The computer hard drive is a very sensitive component. Errors in its file system, broken sectors on the surface, mechanical problems sometimes cause a complete failure of the computer system.
The same problems are typical for flash drives, which in their essence are practically no different from a hard drive. How to determine the presence of errors and bad sectors and how to fix them if possible?
A little bit of theory
Many people simply confuse file system errors and bad sectors. Therefore, we will try to explain the difference between these phenomena and the reason for their occurrence. Also, we will determine what the symptoms of manifestations of errors that have appeared on the surface of the hard drive may be.
Filesystem errors
When people talk about hard disk errors and trying to fix them using the chkdsk utility built into Windows, they usually mean file system errors. Such errors are related to metadata problems describing the file system itself: errors of the $ Bitmap, $ BadClus files, the main file table, various indexes.
For example, errors in the NTFS $ Bitmap file can cause the system to misread the amount of free space on a volume. And problems with the $ BadClus file can lead to incorrect identification of bad sectors and an attempt to write data to such sectors, which will cause the computer to freeze completely.
Broken sectors
The nature of the broken sectors is somewhat different. The hard disk is “sliced” into sectors at the factory during production. It is then that its logical structure is created, then it receives magnetic properties for recording data. These structures become faulty as a result of the gradual degradation of areas of the hard surface, which become such due to careless handling of the hard drive, which accidentally fell to the floor or was hit on the case even with an ordinary screwdriver.
Testing programs that fall on parts of the degrading surface detect the so-called bad or bad sectors - bad sectors. Sectors that have lost their magnetic properties do not allow reading and writing data to them. It is possible to eliminate the faulty structures of the hard drive. To do this, manufacturers create special reserve sector areas. When a bad sector appears, diagnosed at a certain address, its address is reassigned to a sector from this spare area.
Symptoms of errors and bad sectors
We have already described a little about the symptomatology of file system errors above. However, the symptoms are sometimes very varied. Here are some manifestations of errors and bad sectors that have arisen in the hard drive.
- Noticeable freezing of the operating system when performing read and write operations.
- Failure to load the operating system. For example, the download continues only until the download notification and Windows logo appear.
- Frequent occurrence of errors in the operation of the operating environment.
- Extremely slow and unproductive operating system.
Here is a far from complete list of error manifestations associated with file system problems and the presence of degrading areas of the hard disk. What to do in such cases?
Checking errors using Windows
Checking and correcting file system errors in Windows is carried out by a standard utility of this operating environment called chkdsk. It can also be useful for troubleshooting bad sectors caused by viruses and can be run either in a graphical environment or from the command line. Let's consider the most accessible option for its implementation in a graphical environment.
Checking an inactive volume
Checking an inactive volume is the simplest. It can be executed completely in graphical mode. An inactive volume refers to a partition that does not have a current operating system installed. It can be a connected hard drive or, for example, drive D.
Press the button "Check".
The utility is launched from the "Service" tab of the volume properties. This tab contains a button "Check". If you click it, the chkdsk utility window will open. To check for bad sectors that appeared as a result of software errors, check the box next to the corresponding option. Then, just press the "Run" button - the utility will check and correct errors.
The chkdsk utility checks volume D, also diagnosing bad sectors.
Checking the system volume
Checking and correcting errors on the system volume, where the operating environment in effect at the time of the check is located, is carried out slightly differently. The utility detects such a volume as connected, and therefore warns that it cannot perform a check, but offers to perform it on the next reboot.
The chkdsk utility reports that it cannot check the disk.
After restarting the computer, the user will find that during boot, after the appearance of the Windows logo, a black screen appears. This black screen gradually fills with lines of text. This is the chkdsk utility that checks the system volume of the hard drive. After checking and the necessary corrections, it will demonstrate the result, and then the operating system will continue to boot.
The chkdsk utility checks volume C after reboot.
Programs for checking the hard disk for bad sectors
There are a number of applications in the software market that can test the surface of a hard drive. In this case, not one volume is tested, but the entire surface of the hard drive. Of course, the user can independently set the boundary sectors and test individual areas. To identify bad sectors, a sector read test is usually performed.
Important: the test results for the presence of bad sectors should be considered in conjunction with SMART indicators such as Reallocation Sector Count, Reallocation Event Count.
Data Lifeguard Diagnostic
This utility was created by the developers of Western Digital. It is available for download on the official website of the company. Lifeguard Diagnostic works great with hard drives of almost any manufacturer, and not only hard drives that are native to WD, as one might think. It offers a number of tests: Fast, Advanced, as well as the ability to fill with zero sectors of the hard drive.
Data Lifeguard Diagnostic utility interface.
We are most interested in the extended test. This test allows you to detect bad sectors on the disk surface. When the program finds a bad sector, it informs the user about it, prompting him to choose whether he wants to fix the detected error. If he agrees, then the application writes to sector 0, so the sector data will be lost.
