The hard drive is used in a computer to store all applications pertaining to programs (such as Windows, MS Word, Paint, games) as well as family photos, music, movies, and all those years of documents you have stored. Usually no larger than the palm of your hand, new technology has provided today’s hard drives with enough storage and speed to meet just about any standard application.
A Brief History of Electronic Data Storage
Before hard drives were available for computers, data information was most commonly stored on magnetic tape drives – and before that punch cards (and other methods) were used. Even though magnetic tape drives were effective, and served their purpose, they were very slow and often bulky. A variation of magnetic tapes drives were used until the floppy drive became available.
The floppy disk worked similar to a magnetic tape drive, but the data was stored on a magnetic disk instead of tape. The floppy disk was much faster than the magnetic tape, much smaller, and easier to handle and store. Floppy disks came in a variety of sizes from eight-inch disks that could store 80 kilobytes of data, and finally down to three-inch disks that could store up to 250 megabytes of data!
The hard drives that we know today are still under development. They continue to shrink in size and their data capacity continues to grow. We can only imagine what component will replace the hard drive.
When Hard Drives Fail – Symptoms
There are several symptoms that tell us when a hard drive is beginning to fail. The most common are: when the hard drive is not recognized by the computer BIOS (Bootable Input Output System); strange noises such as scratching or “tinging” sounds coming from the hard drive; and failure to complete disk defragmentation.
BIOS Error - When the computer BIOS is unable to recognize the hard drive, it is possible that the hard drive has completely failed. When the computer “boots up”, the BIOS scans all internal hardware and verifies which components are installed in the computer. If the hard drive is not responsive, it will not be detected by the BIOS.
Hard Drive Noises – The internal components of a computer hard drive is primarily composed of a number of metallic/magnetic disks called platters – and heads to read and write data to the platters. If a hard drive begins making scratching or scrubbing sounds, it is possible that the heads are actually contacting the platters. If this is the case, more than likely your hard drive is a total loss. If the hard drive is making a “clicking” sound, then the problem is likely that it can not find a particular group of sectors it is looking for. *A sector is a particular storage area on the platters.
Defragmentation Failure – a Disk defragmenter basically re-organizes the data on the hard drive and should be run on at least a monthly basis. When running the disk defragmenter, if you constantly receive an error stating that the disk defragmenter is unable to complete, it is possible that the hard drive has bad sectors.
Bad sectors can be caused if the disk head comes in contact with the platter – causing it to become scratched and unreadable. The disk defragmenter can also perform a surface scan to verify that the platters are actually damaged. Most of the time, some of your data can be saved if this is the case.
Replacing the Hard Drive
If you have determined that your hard drive is in fact damaged and in need of replacing, it can be done by just about anyone. When purchasing your new hard drive, verify that it is compatible with your computer (most are) and compare prices with size. Purchase the largest hard drive possible for the price. If possible, back up all of your photos and other data that is available on the bad hard drive.
Opening the Computer Case
Now that you have purchased your hard drive and are ready to install it, you must first open the computer case. Note: If your computer is still under the manufactures warranty, let them replace the hard drive; and if you open the computer case or try to do any maintenance on your computer, it will void the warranty.
Before opening the computer case, make sure the computer is unplugged from the wall. Electrical shock is deadly! Computer cases are designed differently and each case opens differently. Still, this should not be hard to figure out. Once the case is opened, you will see all of the internal parts of the computer.
Finding the Hard Drive
The hard drive is normally located near the floppy drive (if your computer has a floppy drive). It measures somewhere around 3.5 inches x 5 inches and normally has a ribbon cable attached to it. If you are still unsure where your hard drive is located, read the product labels on the components. The hard drive normally has information pertaining to a hard drive listed on it.
Removing the Hard Drive
The hard drive is normally mounted inside the computer case with four screws. Some have “quick releases” installed and these allow a simple button or something similar to be pressed, releasing the hard drive. The hard drive will also have a data transfer cable (such as a ribbon cable) attached and a power cable. Simply unplug the cables and remove the screws. The hard drive will be free to remove from the case.
Installing the New Hard Drive
When installing the new hard drive, you simply reverse the steps you took to remove the old hard drive. Assure that the cables are properly connected and the screws have been reattached – securing the hard drive in place. When finished, double check all connections.
Closing the Case
Before closing the computer case, take a few minutes to remove the dust from your computer. A can of compressed air only cost a few dollars and removing the dust from your computer can help with its performance. Check all heat sinks, fans, mother board components, and the power supply for dust. Remove all of this dust and close up the case and install any screws that were removed.
Power up the Computer
Once the case is closed, turn the computer on and verify that the BIOS detects the hard drive as well as the storage capacity of the drive has been detected. Most “newer” computers will automatically detect the new hard drive and this is an easy step.
Once the Computer is On
If you were not able to back up any data on your old hard drive, you will have to start from scratch. And, hopefully you have all of the re-installation disks that were supposed to be supplied with your computer when you purchased it. If you do not have these disks, you will need to contact your computer manufacturer and order the operating system disks.
Before installing the operating system on your computer, first run FDISK in DOS to set the partition of your hard drives. Some already has this preset but most do not. Instructions on how to do this should be provided with your new hard drive. Once the partition has been set and the hard disk has been properly formatted, you will be ready to install the operating system.
Installing the Operating System
It is fairly easy to install the operating system. Simply install the CD in the computer and turn the computer on. Most operating system disks are very user friendly and will easily explain to you each step to perform while the installation progresses. Once the operating system has installed and you tweak it for your own settings, you can reinstall any photos or other information that you were (hopefully) able to back-up from your other hard drive.
Other Tips
Always back up important documents, photos, or any other irreplaceable data. CD’s or DVD’s are excellent to store data as are thumb drives. Large format thumb drives are now available and even these are still being developed.
Some people prefer to install two hard drives in their computer – allowing their sensitive data to be stored on two hard drives. If this is the case, if one hard drive fails, they can resort to the other drive. A number of methods can be used to back up data, but it is up to you to take the time and verify your data is safe.
And too, beware of money hungry computer mechanics who will easily tell you that your hard drive or any other component is bad. Do some of your own research before forking out money to these people.
This article from Dreamyoup
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