DIY laptop hard drive repair. Do-it-yourself hard drive repair at home. Preparing the hard drive for repair

Hard disk (HDD) aka hard drive - a random access storage device based on the principle of magnetic recording. It is the main data storage device in most computers.

Principle of operation:

Bits information is recorded using a small head, which, passing over the surface of a rotating disk, magnetizes billions of horizontal discrete areas - domains.

What does it consist of?HDD

1. Permanent magnet
2. Switch - preamplifier of head unit
3. Positioner rotating frame
4. Read/write head
5. Disc rotation drive spindle
6. Disc package

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Main hard drive malfunctions:

1. Destruction of proprietary information:

• Occurs as a result of hard drive software failures, poor contact in connections, poor power supply (when the computer is turned on and off frequently);
• Failure of the electronics board (controller);
• Mostly occurs during a power failure.

2. Damage to the MMG (magnetic head unit):

• Such malfunctions can occur due to the heads hitting the surface of the magnetic plates or the BMG sticking; the switch may fail during a power failure;
• Mechanical damage;
• Destruction of the surface of the plates (BAD blocks), jamming of the motor, sticking of magnetic heads. Occur due to improper use, manufacturing defects or due to excessive wear of the drive.

Important: The hard drive is the most common computer part that breaks.

Hard drive repair

Often they confuse two different concepts - “Hard drive repair” and “Data recovery from a hard drive”. Repair is the restoration of the physical components of a hard drive for its further operation, and data recovery is the collection of available information useful to the customer (photos, videos, documents, etc.) for its rewriting and further storage.

On a note: Let us immediately explain that repair in 80% of cases is not cost-effective and all data located on the disk is destroyed.

• Physical influences;

HDD is a high-tech device with a symbiotic fusion of two components: the electronic part and the mechanical part. The slightest out of sync in their coordinated work disables the disk. To do this, you don’t have to drop the device, just tap it lightly.

Tip #1: Try to transport your laptop less often, and if you are cleaning dust, make sure the device is turned off in advance.

• Temperature control;

The operating temperature range for HDD is extremely narrow. Minimum temperature 20 °C. below is not recommended. The operating range of the PC is from 30 to 40 degrees. It is allowed to work for some time at temperatures exceeding 5 °C. But this is considered a work of wear and tear. And the higher the temperature, the more wear your HDD is exposed to. But this scale is not infinite.

Tip #2: Try to clean your laptop from dust in a timely manner and do not expose the device to direct sunlight. It is also recommended to use additional cooling devices.

• Vibration is the slow death of HDD;

All rotating mechanisms have vibration, and it has a cumulative effect (accumulates over time). The biggest vibration is from CD/DVD drives, further down to the smallest cooler. During vibration, the gaps of the moving parts of the disk are reduced and shifted relative to each other.

Tip #3: To prevent vibration, the hard drive is secured with screws with rubber gaskets or expensive, higher-quality coolers are purchased.

• Disk position in laptop;

It is not recommended to operate the laptop with a deviation from the vertical or horizontal by more than 5°. With this orientation, the position of the internal mechanical parts of the HDD will be very vulnerable. Firstly, there will be a large load on the spindle, which will lead to lubricant leaking onto the adjacent plate, and secondly, the cooling of the hard drive will significantly deteriorate and this will have a bad effect on the electronics.

Tip #4: Watch the position of the disc.

• Disk power;

A faulty laptop power supply can damage the hard drive, so it is recommended to replace it in a timely manner, and if the laptop operates mainly from the mains, then try to remove the battery and store it in the refrigerator, which will increase its service life. Another important point is the process of turning the computer on and off. Computer components wear out due to surges in inrush currents.

• Natural wear and tear;

On average, a hard drive lasts about 40,000 hours, but it’s better not to wait until the end and replace the drive in advance to avoid surprises.

Tip #6: Replace your hard drive with a new one every 4 years.

• Backup;

The main protection of your data is backup. There are two options: the first is to back up the files you need and the second is to make a copy of the entire hard drive partition or operating system.

Tip #7: Seek help from professionals, as this is a very responsible job.

• Defragmentation;

If you defragment your hard drive in a timely manner, it will work faster. There are special programs that allow you to monitor the performance of your computer and tell you when you need to restore your hard drive.

Tip #8: Defragmentation should be done once a year.