Sample of utility tests. We need an Extended Test.
The duration of this test is longer than the quick test. The test time depends on the size of the drive, since the test is carried out by sweating the entire surface, starting from sector 0 and ending with the maximum LBA value.
Extended Test utilities in operation.
HDDScan
The HDDScan application is also an excellent tester of the hard drive surface. It can often be seen in whole software packages such as LiveCD. This application has a graphical interface and offers a number of tests, of which in our case the most interesting is "Surface Tests".
Select the Surface Test from the drop-down list.
Important: when performing surface tests from under Windows, you must close all running programs to avoid random results during the test, initiated by the action of these programs.
After selecting a test, an additional window will open, which presents the test parameters. Leave the "Read" option enabled, which will only allow reading data from sectors. So, we will define sectors from which it is impossible to read information for a set time (bad sectors), hover sectors and normal cells. Leave the fields of the starting and ending sectors unchanged if we want to check the entire surface.
Leave the Read test option enabled.
When testing this program, a number of sectors are identified:
- bad sectors,
- hover sectors that take more than 500 ms to read data,
- sectors with read time from 150 to 500 ms,
- sectors with reading time from 50 to 150 ms,
- sectors with reading time from 10 to 20 ms,
- hDDScan considers as normal sectors, the data of which is read in 5 ms.
The test result of the program is available in the form of a line graph, a map of the distribution of sectors, as well as a regular text report.
Checking the hard disk surface.
Ashampoo HDD Control
Unlike the programs discussed above, HDD Control is not a free program. This application is a whole set of tools designed to restore the health of your hard drive. This program also offers the ability to test the surface of the hard drive.
Let's select the "Surface Testing" option.
The test is very simple and accessible to an ordinary user of HDD Control. To start it, you just need to press the "Surface Testing" button. It lacks additional options that would allow you to customize the type of test. During testing, only two types of sectors are detected: with an excellent read result and bad sectors.
Victoria HDD
Victoria considers the health of the tested hard drive "GOOD".
This application is able to collect information about the SMART health of the hard drive. Also, it allows you to test the disk surface, reassign bad sectors with the Remap operation, and reset bad sectors. It also subdivides sectors into groups:
- bad sectors (Error),
- hover sectors with a read time of more than 600 ms,
- hover sectors with read time from 200 to 600 ms,
- sectors with reading time from 50 to 200 ms,
- sectors with read time from 20 to 50 ms,
- victoria diagnoses normal sectors within the framework of data reading up to 5 ms.
To test the hard drive, you can run this program in Windows graphics mode. Next, you need to select the "Tests" tab. This is where the surface tests are located. There are four options for working with a hard surface:
- Ignore,
- Remap,
- Erase,
- Restore.
First of all, you can carry out the Ignore test to determine if there are bad sectors on the surface of the hard drive. If they are, then you need to proceed with the Remap test. This test will allow you to reassign the addresses of the bad sectors to the reserved area where the normal sectors are located.
Types of tests available and categories of sectors. Victoria checks the surface.
If, after the Remap test, Victoria continues to diagnose bad sectors, then you can still try to restore their performance by applying the Restore test. The Erase option should be used wisely from under Windows, as it writes zeros to sectors - it erases sector data. It can be used only within a selection of sectors, the data of which is not related to the operating system.
Short summary
It should be noted that there is a difference between errors fixed by the chkdsk utility of the Windows operating system and bad sectors fixed by programs such as Victoria HDD. The former are caused by problems with the file system, while the latter are often the result of the loss of magnetic properties by sectors of the hard disk surface and its gradual degradation. However, chkdsk is also able to fix some bad sector problems.
To eliminate bad sectors, you can use such applications as: Data Lifeguard Diagnostic, Ashampoo HDD Control, HDDScan, Victoria. Let's single out the Victoria HDD application as the best for checking and fixing bad sectors, since it offers a number of tests: Ignore, Remap, Erase and Restore. It allows not only to detect faulty structures of the hard surface, but also to cure the HDD.
In this article, we will go through the detailed process hDD repair and share with you information on how you can recover data even in a badly damaged disk. However, we recommend that you first read some technical information to help you understand the problem.
It is difficult to overestimate the role of information in the modern world. Not only the level of our knowledge depends on it, but also, often, a professional career - something that is always given with great difficulty. Any damage to the physical disks of a computer can lead to the most unpleasant consequences, including device failure and complete loss of personal data. What to do if bad sectors are found on the disk and there is a risk of its death?
What is a broken sector?
A bad sector is a certain space on a hard disk that cannot be used due to its physical damage or lack of access to it. This problem manifests itself primarily in the slow operation of the HDD, the inability of the system to fully boot and the refusal of WIndows in the request to format the device. The occurrence of these phenomena can confidently indicate the presence of bad sectors on the disk.
