the “Disk devices” or “USB controllers” sections. Right-click and delete. Afterwards you will have to download new “firewood”.

conclusions

If you see a window that says “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible,” you already know how to fix it. In general, there are not many options for breakdowns. This is either physical damage to the cable or the device itself, or a software failure. If none of the above methods saved you, then it will be easier to take the hard drive to a service center or buy a new device.

One of the problems that a Steam user may encounter when trying to load a game is a disk read error message. There may be several reasons for this error to appear. This is mainly due to damage to the storage medium on which this game was installed, and the files of the game itself may also be damaged. Read on to find out how to solve the disk read error problem in Steam.

Users of the Dota 2 game often encounter a similar error. As already mentioned in the introduction, a disk read error can be associated with damaged game files, so to solve this problem you need to take the following steps.

You can check the game for damaged files; Steam has a special function.

Learn how to check the integrity of the game cache on Steam.

After checking, Steam will automatically update the files that were damaged. If, after checking, Steam does not find any damaged files, most likely the problem is related to something else. For example, the hard drive may be damaged or it may not work correctly in conjunction with Steam.

Damaged hard drive

The disk read error issue can often occur if the hard drive on which the game is installed has been damaged. Damage may be caused by media obsolescence. For some reason, individual sectors of the disk may be damaged, resulting in a similar error when trying to launch the game on Steam. To resolve this issue, try checking your hard drive for errors. This can be done using .

If, after checking, it turns out that the hard drive has many bad sectors, you need to perform a hard drive defragmentation procedure. Please note that during this process you will lose all the data that was on it, so you need to transfer it to another medium in advance. Checking your hard drive for integrity may also help. To do this, open the Windows console and enter the following line into it:

If you installed the game on a disk that has a different letter designation, then instead of the letter “C” you need to indicate the letter that is associated with this hard drive. Using this command, you can repair damaged sectors on your hard drive. This command also checks the disk for errors and corrects them.

Another solution to this problem is to install the game on another media. If you have the same one, you can install the game on another hard drive. This is done by creating a new section of the game library in Steam. To do this, uninstall the game that won't launch, then start installing it again. On the first installation window you will be asked to select an installation location. Change this location by creating a Steam library folder on another drive.

After the game is installed, try launching it. It is likely that it will start without problems.

Another reason for this error to occur may be due to insufficient hard drive space.

Lack of hard disk space

If there is little free space left on the media on which the game is installed, for example less than 1 gigabyte, then Steam may display a read error when trying to launch the game. Try increasing the free space on your hard drive by removing unnecessary programs and files from the drive. For example, you can delete movies, music or games that you do not need that are installed on the drive. After you have increased your free disk space, try launching the game again.

If this does not help, contact Steam technical support. You can read about how to write a message to Steam technical support in.

Now you know what to do if a disk read error occurs in Steam when you try to start the game. If you know other ways to solve this problem, write about it in the comments.