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Hard disk troubleshooting

Hard Drive (or hard disk if you prefer) are built to last for only 4 to 5 years. This however, depends also on the amount of (ab)use it has gone through. Thus, you need to pay attention if the drive needs replacement. It begins to move slower and errors occur more frequently.

Once signs appear of its imminent failure, back up all your data onto another drive or copy it onto a DVD or CD and proceed to replace the drive.

However, a new drive also has its own set of problems.

Where's my Hard Drive?

If you cannot find your new hard drive:

Restart your computer. If that doesn’t work:
If you are viewing the drive icons in the MY COMPUTER window, change your viewing method. The drive may be obscured if you are chaing many drives together.
Shut down and open up you CPU case. Check your internal cable connections.
Or, if you are using an external drive, check your USB/Firewire connections and see if it has sufficient power to run. Some drives need to be directly installed instead of connecting through hubs.

My Hard Drive is not at full capacity

If your new hard drive is more than 137gigabytes, your PC may not be able to initialise the full space at first.

Your Windows OS needs to be updated. At least service pack one is needed to enable your PC to recognise your disc. (link to update windows xp)
You may need to update you BIOS. Find out which version of BIOS your PC is running. Then check the manufacturer of you motherboard or PC to find out your PC can support your drive.
If you have an older motherboard, it may not be able to support a larger hard drive. You need to purchase an ATA-6 controller card. Install the card to your hard drive and link your hard drive to it.

I lost my files on my drive!

Firstly, DO NOT engage Disk Defragmenter, scan disk or any PC maintenance utilities.
Store your important files into another location. DO NOT USE THE SAME DRIVE EVEN IF IT’S A SEPRATE PARTITION.
If you hear any clicking sounds, it may be a sign of immanent drive failure. STOP USING THE DRIVE.
Engage a data recovery company. This process may take weeks, and can cost from hundreds to thousands. Only do this if the file is critical, or precious to you.
However, if you do not experience any click (or weird sounds for that matter), you may want to use a data recovery software. If you are confident enough to do so . The software itself is costly, but the alternative is much more costly.

Check if you have installed at least Service Pack 1 for your PC to recognise drives more than 137 gigs.

Change your viewing option to see if your drive icon is hidden.

If you are using an external drive, check your USB or firewire connections.

Do not use Disk Defragmenter if you encounter data loss, or any hard drive mantainence tools.

Data recovery software. Only use if you know what you are doing.

Engage a data recovery company only if its necessary.