Types of HDD damage
There are only two types of bad sectors on a hard disk: physical and logical. Let's take a closer look at them.
Physically broken sector Is a hard disk cluster that has been physically damaged. If the HDD head touches the rotating plate during operation, it is guaranteed to be damaged. It is impossible to repair such a sector.
Logically broken sector Is a cluster that has stopped working as expected. When the operating system tries to read data from it or write new ones, it encounters an error and loses any opportunity to interact with the sector. Such sectors can be easily rebuilt.
HDD Damage Signs
The hard drive is perhaps one of the most fragile components of a computer. If you do not properly monitor its condition, sooner or later the moment of its failure and complete loss of data may come. Just like any other device, the HDD has its own unique symptoms that signal errors that have occurred. Let's take a look at some of the signs that clearly indicate sector corruption on a hard drive.
- Significant increase in data processing time. PC slows down or freezes altogether.
- The hard disk becomes RAW. When you try to connect to it, messages about the device unavailability appear on the screen.
- The HDD makes sounds that are unnatural for it.
- At the time of formatting the disk, the operating system displays a message with the error “Windows could not complete formatting”.
- The operating system cannot boot. Any launch attempt ends with a blue screen of death.
- Occasionally, an error “Windows has detected a problem with the hard drive” appears on the screen, which prompts you to back up your data.
Causes of bad sectors
Hard disk clusters can be easily damaged for a number of reasons. They can significantly complicate the work with the PC or even lead to the death of the hard drive. To help prevent this problem, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with some of the common causes of the problem.
- Obsolescence of the hard drive.
Like any other device, a hard disk has its own strictly allotted service life and after its expiration the likelihood of various kinds of errors increases significantly. - Incorrect shutdown of the computer.
Due to the high rotational speed of the hard disk components, sudden reboot or power off may cause the HDD head to touch the platter and cause physical damage. - Shaking and hitting the hard drive.
Despite the fact that HDD manufacturers do their best to strengthen the design of their devices, careless handling of them can easily lead to serious damage. - Contamination of the device.
Dust is one of the last reasons users think about bad sectors. If enough dirt builds up, damaged clusters will immediately appear on the hard disk.
So, we figured out the technical side of the issue and now is the time to start practice!
Data recovery from damaged HDD with Starus Partition Recovery application
Unfortunately, in some cases it is simply impossible to save a hard drive. He is "crumbling" and, perhaps, he has no more than a few days left to work. Therefore, the only important task for the user is the salvation of personal data.
We recommend using the application. This program is designed specifically for recovering files in harsh conditions of work with damaged drives, when other software loses any efficiency.
Features of the program:
- Compatible with all Windows versions.
- Convenient, intuitive Russian-language interface.
- The presence of step-by-step instructions that will guide you through all stages of working with the program.
- Deep analysis capability.
- Distribution of found files by signature (format).
- Presence of a preview window. You will be able to study both graphic and text documents in advance.
- Availability of all types of export.
Use the below guide to recover data from damaged HDD:
1. Launch the Starus Partition Recovery application.
2. Specify the drive you want to scan.
3. Select the type of analysis you want.
4. Select the files you want to recover.
5. Select the appropriate export type and complete the restore process.
Note!
Do not under any circumstances export documents to the disk from which you are recovering them. This action can lead to their permanent loss.
Scanning and repairing HDD
As you probably know, there are a large number of all kinds of applications whose purpose is to help the user check and repair a damaged disk. However, not all of them are distinguished by their efficiency or easy-to-understand interface, which complicates the process of restoring the device to some extent. Therefore, we have prepared for you a list of, in our opinion, the best HDD repair applications.
Let's get started!
Opens our top built-in utility of the Windows operating system - File Explorer. If you are not a big fan of using third-party software, then you will like this program, since it saves you from the need for tedious searches for suitable software on the Internet. How do I use it?
1. Open My Computer / This Computer (Hotkeys Win + E).
2. Go to Disk propertieswith which to work.
3. Go to the section Service and find the utility Checking for errors... Start it by clicking on the key Verify.
4. Click on the key.
5. Wait for the scan to complete.
6. Done! If Windows detects logical damage to the HDD, it will immediately offer you to fix them.
HDD Regenerator
A simple, but no less effective program for repairing bad sectors of the hard drive. According to official sources, HDD Regenerator is capable of repairing almost 60% of hard drives that were previously considered hopeless. The application scans disks exclusively at the physical level and, as a result, can work with all file systems (FAT, NTFS, etc.). An additional nice feature of the software is the ability to work with unallocated disks.
Features of the program:
- Support for FAT and NTFS file systems.
- Providing detailed statistics of HDD performance.
- Fast scan mode.
- Monitoring HDD performance in real time.
