Three common hard drive problems and you can fix this problem

If any hard drive fails, many users have a pretty simple knee-jerk reaction: how can I fix it?

The trouble is, hard drive problems usually can't be fixed by their owners. That's why data recovery companies exist. But many users don't listen to this; they try crazy stuff with hard drives, and end up ruining their chances of data recovery.

Here are some common hard drive problems that a typical computer user might face-and why the typical computer user has absolutely no chance of fixing them.

-: Head Crash :-
 

What it is: When a drive fails, sometimes the heads the read the information come into physical contact with the platters which contain the information. This is called a "head crash", which is where the term "hard drive crash" comes from. It's one of the more common problems a hard drive experiences and typically is accompanied by a clicking sound or a scraping sound. It's really important that if this happens, you don't try to run the drive any further, as that may cause additional damage.

Why you can't fix it: Head crashes require either the heads being manually reset or replaced (which requires a lot of training and a clean room, as the slightest contaminant will make the drive unrecoverable) or tinkering with the firmware on the board in very rare cases. Either way, a standard home computer isn't up to the job; just to attempt this on a single drive, you'll have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars, and even then the chances of a successful recovery are infinitesimal compared to the chances a professional data recovery company would have.

-: Electronics Damage :-

What it is: Exactly what it sounds like. Physical or electrical damage to the electronic PCB board of a hard drive.

Why you can't fix it: A common misconception is that the PCB boards of two similar drives are the same, but the PCB often contains a drive's specific firmware. Therefore, a PCB swap requires some soldering, a very precise knowledge of PCB components, and occasionally even some work with microcode; and that's if the board failure didn't cause any other problems with the drive (board failures usually do). Data recovery companies can handle this.

-: Stuck Spindle :-

What it is: The spindle of a hard drive, which spins the platters under the heads, locks up and won't move. Usually you hear a whining sound of some sort. This can be a very dangerous problem, because the chances of the platters being damaged are very high.

Why you can't fix it: There's an old data recovery myth that says that putting the drive in a freezer can help the spindle get unstuck, and actually, it does occasionally work. However, there are far more instances of the "freezer method" causing irreparable damage to hard drives, either through condensation, platter damage, or a variety of other problems. Plus, if it's the type of error that can be solved with a Kenmore refrigerator, a data recovery company that has any sort of reputability isn't going to cost very much.

The one hard drive problem you can fix is data loss. To quote your company's tech guy: back everything up. Don't stop backing your data up. Get into the habit. All of these drive problems cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars if you need a data recovery company to pull your data for you; if you just need the drive replaced, however, it's usually going to be less than a hundred bucks (depending on the size, make, and model of the hard drive, of course).

The moral is not to try do-it-yourself methods with hard drive data recovery; the technology just isn't user serviceable.