Hard Drive repair
HARD DRIVE NOT FOUND - You're about to need either hard drive replacement or a hard drive repair.
If you don’t hear any odd sounds, sometimes this can be repaired by our Buckeye computer technicians right on the bench without a hard drive replacement. If your desktop makes a ticking sound sort of like a sewing machine, and particularly if you’ve been ignoring a warning about “SMART HARD DRIVE FAILURE IS IMMINENT”, you’re probably looking at a hard drive replacement. And you better hope you have a backup of all your files, pictures, music, and the rest of your digital life.
Sometimes this CAN be a loose cable – so there is some hope! If the computer is just sort of hanging and showing a Windows logo but not quite ever starting up, then it is probably not as bad as you think. Check out our “speed up slow computer” page
The best prepared Buckeye computer customer is one that pays attention to the computer. If you get messages such as the “hard drive failure imminent” when you boot up, you should notice it and act on it sooner rather than later. Too many times, we get customers through the door with hard drives that have failed and they tell us that, yes, they had seen that message but didn’t think too much about it.
Whenever your computer gives you any message about your hard drive failing, you must to pay attention. At least give your favorite Raleigh computer company, ideally Buckeye, a quick call to see if it’s something that you should follow up on.
Disk Error Warnings
You got the drive error message - now what?
Get a backup of your files – QUICK!
It is a REAL good time to get your files, including pictures, documents, and music backed up quickly. Best practices are that this should already be happening on a regular basis. There are some great backup programs out there including a basic backup program included with Windows. If you’re NOT using one of them, you need to really get one going before it IS too late. Try to minimize your usage of the computer and keep the disk activity as low as possible until you can get it diagnosed.
Blue Screens and BIOS "Hard drive not found" messages
There’s not a lot you can do once you are getting the “hard drive not found” error. It could be cables loosened up, but you may very well be in trouble already. You need to shut off the computer and bring it directly to Buckeye computer repair in one of our convenient locations. Do NOT try to repeatedly boot it up. You are likely to cause more damage with a bunch of reboots. It’s best to go ahead and just plan on a PC computer repair call and visit.
You will need a hard drive replacement.
Other Hard Drive Messages
Sometimes, you will get a “Boot disk not found” error. These are similar and can come down to there being an issue with your hard drive. You may need a hard drive repair, but it may be something as simple as having left your USB stick in the computer! Most computers these days will happily boot off the USB device first and if your computer doesn’t like what it finds, you’ll get a dire message that really IS not a big issue.
It may also be that some of the files on the computer have corrupted and require an operating system reinstall to resolve it. It also could indicate that you’ve got a virus having its way with your computer. Call Buckeye or come by to get a free diagnosis.
Protect all of Your Data!
Sometimes your hard drive just needs to be totally replaced. If you’re not sure which you need, feel free to give us a shout and talk with us! Hard drive replacement?