Use the instructions below to repair bad sectors on your hard drive:
1. Start the application.
2. Click the Click here to repair physical sectors on damaged drive surface directly under Windows icon. The choice of this option means that you will work exclusively with PC hard drives.
3. Select the physical disk you want to scan and press the key.
4. Wait for the scan and HDD recovery to complete.
SeaTools is a highly efficient application designed for free hard drive diagnostics, error correction and logical corruption. The program allows you to timely detect some problems with the HDD before contacting the service center, which significantly increases the chances of the disk to maintain its performance.
Features of the program:
- S.M.A.R.T. checks.
- Restores the HDD file system.
- Recovers logically broken sectors.
- Fixes driver related errors.
- Fixes a bug where the disk is no longer detected.
- Fixes an incompatibility error.
- Addresses an issue with the Windows Boot Loader (MBR).
- Destroys malware.
A quick guide to using the program:
1. Start the application.
2. Select the desired drive and open the drop-down menu Basic tests.
3. Select the test you want to test your hard drive with.
We will choose the Short Universal, since it allows you to actively use the process of reading from the drive.
Important note:
Although scanning is available for hard drives of all manufacturers, only SeaGate branded HDDs can repair the application.
HDD Health is another free disk diagnostic application. It will check your hard drive or solid state drive for errors, establish their current health status and generate predictions.
Features of the program:
- Availability of manufacturer ID, model and firmware version.
- Disk temperature monitoring capabilities.
- The ability to see the overall structure of the disk.
The process of working with the application is solely in monitoring such characteristics as the "health" and "temperature" of the disk.
HDDScan is a free tool for diagnosing drives for various types of damage. A distinctive feature of the program is its ability to write a scan log, thanks to which you can study the diagnostic process in as much detail as possible.
Features of the program:
- Ability to check for errors that cannot be detected by the built-in Windows utilities.
- Possibility of versatile testing of the hard disk (reading, checking, etc.)
- Monitoring of temperature and other data.
- The ability to write a scan log.
The application is easy to use. Just press the Test key and run the required testing algorithm.
We hope the article was useful for you and helped you find answers to the questions posed.
Often times, personal computer users are faced with hard disk problems that affect system performance. The main causes of hard drive failure are: broken sectors in HDD and faulty file system... In this article, we will describe in detail process of fixing HDD problemsand also describe methods for recovering information on hard drivesif it is defective or completely out of order. I would also like to note that the problems associated with the hard disk should be given special attention. For example, if the HDD becomes completely faulty, then you will hardly be able to recover information from it. That is, all your documents, personal videos and photos, as well as other files may be lost forever.
Reading SMART readings from the hard drive
If files are not copied on your computer, programs freeze after opening, then a possible reason for this may be faulty HDD... Typically, this operating system behavior is associated with bad sectors in your hard drive. To be sure that the problem is related to bad HDD sectors and not malware, the first step is to confirm this guess. If the situation described above is observed on the computer, we will install the utility on it CrystalDiskInfo... This utility describes the status of all hard drives installed on your computer. You can download CrystalDiskInfo from its official website http://crystalmark.info. The utility supports Windows operating systems from XP to Windows 10.
To check information about the hard drive, the utility uses self-diagnosis technology SMART... SMART technology is used on all manufactured HDDs. Below is an example of checking SMART readings using the CrystalDiskInfo utility in the hard drive WD1200JS... From this window, you can see that the program detected its state as “ Good"- this means that this hard drive is in perfect order and you shouldn't worry about it.
In the following image, in the SMART readings, the CrystalDiskInfo utility detected the status of the screw with the message “ Anxiety". This message means that the hard drive already contains bad sectors or it is overheating.
If you see the message “ Bad", It will mean that all bad sectors are reassigned on the hard drive and soon it will be completely covered.
In both cases, when the program found messages “ Anxiety"And" Bad", You should make a backup copy of all data on your computer, as the screw will soon become unusable.
One solution that can temporarily fix your screw is the utility Victoria... This utility can do REMAP BAD sectors, that is, it will reassign the bad sectors to the spare. In the next section, we will describe in detail the process of REMAP BAD sectors using the Victoria utility.
Recovering a hard drive using the Victoria program
Utility Victoria created by the efforts of a Belarusian programmer and distributed free of charge. You can download the utility on its official website hdd-911.com... Victoria utility is distributed in two versions for Windows and DOS. In our case, we will download the Windows version. After running the Victoria utility on Windows, we will get into such a window.
To fix the hard drive, we need to go to the "Tests" tab. On this tab, we are interested in the area with the radio buttons Ignore, Erase, Remap and Restore, as well as the Start button. To fix it, we need to select the Remap radio button and click Start.
After these actions, the Victoria program will begin the process of fixing the sectors, which can take quite a long time.
