A “head crash” is a term that describes what happens when the read/write heads of a hard drive touch the spinning platter causing damage to the magnetic coating that contains the data.

A hard drive is somewhat like a record player in that there are spinning platters (records) that are read by read/write heads on an actuator arm (the tone arm and needle). Instead of the r/w heads actually touching the platter though, it hovers just above it reading the data magnetically. Sometimes it’s a small bump or jarring of the disk, sometimes it’s a small piece of dirt or other particulate on the disk surface. Whatever the cause, if the read/write heads touch and chip or scratch the magnetic coating of the spinning platter(s), that is a head crash!

A head crash has to be handled carefully as once it happens and some coating has been scratched off the platter(s), the problem become worse very quickly. You have to catch it quick before all of your data is literally scratched off. A common disk speed is 7200 RPM – that’s almost 75  mph! A head crash occurring at that speed can be catastrophic.

Be smart. If you hear clicking, clunking, grinding or any other odd noises you could possibly have a head crash. We suggest you pack it up and send it to a company that you know will give you the best chance of recovery.

Hard Drives, Hardware clicking, head crash, noise

We get this question rather often so figured it best to write a bit about it for our customers reference. How do you remove the hard drive from your computer? There is no standard method for doing this as all cases are different. First, is it a desktop or laptop computer?

Note: Before getting started, disconnect all of the cables and wires from your computer, make sure the power is completely disconnected and if we are dealing with a laptop – remove the battery!

Desktop

First we will need to get to the internals of the computer. To do this we need to find a way to open the case. Most modern computers have a simple little “lock” on the back of the computer that when utilized allows you to completly remove one side of the case and exposing the inside of the computer. This is called a “screwless case”. It will generally be a small tab that you can slide one way or the other to release the side of the case.

On some cases, you will actually have to use a screw driver to remove some screws. When doing this make sure you dont remove the screws for the power supply. That is the box towards the top of the case in the back where your power cable plugs in. It should have 4 screws around the square power supply. Don’t bother with these. The screws you are interested in will be around the outskirts of the case and on the back panel. Sometimes it will be what is called a “thumbscrew” – they look like this:

They are just like a screw but designed to be turned without a tool. Simply twist to remove, then open the side of the case.

Once inside, you might feel intimidated by all of the wires and connections. Don’t be! With a little effort you will soon be a master of removing hard drives. The hard drive will be about 4×6 inches in dimension and will have most probably have one of the following 2 cables plugged into it:

PATA(IDE) Cable

SATA Cable (not always red)

Just locate these cables and follow them from the motherboard to the hard drive. Once you have identified the disk, simply securely grip the cables and pull them directly out from the hard drive. No, you aren’t going to  break it. Sometimes you have to exert a bit of force to get the cables to come free.

Once you have disconnected the cables, we need to remove the drive itself from the case. Generally this is a matter of removing a few screws or sliding a couple of clamps. Because there are so many different case manufacturers and styles it would be hard to picture all of the different ways – but you have come this far! Don’t give up now.

Laptop

Again, we face the problem of there being hundreds if not thousands of different laptop case designs and ways to mount the hard drive. The best way to find out just where the hard drive is located on your case, is to check with the manufacturer. On Dell laptops for example, it is a matter of removing 2 screws and sliding the hard drive out. On most Apple laptops, you have to remove the battery and look for screws holding the metal band around the outskirts of the battery. Once removed pull the white tab to slide the disk out.

If you have any troubles removing the disk from your computer feel free to call us! We will be happy to walk you right through the process. If you don’t even want to try your luck feel free to send the entire laptop or drive enclosure.

Hard Drives Desktop, Hard Drives, Laptop, thumbscrew

Oh dear…generally, a clicking sound coming from your hard drive is pretty bad sign. It could very well be a sign of massive hardware failure to come. The best advice is to back up your hard drive immediately if it makes any funny noises. In fact you should be backing up anyway! Check out the article about backing up for more information.

Now, if the data on the drive is critical (meaning you want the best chance of recovering it) we strongly suggest that you don’t play with it at all. Don’t even power it up again. The next time it spins up could be its last. If you have done due diligence and decided that the files are replaceable or otherwise not critical what follows are some ideas on how to fix the problem.

First, to make things clear: a clicking noise does not mean that your drive has or will have a hardware failure. It means that’s probably what will happen. Remember, you don’t always get a warning. Now onto possible solutions to the issue to get you up and spinning long enough to recover the files you need!

On Dat Level

Be sure that the disk is on a level surface or is cased at a level angle. You would be surprised how much the physical angle of a hard drive has on its performance. First make sure it is at a level angle. If it already is flipping it upside down (exactly and carefully) is a good step. Don’t do this while the drive is running. Power it down completely then re-position. If all else fails, try setting the drive on its side. As you are aware, hard drives are very sensitive to jolts and movement. Do be careful when adjusting positions.

Be Cool

Hard drives don’t like heat. Do whatever you can (besides putting your drive in the freezer – you really don’t want to do that.) to cool the drive before and while it is running. You can buy nice heat sinks for drives that when coupled properly can decrease heat significantly. Another solution is a USB cup warmer/cooler. You can pick them up for around $20 and they can be dissembled and placed on a hard drive to help cool it. You can even rig one to cool the drive while in a case during normal use! If you are trying to fix a clicking drive, be sure to keep it cool the entire time. If it gets too hot it could compound the issue.

Check, Mate

If you are using a Windows system, you can use CHKDSK to check for hard drive trouble. Simply boot into safe mode and issue CHKDSK C: /R /F  in a command terminal (run>cmd). This will run a disk check that will check for bad sectors (/R) and try to fix errors if possible (/F). If CHKDSK wants to convert lost chains to files, allow it. If you reboot after a CHKDSK and your drive still clicks, it probably has some physical issues. Please do realize – you can KILL a dying hard drive by running commands like this on it. Be very sure you are prepared to go down this road before you do.

Software Isn’t Always Soft

Why not try some “over the counter” software to fix your problem? After all the prices range from $50  which is much cheaper than even DriveFish’s flat fee of $199 for recovery, right? Software is not always soft. In fact it can be very HARD on a faulty hard drive. In so many words, running software on a dying drive can be the same as tossing it out the window of a moving car. There are some cases where software can be useful but never use software on a drive that is making noise unless you are prepared to lose all of the data on the disk.

If you are unsure about your chances or would rather have the professionals handle it – place an order!

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