• Broken blocks (BAD blocks);

Damaged sectors or BAD blocks are formed on a hard drive almost always during its life and under various of the above circumstances, so there are special programs that allow you to restore damage with a high percentage of reliability. The principle is simple, the program puts an electronic mark on the BAD block and then the hard drive simply ignores this fragment during operation.

Tip #9: The first signs of BAD blocks are a slow-running computer, so don’t put off repairs too long.

• The best of the best;

When purchasing a hard drive, you should pay attention to international statistics and research. According to the given statistics from studies of 2013 and 2014, in which 5 leading companies producing hard drives took part: Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Samsung and Toshiba, the best in terms of performance in extreme conditions were Hitachi and Western Digital.

Tip #10: There are no particular differences between hard drive manufacturers, the only difference is in the control of defective batches.

Masters of the company Service No. 1:

• They will do a free hard drive diagnostic;
• Determine the cost and profitability of repairs;
• By mutual agreement, your data will be restored;
• They will give valuable recommendations and advice.
• They will leave a contract with a guarantee of up to 2 years.

Hello, dear friends!

Many articles have been written about the problems that our computer gives us. I decided to highlight problem with hard drives, or rather - how to solve this problem. I mean purely the mechanical part of this question, that is, that moment when suddenly, during operation, your HDD begins to make some heartbreaking sounds, such as squeaking, grinding, “Morse code” or clanging. What to do in this case? Read the article and your problem will be resolved with your help. So!

Why do strange sounds occur in the HDD?

When your hard drive starts making “uterine” sounds (squeaking, clanging, grinding), it’s very, very sad: it’s simply unbearable to work in such conditions! Why do strange sounds occur in the HDD? Possible answers: sea: ranging from the notorious “expired service life” to possible severe fragmentation. One way or another, one should not lose sight of such an aspect as a purely mechanical problem, that is - your HDD is clogged with dust, and in addition - on it contacts have oxidized. Believe it or not, it is mechanical problems that are most often ignored by the so-called “forum gurus.” (From the author: “forum gurus” are such a “high caste” of computer know-it-alls that give stupid advice, for example, how to kill a video card and processor using an overclocking algorithm. Or how to fix a video card in... an OVEN! Well, now you understand, What kind of creatures are these - “forum gurus”)?

Let's start the renovation

Well? Ready to work? Then let's begin.

1. Unplug your computer.
2. Remove the wall of the system unit and take a shaped (phillips) screwdriver of the required size: you will unscrew your hard drive.
3. Be sure to disconnect the hard drive inputs to avoid breaking the wires.
4. After carefully removing the fasteners (well, bolts or screws), remove the hard drive.
5. Turn it over.
6. Do you see: on one of its sides there is such a metal lid? It is attached to the plastic base of the general hard drive housing using bolts or screws. But there is one point: the slots! What are splines? These are the slots in the bolts or screws into which you insert the “tip” (“nose”, point) of the screwdriver. It's clear? So: there are ordinary cross-shaped slots, and there are also slots for a special hex key. A bolt that has such a slot is very difficult to unscrew, although you can try if you wish. But still, I recommend buying a set of special miniature hex keys - such a set costs a penny, but the benefits are a lot! In general, you understand me. We continue to disassemble the hard drive.

Making a diagnosis

When you have unscrewed all the bolts, very carefully lift the cover: what do you see? And you should see the following: a contact path that is covered with some dark “crap”. This “crap” is the source of the problem! Due to the fact that the contacts are oxidized, the flow of signals that goes to and from your HDD is disrupted. As a result, your oxidized hard drive begins to slow down wildly and rattle (creak, clang and squeak). This also increases the rotational load on the discs that spin inside the hard drive. All this together leads to the fact that your disk simply dies, but not from old age, but from illness. What should you do? Right: clean rusty oxides and dirt!

Search for oxidation of contacts and soldering of the hard drive

Let's start treatment

Take pure medical alcohol, a cotton swab and a regular school eraser.

1. Use an eraser to carefully remove the oxides: just wipe the areas where you see dark spots or rust.
2. Next, dip the stick in alcohol and wipe the contacts you just cleaned. Don't be too zealous, otherwise you'll flood your contacts.
3. After that, look again: have you deleted everything? If yes, then collect the disk into a pile and insert it back into the computer. Before the start, be sure to cross yourself: you never know! Just kidding: turn on your computer: nothing else rattles and nothing will rattle for the next six months. But that's not all: do a complete defragmentation of the HDD and registry. After this, be sure to restart the system again. That's it now!