After reassigning the sectors, the Victoria program may be able to recover the bad sectors, and the value "Good" will be displayed in the CrystalDiskInfo utility. But a magical fix may not happen, since the reserve sectors may simply be absent and Victoria will not be able to help. In this case, there is only one way out - do a complete replacement of the HDD... In addition to screw treatment, Victoria also provides verification of readings SMART on the “ SMART».
I would like to note that all operations that you perform with Victoria, you do at your own peril and risk. Using the utility, an inexperienced user can damage the hard drive and void its warranty service.
Fixing file system problems on your hard drive
Many users on Windows computers often have problems with file system errors NTFS... File system problems occur due to malicious utilities and various software... Also, most often, problems in the file system occur inexperience the PC user himself. For example, mishandling the utility Acronis Disk Director... Windows itself will help us to solve this problem. Windows provides file system fixer... To fix the file system on a specific partition, you need to go to its properties. In our case, this is the system partition of the Windows 10 operating system. To start the fix, we need to go to the “ Service».
There is a Check button on this tab that we will click.
After this action, a window will appear in which you need to confirm our actions.
After confirming the action, Windows will scan this section.
After scanning, the system will display a message with the results of scanning the section for errors.
Using this method, many users restored the operating system to normal operation without having to reinstall it. If the problems lie in the HDD itself, then no disk check and OS reinstallation will help in this case. The only option in this case is that you can resort to the Victoria utility or do a complete replacement of the screw with a new one, while reinstalling Windows.
Recovering disks with Acronis True Image 2016
The software is the perfect tool to create a full backup all local partitions, including the system one. This opportunity is used by many administrators around the world. The created backup of local disks can be restored in a very short time. For example, if the system has been infected by a virus or the HDD is broken, in this case you will restore all OS disks in a short period of time. You can find Acronis True Image 2016 on its official website www.acronis.com. Having launched the program in question, we will get into such a window.
First of all, we will show our readers how to back up local partitions in Acronis True Image 2016. On the first Backup tab, you can see that the entire computer is selected for backup. That is, a full backup of all local partitions, including the system one, will be carried out. In the next block, you need to select a location for the backup. In our case, this is the local disk E. After selecting the type of backup data and the location of their saving, click the Create a copy button located in the lower right corner.
The time of the backup will depend on the amount of data saved.
Having completed the backup, we will describe the process of restoring the computer. To do this, we need to create an Acronis True Image 2016 bootable disk or USB flash drive. You can do this by going to the “ TOOLS / BOOT STORAGE WIZARD". Below is the wizard that should open.
In this wizard, we will select the first item and continue. In the window that appears, select where we will save the boot drive: in the image or on a USB stick.
After saving the boot source, the wizard will display a final window.
After creating a bootable USB flash drive or optical disc with Acronis True Image 2016, you can start data recovery. To do this, we will boot from the bootable USB flash drive when the computer starts. Having booted from the bootable drive, we get to the Acronis True Image 2016 menu. Choose the first item in this menu, and then we get to the main Acronis True Image window.
In the program window, go to the "" tab and find the previously created backup copy of the entire system.
Now, to restore the Windows system drive and local drives, press the button Disk recovery.
In the wizard that appears, select the item " Recover disks and partitions"And continue.
In the next window, select all local drives and continue with the wizard.
In paragraphs " Destination»For the first and second disks, select the original HDDs. If there are many hard drives installed in the system, be careful not to confuse the screws. In the final window, click the Proceed button.
The recovery time of a backup depends on the size and speed of the HDD. In our case, it took 10 minutes.
The example shows how easy it is to back up an entire computer, so if you master the Acronis True Image 2016 software package, you can easily restore its functionality in cases where the system is infected or the hard drive breaks down. Also, after mastering the program, you will not have any questions about how to recover data from your hard drive.
Recovering information with Recuva
There are times when, when reinstalling Windows or using Acronis software, users by mistake erase all information from the hard drive... If you have this particular situation, then you should not be upset, since all the information can be reestablish... A free utility will help us in this task Recuva... You can download the utility on its official website www.piriform.com. After starting the utility, the user enters a wizard that will help you recover all data. Below is the sequential work of the wizard.
The example shows that data recovery using Recuva is quite a simple process and almost any PC user can handle it.
Summing up
From this article, it can be emphasized that hard drive recovery is not a very simple task, but depending on the situation, even an ordinary PC user can handle it. I would also like to advise laptop owners to handle it as carefully as possible. For example, if the laptop falls or receives a strong impact, it can damage the HDD. In addition, if you independently identified the problematic screw, then do not be afraid to open the case of a laptop or stationary computer yourself, since replacing the HDD is quite a simple task. And we, in turn, hope that our material will be useful to our readers and will allow you to restore your hard drive.
