It's OK, GPZone is here. We provide onsite technology services for the home & small business like computer repair, computer networking, virus removals, laptop repair, video security, and data recovery. Don't sweat it - we come to you.
- have been hit by a virus
- have been formatted
- make clicking noises
- have burned chips
- have failing logic boards
- no longer spin
- have data errors
- have physical damage
- have suffered fire or flood damage
Hard drives store information like music, documents, email and pictures on your computer. We have hard drives in our computers to store the information that would otherwise be lost when the computer shuts down. Unlike other critical electronic computer components, hard drives are more mechanical in nature, experiencing a lot of movement that leads to failure, which means the possibility of data loss.
Causes of FailureThe hard drive has a circuit board that communicates with the computer. This can be damaged by power surges and overheating. If the hard drive gets bumped, the head (which is responsible for reading and writing data to platters in the hard drive) can hit the surface of the disk. If this happens, then you are likely to hear a clicking sound coming from your hard drive. Your computer's hard drive spins very fast, and when the spindle locks up, won't spin properly.
Warning SignsListen for odd sounds like clicking sounds, grinding noises, and whirring sounds - if you hear these noises, stop using the computer immediately. A slowing computer that is not explained by low memory could be related to the hard drive, especially if it takes a long time to open file folders. Watch out for blue-screen issues, computer boot failures, and sudden, unexpected reboots. These can be signs that your hard drive's death is imminent.
What You Can Do About ItFirst, back up your files regularly, or get help with setting a back up services. GPZone can help you with automated off-site data backup solutions. If it's too late, then it may be time for a data recovery service, which is not as easy as backing up your computer in the first place.