In this article we will look at the types of hard drive failures and malfunctions and advise what to do in various situations. Looking ahead, we will say that some errors can be corrected on your own, in other cases you need the help of qualified specialists or replacing the HDD.

Note. Recovering deleted files and repairing them are different concepts. HDD repair does not provide for the return of data to the storage device, while data recovery is not always possible due to a breakdown of the hard drive or partial or complete damage to its surface.

Checking the status of the hard drive using SMART

Modern hard drives have a built-in SMART self-diagnosis system. It helps to identify problems and predict hard drive failure, thus preventing data loss in a timely manner. Through SMART you can find out the wear percentage of the HDD, as well as check the current parameters and device performance.

To check the status of the hard drive,

1. Install a SMART test program (for example, Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, CrystalDiskInfo or HDD Health, see).
2. Run the program and wait while the hard drive characteristics are calculated.
3. Study the indicators, comparing the current and critical indicators. If an error is found, look at the table to see what it means.

A separate advantage of SMART diagnostics is that you can quickly and fairly accurately determine the condition of a hard drive, both newly purchased and used. However, keep in mind that SMART can make mistakes, even if according to statistics everything is OK.

If the errors are fatal, back up your important data and replace the HDD. Parting with money is an unpleasant procedure, but it is better to do it on time, and not after the collapse of the hard drive with all that it entails.

Fixing hard drive read errors

If there are errors on the hard drive, its performance deteriorates. Characteristic symptoms:

1. The hard drive makes strange sounds (for example, loud rustling of heads, squeaks, clicks)
2. Operating system performance is significantly reduced
3. “Brakes” and “freezes” when opening files on the hard drive
4. Files, folders suddenly disappear, HDD partitions are displayed as unallocated space (RAW).

The simplest reading errors are corrected by the system utility.

Some bad blocks can be “cured” yourself, two wonderful programs will help with this - and.

Are the methods for restoring an external hard drive different from an internal one?

Answer. Definitely not. The hardware of the devices is identical, the only difference is in the form factor for storing information - that is, roughly speaking, in the box in which the disk's hardware is packaged. An external drive is more susceptible to physical damage and other risk factors. But they are more mobile and offer the user a convenient connection via eSata or another interface for connecting to a PC. Thus, this guide on how to restore a hard drive will be useful to both owners of “traditional” drives and external ones.

The hard drive was in the laptop, the system in which stopped loading. Why am I going to format it - but! It was not there, as an “External” disk (I stuffed it into the case from an external “Transend” 500 GB) it is visible only as a local disk “G” and “F” without any information. All attempts to call the properties lead to Windows 8.1 freezing on the laptop - it is not visible in Disk Management, HDD Low Level Format is also not visible. Tell me, if the hard drive doesn’t work, how can I bring it back to life with my own hands?

Answer. Try partitioning the hard drive again (Partiton Magic can help), it is advisable to perform low-level formatting of the HDD, see information on the topic. By the way, in addition to HDD Low Level Format, there are many alternative utilities for formatting. It would be a good idea to check the working condition of the disk; to do this, check the SMART indicators and scan the disk using HDD Regenerator or Victoria HDD.

What to do if your hard drive clicks? That is, it works, but sometimes it makes characteristic sounds - that is, clicks. At some moments, a freeze occurs, and the operating system freezes, and then dies along with the disk.

Answer. In rare cases, the problem is associated with broken power contacts and sata/ide connectors connected to the motherboard. Therefore, the first thing we recommend is to turn off the PC and check the connection to the hard drive. Second, be sure to make a backup copy of the data on the disk, since clicking sounds are an unhealthy symptom, indicating that the HDD has problems, and a crash can be expected at any time. Third, to diagnose the condition of the disk, use specialized programs - HDD Regenerator, Victoria HDD Doctor, etc.

If the hard drive clicks and is not detected, the situation is more dire (good luck). In this case, the mechanics are already worn out, and you will not be able to restore the HDD; only replacing the hard drive with a new one will help.

How to increase the speed of your hard drive? I have Windows Vista OS.

Answer. Users of Windows Vista and higher operating systems are angry about the slow operation of the disk subsystem. In practice, copying files is noticeably slower than in XP. Why is my hard drive slow? One of the reasons lies on the surface and can be easily eliminated. The fact is that by default in Windows the maximum performance of the hard drive is disabled. Therefore, we urgently take measures:

1. Open Device Manager (Win + Pause Break, “Device Manager” link).
2. Find the disk device in the list of devices and select “Properties” in the context menu.
3. Select the “Policies” tab and activate the “Enable enhanced performance” option.
4. To speed up your hard drive, restart your computer.