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If the computer suddenly starts to freeze, or when it starts up, it periodically runs a check for hard disk (HDD) errors, or data from the HDD stops copying normally, all this may indicate the presence of bad sectors on the disk that need to be eliminated.
Special, logically marked areas, or rings, called tracks, divided into clusters and sectors, are magnetically created around the HDD. Information on the disk is written in sectors of 512 or 4096 bytes, but in fact it is stored in clusters ranging from 1 to 128 sectors.
A bad (damaged, bad, bad) sector on the HDD is a place that has lost its capacity for writing or reading, and the operating system (OS) cannot find data in it, and also write information to it.
Bad sectors arise either due to physical damage to the disk surface, or due to software errors and are corrected using system utilities, in particular, "Chkdsk".
These utilities rebuild logical sectors by matching them with an index in the MFT (master file table) file, and label the physical so that they are not used by the system.
Before using the "chkdsk" utility, you must close all running programs. the utility will not be able to recover bad sectors when they are used by the system.
Step 1. To do this, press "Win" on the keyboard, and hold it, "R" (Win is between Ctrl and Alt on the left), and in the "Run" window that opens, type "taskmgr" by clicking "OK".
Step 2. In the "Windows Task Manager" that opens, go to the "Applications" tab and close all applications running in the operating system one by one by selecting them with the mouse button and clicking "End task".
Step 4. In the window that appears, click on the "Service" tab and in the "Error-Checking" segment, click the "Check now" button.
Step 5. The Check Disk dialog box appears. If you need to check and eliminate only bad sectors, disable the "Automatically fix file system errors" checkbox (top item).
Step 6. Click the Start button to begin the process of checking and fixing bad sectors.
Step 7. If the tested HDD is a bootable disk for the OS, "Chkdsk" will offer the execution of the selected procedures the next time it is started. Click "Yes" for the answer.
The next time the system boots, a blue window with a countdown (timer) will appear. During this time, no buttons need to be pressed. As soon as the countdown reaches zero, the disk check will begin. After it completes, the computer will restart itself.
When "chkdsk" completes the task of recovering bad sectors of the hard disk, it will generate a report about it. Code “0” means that no errors were found during the disk scan, and code “1” means that errors were found and they were fixed.
Important!If the disk check process fails, it means there is a problem with the disk and it is important to back up your data to protect your data. In Windows XP and Windows 7, there is a utility built into the operating system called NTBackup for this purpose.
Eliminate bad sectors in Windows 8 and Windows 10
Step 1. Open Windows Explorer by pressing Win + E, right-click on the icon of the required HDD, and click "Properties".
Step 2. Go to the "Tools" tab and click "Check" (at this step you may need to enter your administrator account details).
Step 3. The error checking scanner will tell you if there are bad sectors on the hard disk or not. If no errors are found, the application will still let you run an error search on disk. Click "Scan drive".
Step 4. You can use the disc during the check. If errors are found, you can fix them. At the end of the disk check, the system will issue a report on the results. Click "Close".
Reference!Despite the fact that Windows 8 and 10 allow you to use OS applications while the utility is running, it is not recommended to do so in order to avoid interrupting the verification process.
If the HDD has physical wear of its sections, there are “unstable” sectors, etc., the OS may freeze when the above utilities are running. Forcing the interruption of their work can damage the system files of the OS.
Important!Damage to OS system files requires loading the last good OS configuration (by pressing F8) or restoring Windows from the installation disk.
Despite the fact that the physical bad sectors are not, except for marking with chkdsk, they can be reassigned (in English remap) or cut off.
Determination of the location and volume of broken sectors using the Victoria program.
Step 1. Install and run the Victoria program under an administrator account. Select the Standard tab in the window. If there are several HDDs in the system, select the required one with the mouse in the right part of the window.
Step 2. To locate the damaged sectors on the HDD, go to the "Tests" tab and click "Start".
The example shows that from block No771093375 there are:
- "Candidates" with a read delay of 600 ms, there are 190 of them in the example;
- bad sectors (Err) in the example 8 pcs. Just below the counter shows the figure 376507 MB (376 GB).
You can also see that from the 376 GB point, you can cut off the entire HDD space to its end, cutting off the bad sectors grouped here in one place.
Reference!In the example shown, the start of the hard disk scan (Start LBA) is set manually from block # 750,000,000. When carrying out a test scan of "your" HDD, this value does not need to be set.
The HDD shown in the example has an exact volume of 465 GB, and the calculation of the cut off volume will look like this: 465-376 \u003d 89 GB. In this case, it is better to cut off the disk volume with a margin - for example, 100 GB, for the possible appearance of additional bad sectors in this area.
Trim HDD with AOMEI Partition Assistant
To increase the speed of cutting bad sectors on the HDD to "acceptable", it is desirable that it does not contain partitions at this time. Before starting the procedure, important data from the disk must be copied, if possible.
