On June 16, 2024 my old laptop's hard drive corrupted. How do i fix it.
- Thread starter mdl2401
- Start date
fantanoice
I can see through time
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It's hard to tell from the picture but I think it could be one of two things:
1. Hard drive not detected, which could mean it's loose inside the laptop, it's not getting power, or something like that
2. Hard drive failure, so you'll need to reinstall Windows on it
Try these steps:
See how you go with all that.
1. Hard drive not detected, which could mean it's loose inside the laptop, it's not getting power, or something like that
2. Hard drive failure, so you'll need to reinstall Windows on it
Try these steps:
So to determine it, you'll need to go to the BIOS:
- Google how to get to the BIOS for your laptop's make/model. It's usually holding down one of the F(number) keys while it boots up.
- When inside, look for something that says something like 'Boot Option' / 'Boot Order'. If the computer can still detect the hard drive, you should be able to see it in the list. If you don't know what type of hard drive your computer has, you should at least be able to identify it from an electronics brand name like Samsung, WD, Seagate, Corsair, etc. But is it's all generic "USB / SATA / M.2 / etc" then that suggests to me that it can't find it.
- If it found it, continue to the 'hard drive failure steps'
- If not, continue these steps
- Turn off the computer from the power button.
- Find something to ground yourself and periodically touch it to get rid of static charge
-Electric-Shock-Step-8.jpg)
www.wikihow.com
- Open up (probably a bunch of phillips heads)
- Find the hard drive. If you can't, Google a schematic of your laptop make/model to help identify it
- Gently try removing it, then plugging it back in, making sure everything is secure. Be careful because laptops are a lot smaller than regular PCs and can be more difficult to work on
- Turn on the laptop and go into the BIOS again
- Check the Boot Option / Order thing again
- Check if the hard drive appears now
- If it does, exit the BIOS (probably ESC) and see if it boots into Windows now
- If it does, yay, done!
- If not to either of those, turn off the laptop and continue to 'hard drive failure'
Hard drive failure:
- On a separate computer, go to the Microsoft website and create a USB restore drive:
support.microsoft.com
- Plug the boot drive into the laptop
- Turn on the laptop and go to the BIOS
- Go to the Boot Option / Order thing again and make sure USB boot is the top option (it usually is by default). Don't change anything else
- Save and exit the BIOS
- It should now try booting into Windows recovery from the USB
- If it can find the hard drive but the Windows installation is broken, then you should be able to find the
Repair -> Keep My Files option. Pick that. This will reinstall Windows but keep all your personal files intact
support.microsoft.com
support.microsoft.com
- If it can't find a drive to install Windows to, then the drive is probably broken. If there's files you want off it, you'll have to take it to a specialist because data recovery is, like, a whole thing. Otherwise just get a whole new drive
- Google how to get to the BIOS for your laptop's make/model. It's usually holding down one of the F(number) keys while it boots up.
- When inside, look for something that says something like 'Boot Option' / 'Boot Order'. If the computer can still detect the hard drive, you should be able to see it in the list. If you don't know what type of hard drive your computer has, you should at least be able to identify it from an electronics brand name like Samsung, WD, Seagate, Corsair, etc. But is it's all generic "USB / SATA / M.2 / etc" then that suggests to me that it can't find it.
- If it found it, continue to the 'hard drive failure steps'
- If not, continue these steps
- Turn off the computer from the power button.
- Find something to ground yourself and periodically touch it to get rid of static charge
How to Ground Yourself Electrically
A complete guide to grounding yourself before handling electronicsGrounding yourself is the process of removing excess voltage or charge from an object so you can protect yourself against electric shock, especially when working with...
- Find the hard drive. If you can't, Google a schematic of your laptop make/model to help identify it
- Gently try removing it, then plugging it back in, making sure everything is secure. Be careful because laptops are a lot smaller than regular PCs and can be more difficult to work on
- Turn on the laptop and go into the BIOS again
- Check the Boot Option / Order thing again
- Check if the hard drive appears now
- If it does, exit the BIOS (probably ESC) and see if it boots into Windows now
- If it does, yay, done!
- If not to either of those, turn off the laptop and continue to 'hard drive failure'
Hard drive failure:
- On a separate computer, go to the Microsoft website and create a USB restore drive:
Create installation media for Windows - Microsoft Support
Learn how to create installation media for installing or reinstalling Windows.
support.microsoft.com
- Turn on the laptop and go to the BIOS
- Go to the Boot Option / Order thing again and make sure USB boot is the top option (it usually is by default). Don't change anything else
- Save and exit the BIOS
- It should now try booting into Windows recovery from the USB
- If it can find the hard drive but the Windows installation is broken, then you should be able to find the
Repair -> Keep My Files option. Pick that. This will reinstall Windows but keep all your personal files intact
Recovery options in Windows - Microsoft Support
Learn about the recovery options in Windows. Find out how to reset your PC, go back to a previous version of Windows, or use media to reinstall Windows.
support.microsoft.com
Reset your PC - Microsoft Support
Learn about the different reset options in Windows and how to reset your device.
support.microsoft.com
See how you go with all that.
fantanoice
I can see through time
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I mean you can go break your electronics with static charge instead if you'd prefer
It's not booting into Windows. This would only be useful if they get Windows running again, or plug the drive into a different computer and run the diagnostics there
Princess Viola
Dumbass Asexual
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i mean the simplest answer is pay someone the hundreds of dollars to do professional data recovery lol
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It really depends on how fucked the hard drive is. It could still be readable even if it cannot boot into Windows, and if it is, data can still be copied. Unlike some PC components, hard drives can show signs of failing before they kick the bucket.