I reinstalled the system and I have it on a PCE SSD, but suddenly another 4TB hard drive stopped being detected? Then I went into computer management, then into disk management, it shows a capacity of 3.7 TB and 3.7 TB is free, that is, the disk turns out to be 100 percent empty and there is 2TV of information! Please tell me what can be done?

Answer. Perhaps the problem is related to a file system table failure; in such a situation, you can recommend the TestDisk utility to recover a partition that is not detected by the system, but contains important information.

I have an HP 620 laptop. Everything was fine, but I started to close the windows and the computer froze. I thought it would go away, 15 minutes passed - nothing, there was no reaction to anything. Even a software shutdown could not reset.

I turned it off physically with the button, turned it on again and the message appeared on the black screen of the laptop: non-system disk or disk error replace and strike any key when ready. After this, the system does not see the hard drive. But when the laptop is turned on, it spins, that is, everything is ok with power.

About 2 years ago I updated the BIOS from the official website. Maybe this is why the hard drive won't open? But before that I worked hard, always good. What could it be? Help please, this is the hard drive I have - Toshiba HDD2E67 320GB.

Answer. If the problem was related to the BIOS, the OS would not boot. Or, at least, a factory reset could solve something.

Try to start looking for the reason on the surface: the hard drive does not work because it has failed. This could happen for a variety of reasons (such as physical damage or wear and tear - which is less likely). If it is possible to check a similar hard drive on the same laptop, do so.

In this article we will look at such an unusual question as “do-it-yourself hard drive repair.” Probably every second computer owner has come across the fact that a hard drive that was working yesterday today stubbornly refuses to be determined by the motherboard.

Of course, if the device is not yet finished, then it’s probably not worth repairing the hard drive yourself. But in the case when there is “nothing to lose,” you can try to restore the HDD’s functionality on your own.

About breakdowns

Before you start doing it yourself, you need to clearly understand that not all breakdowns can be fixed at home. It all depends on the complexity of the problem. For example, you should not even try to repair a hard drive after a fall, but it is better to immediately contact a service center (SC). But failures in signal transmission along the loop and some similar “little things” can be completely eliminated.

DeviceHDD

Structurally, the hard drive consists of two blocks: a HDA with a set of magnetic disks and a read-head drive, as well as an external electronics board. It is impossible to open the HDA housing without creating special conditions. The fact is that dust particles that will inevitably get inside when removing the cover will subsequently damage the magnetic coating of the disks. If it is necessary to at least read the data, the SC still removes the cover and, after repair, blows out the dust particles with a stream of air from the can. But after this you should not count on long-term operation.

Rolling up my sleeves...

Do-it-yourself hard drive repair begins with removing it from the system unit case, disconnecting the power cable and interface cable, and carefully inspecting it. There should be no burnt elements on the electronics board (sometimes the microcircuit fails due to overheating). In most HDD models, all elements are located on the outside and can be seen without removing the board. In others, they are turned towards the HDA. So, using a magnifying glass on the removed board, you need to inspect the solder joints of the connectors: sometimes one fallen off leg interferes with the operation of the entire device. Soldering can be restored using a pulse soldering iron and a steady hand.

In older IDE HDDs, inaccurate connections often resulted in one or more copper pins being bent. If such a malfunction is revealed during inspection, it can be eliminated using small tweezers by aligning the contacts. The next problem is the violation of the electrical contacts of the board and the HDA. Since the transmission of signals (and power) is not carried out by a cable, but by simple pressing of copper surface points, their resistance gradually increases due to oxidation. Solving this problem is simple: you need to use a paper eraser to wipe the contacts on the HDA and the electronics board.

It has been noticed that some hard drives operate unstable in high-speed modes. Therefore, it is useful to use a jumper (most models have it) to put the hard drive into slow mode. So, for SATA, the transfer will be not 3, but 1.5 Gb/s. “To the eye,” the slowdown will be almost imperceptible.

Repairs are performed in exactly the same way. Let us note one important fact: many are convinced that by simply replacing the electronics unit with one removed from a known working identical model, you can “revive” the device. This is only partly true. The fact is that the board contains a ROM in which specific information is recorded (for example, about faulty areas). Therefore, a simple replacement is not always effective, as reflashing may be required.