Step 1. Install and run the program. In the main window, highlight the required HDD and click "Delete Partition".
Step 2. Select the option "Quickly delete a section" and click "OK".
Step 3. Click "Apply".
Step 4. In the next window, click "Go" (OS restart may be required). The process of deleting the partition will begin.
Step 5. An unallocated area (Unallocated) will appear in place of the disk. Select it and click "Create Section".
Step 6. In the window that appears, click the "Advanced" button.
Step 7. In "How to create" select "Primary section". When creating a disk, move the slider with the mouse by a certain amount, leaving an unallocated area where the bad sectors will be.
Click OK.
Reference! The program has left and right sliders (delimiters). The delimiter is used, which is required in the specific case of cutting the hard disk. In the example shown, the right slider is shifted to the left by 100 GB.
Step 8. Click "Apply".
Step 9. Click "Go".
Step 10. Click "Yes".
The process of creating a partition on the HDD will begin.
As a result, a partition will be created on the HDD, at the end of which there is an unallocated space (Unallocated area) with bad sectors.
Using Remap in Victoria
If the bad sectors marked in the program are not grouped nearby, but distributed throughout the HDD, the remap function that is present in Victoria can help.
The remap function repeatedly writes to the problem sector, and if these attempts are unsuccessful, the sector is replaced by assigning its address to the healthy sector, taken from a special place on the HDD.
Reference!In this technical scenario, it is necessary to create a bootable USB drive (flash drive) containing the Victoria program, and after booting from the USB drive via DOS, it will get rid of bad sectors on the HDD.
In the video below, you can see how these steps can be implemented in practice.
Video - Trimming a hard drive from bad sectors REMAP, Treatment of BAD sectors of HDD
Checking HDD for bad sectors
After treating the bad sectors, you can find out if there are any more on the disk. To do this, you need to manually run the "Chkdsk" check.
Press "Win + R" on the keyboard, and in the "Run" window that opens, type: chkdskH: / F / R, and "OK".
Reference!Instead of "H" you need to type the letter of the hard disk partition being checked. The / F flag starts file system error fixes, and the / R flag starts the search for bad sectors.
If the bad sectors are not found, after the end of the work "chkdsk" will display in a special window information about 0 KB in the bad sectors.
Physical damage to HDDs is often caused by malfunctions, overheating, scratches due to shock, dust, etc. Software (logical) bad sectors are caused by software conflict, viruses, sudden program or OS termination, including due to power problems.
Eliminating situations that can cause damage to HDD sectors will allow you to maintain the integrity of important data and avoid buying a new HDD in case of exhaustion of its physical resource.
Video - How to remove bad sectors on a hard drive
Broken sectors are found on almost all HDDs. Especially on those that are actively used for a long time. Sometimes the problem gets out of control and turns into a real disaster, destroying all data on the HDD in any partitions. To prevent this from happening, learn how to recover bad sectors of your hard drive at home.
What are bad sectors and why do they appear?
You can imagine a bad block in the form of a book with the last chapter torn out. You can read it up to a certain point. But once there is a gap in the pages, you cannot finish reading. The HDD works the same way. The magnetic head reads information within the track, but in some area it encounters a damaged surface or an empty bit of information, which makes it impossible to extract the information to the end.
Almost all hard drives have bad partitions. It can be one or several, and in most cases it is not scary. But over time, there are more and more of them, and they increasingly complicate the operation of information on the HDD. Such areas can be detected by scanning the hard disk for bad sectors with special utilities.
There can be many reasons for the appearance of bad sectors:
- disc hit or improper use;
- interrupting recording by turning off the power;
- overheating and temperature jumps;
- natural wear of the heads and writing disc;
- poor quality products.
You can also divide the broken sectors into non-recoverable and recoverable. The former include those caused by shock or overheating. They are destroyed once and cannot be restored, and information, as a rule, disappears irrevocably. The second type of bad sectors appears as a result of the interruption of the recording process. They can be reanimated by simply overwriting the disc.
Over time, the read and write speed may decrease. And after a slight drop of your laptop, the disk may refuse to work at all. Everything would be really bad if there were no way to somehow regenerate bad blocks. The fact is that hard drives have some kind of spare area, which means, potentially more volume than stated in the check. You can use excess space to transfer content from damaged areas to it. How to recover bad sectors of the hard disk in this way is indicated below.
Danger is near
You can notice the problem not only after a hard drive failure, but also at the initial stages. You should be alert after the following signs:
- disk write / read speed dropped;
- unusual noise is heard when accessing the HDD;
- began to overheat;
- exposed to mechanical stress;
- the system often crashes, and at startup chkdsk is launched without permission.