The hard drive (HDD) is designed to store information on a laptop and, unfortunately, is one of the most vulnerable components of a computer. In this article we will provide brief instructions on how to troubleshoot basic hard drive problems yourself. At the beginning of work, it is recommended, if possible, to make a duplicate of the information stored on the disk. There is a high probability that after repair, information from the hard drive will be deleted without a trace.

Diagnostics and causes of laptop hard drive failure

The HDD is a small platform on which a magnet, a package of disks, a rotating positioner frame, and a head that reads information from the disk are located. The disks rotate at an average speed of 720 rpm, and even higher when installing applications. Of course, intensive work can lead to wear and tear of HDD components.

The main reasons indicating a hard drive failure:

• The HDD makes clicking noises when operating. This is the most common malfunction and indicates mechanical damage to the hard drive components. There can be a lot of reasons: dust, foreign objects, wear of the read head, damaged disk surface due to impact. Often such a malfunction occurs in the first three years after purchasing a laptop. To determine the problem you need to disassemble the computer
• The hard drive makes an intermittent hum when operating. This characteristic, repeating sound indicates wear on the disk read/write head.
• BIOS does not see the hard drive. The cause of this trouble may be operational errors and due to mechanical damage

It is possible that the disk may not be located by the system or may work with errors even though it is fully operational. When disassembling the laptop, you should check that the drive jumpers are installed correctly and that the cable connecting the HDD to the motherboard is in good condition. These small and easily corrected nuances can cause disk failure.

Preparing the hard drive for repair

The advantage of all laptops is the ease of access and replacement of all computer components, so even those who are not particularly “friendly” with technology can remove the hard drive and prepare it for repair.

This rule applies to replacing the hard drive. We will not give a plan for removing the HDD from a laptop; there is a sufficient amount of such information on the Internet and they differ depending on the laptop manufacturer. The greatest difficulties can arise in HP Pavilion laptops, where you need to remove the keyboard to get to the hard drive.

Note: Removing hard drive components, such as the circuit board or cover, yourself will void your computer's warranty.

DIY laptop hard drive repair

Oxidation of contacts

Contact oxidation is the most common cause of hard drive failure. This problem is easily fixable and does not require special skills or time to eliminate:

• We take out the hard drive and unscrew the external hard drive board.
• We find the data transfer interface contacts on the board; they are usually located on the side of the board and are arranged in two rows.
• 
  
• We inspect the contacts for damage, darkening of oxides, carbon deposits
• Using a regular office eraser, with light friction we get rid of carbon deposits and oxides on the contacts
• We treat the contacts with cotton wool moistened with an alcohol solution

• Bad disk head

  If you hear an intermittent monotonous hum or crackling of the hard drive, then there is a high probability of a breakdown of the hard drive's reading head. When the head is faulty, it is impossible to repair it; you will have to replace it with a new one; such a part is called a donor. The donor must be from the same company as the part being replaced. Remember that replacement must be carried out using gloves to prevent dust from getting on the disk components.

  

  Replacing the disk head is carried out in several stages:

• Remove the hard drive from the computer and use a Phillips screwdriver to open the hard drive cover. Opening must be done carefully, being careful not to catch the magnet and the gasket.
• To remove the heads, you need to sequentially remove the magnet and stops, rotating the disk behind the spindle axis, remove the heads, then unscrew them and remove them. We also perform this operation with the donor disk; after removing the head from it, we place it on the faulty disk
• Reassembling the disk in reverse order

• Faulty disk surface

  The surface of the disk (the block of magnetic plates) is very vulnerable, as it is constantly in contact with the moving head. Due to a faulty head or mechanical shocks to the laptop body, scratches and dents may form on the surface of the disk, which lead to unpleasant sound during operation, as well as loss of information from the disk. It is often worth replacing the disk head so that there are no more problems with the surface.

  

• Damage to information on the drive

  In case of software errors or damage to the magnetic plate unit, the necessary information may be deleted from the disk. And if, if a block of plates is damaged, only part of the information can be restored, and only in special services, then accidentally deleted information from a computer can still be restored if the disk sectors on which it was located were not overwritten.

  To restore information, there are many specialized utilities, such as: R-Studio, Undelete Plus, HDD Regenerator and others. Programs of this kind are easy to use: you just need to install them on your computer, scan the disk space and restore the detected files.

  Do-it-yourself hard drive repair is a labor-intensive procedure that should be performed by technicians, not amateurs. It is also worth remembering that in the event of mechanical damage, the information on the disk will almost certainly be permanently deleted after the HDD malfunction is repaired.