Typically, these reasons indicate the beginning of the end of your HDD. In order not to lose data, the first good solution is a backup. Transfer all the files you need to another computer, flash drive, disk, and if possible, even set up synchronization with the cloud.
Most modern hard drives are checked for bad sectors themselves, without user intervention. This is both good and bad, since you cannot influence the elimination of bad blocks and find out about their appearance on the system partitions.
When to scan?
You can scan your hard drive for errors at a certain frequency, which depends on the frequency of computer use and is calculated individually. Someone conducts scheduled maintenance of the computer once a month, someone - once every six months.
To do this, you can use system utilities or programs to recover bad sectors of the hard drive. Scanning should be performed immediately after detecting the problems listed above.
Scanning by standard means
Starting with Windows 8, the system itself is able to scan disks on a schedule and thereby prolong the operation of the HDD. You can set up a scan schedule at the address: "My Computer" / "Management" (a tab will appear in the main menu when the section is active). In Windows, checking the hard disk for bad sectors can be carried out with the standard chkdsk program. The utility can be launched in several ways:
The work is not fundamentally different, so let's consider the first option:
- Open a command prompt as administrator. Right-click on the "Start" menu icon or simply in the lower left corner on Windows 8 and select "Command Prompt (Administrator)" from the list.
- If you want to scan a non-system disk, enter the command with the chkdsk / f / r keys to scan and immediately fix the entire disk, and chkdsk D: / f / r - to fix only the D partition or any of the available ones. Additionally, you can enter the / x switch to unmount the scanned volume during scanning. In case of diagnostics of a working disk, the program will offer to reboot in order to do the work without logging in.
- If chkdsk finds errors in the used partitions, it will offer to reboot and fix the sectors before starting the system.
Type help chkdsk to display all options. A list will appear showing all available keys with explanations. You can use any combination at your discretion, if you understand the essence of what is happening and the possible consequences. At the end of the scan, all data about the operation will be displayed in the log.
Third Party Programs
In addition to the built-in chkdsk, you can use third-party programs to fix bad sectors on the hard drive. There are many software that can repair damaged partitions.
Among the popular free software I would like to highlight Victoria. This program for recovering bad sectors of a hard disk is well known and at one time was very popular among masters. The Victoria program is capable of working in both window and DOS modes, which allows you to use it even on dead systems to recover information.
Victoria interface
The program is perfect for recovering bad sectors of a hard drive. Victoria is intended rather for advanced users, since it practically does not contain an interface and does not even have a localization in the kit. But this does not prevent it from working correctly with hardware and file systems.
There are a lot of settings, switches and different numbers, and when you open the program for the first time it can be difficult to navigate. But following the instructions below, let's learn how to recover bad sectors on a hard drive.
Testing and analysis
In the Smart tab of this program, you can quickly assess the overall health of the disk. The score is based on an analysis of the various values \u200b\u200bshown in the table. There you can also view the status of each parameter separately.
For simple testing, go to the Tests tab. There are quite a few settings in each section, so you can leave everything by default for the initial analysis. Click on the Start button and wait for the testing to complete. A full check of a hard disk for bad sectors takes a long time. Therefore, you can safely leave testing for the night and go to bed.
Additionally, the window contains a speed graph or color indication of sectors. You can switch the view with the Grid checkbox next to the timer.
Fixing sectors
If there is no time to wait for several checks, then after assessing the condition, you can immediately start treating the bad sectors of the hard disk. Victoria uses the Remap method to overwrite blocks. It reassigns bad blocks to normal ones from the disk spare space. To repair broken sectors, do the following:
During the check, all errors found and a report on the measures taken will be displayed in the log. It also indicates on which part of the disk the problems were found.
How to trim?
Broken partitions often prevail at the beginning or at the end of the disk. The thought immediately comes to my mind: "What if you don't use the space with broken sectors?" Yes, it can be cut and not used anymore. You can find out which partition of disk space is better to prune like this:
You should work with the system disk only in DOS mode, until the OS is loaded. While backup or restore can be partitioned directly from under Windows. This method is good for large HDDs. But it does not help exactly to restore the broken partitions on the hard disk, as it happens during the remap process.
Prevention
To prevent the hard drive from "dying" in your hands, it is advisable to carry out some prevention. Depending on the type of equipment.
If you have a laptop:
- try not to hit him;
- do not shake much, especially during working hours;
- do not expose to vibrations or temperature extremes.
If you have a desktop computer:
- do not place the system unit in a damp place;
- do not overheat components;
- although the HDD itself is sealed, the board can be damaged by a layer of dust, so get rid of it;
- install additional cooling on the hard drive if the computer is actively used or the hard drive is unable to cool itself.
Defragmentation is a useful preventive measure for all hard drives. For its implementation, there are a lot of programs, both regular and third-party.
Now you know how to recover bad sectors on your hard drive and may even be able to save valuable information on it in case of problems.
