‘hard Disk Crash' - What Are The Real Implications?

By Author: James Walsh
Total Articles: 68
Comment this article

Even if you swear by the efficiency of your hard drive, there is no denying the fact that it is bound to crash one day. It may happen just a few days after you purchase a new drive or may occur after a few years of faultless usage. Your hard drive is no doubt, a fickle friend who is destined to give up at one time or other.

Why do Hard Disks Crash

Though being a marvel of modern engineering, all hard drives are basically mechanical data storage media that store data on a surface coated with a magnetic material. A hard disk comprises of a number of mechanical, electronic and software components. Because of the existence of a number of movable parts inside a hard disk, it is always susceptible to wear and tear and may crash any time during the course of its usage.

Most of the manufacturers provide their customers with a tentative estimate of the expected life span of the hard disk provided by them. It is expressed in the form of a Mean Time between Failures figure, on the product packaging or the advertising stuff disseminated by the company. This figure is calculated by running a hard disk under ...
... laboratory conditions over a period of time. The resulting wear and tear is examined to give a realistic extrapolation of the expected life span of a hard disk. However, realistically speaking these figures are bound to be an underestimation, considering various external and internal factors that matter under practical circumstances.

What is a Hard Disk Crash

To understand the dynamics of a hard disk crash, it would be immensely helpful to have some foreknowledge of the internal configuration of a hard disk.

A hard disk contains a number hard round platters that are coated on either side with a magnetic material. Data is stored on both the sides of these platters. All the platters of a hard disk are mounted on a spindle that is attached to a motor. This motor rotates all the spindles at a very high speed. The data storing surface of all the spindles is assessed by read/write heads that perform various important functions like reading and writing the data on the spindles and interacting with the rest of the computer.

Hard drive platters have a thin layer of a non-electrostatic lubricant over them. Read/write heads hover over the platters at a microscopic distance from them. In such a set up if a read/write head lands over a platter, it could lead to loss of data. This collision may occur on its own or due to mishandling or a shock.

Modern hard disks are fitted with air filters that equalize the internal and external atmospheric pressure. These filters sometimes fail to trap a dust particle that ultimately lands on the platters. This could easily lead to a hard disk crash. If a user fails to respond in time, debris from a damaged platter may further aggravate the condition leading to permanent loss of data.

Tell Tale Signs of a Hard Disk Crash

The most common symptom of a hard disk crash is a regular ticking or clicking sound coming from your hard disk.

What to do in Case of a Hard Disk Crash

It has commonly been seen that people often follow wrong procedures in case of a hard disk crash. Once you are sure that your hard disk has crashed the best thing to do would be to switch off your computer. Do not even bother to follow the regular shut down procedure. Simply pull out the switch from the socket. In no way give in to the temptation of opening up the hard disk or trying to mend it own your own.

Hard Disk Crash and Data Recovery

Even if your hard disk has crashed, there exists a 90 percent chance of recovering your inaccessible data. However, you will need the services of some good data recovery company. Remember that DIY data recovery software are of no use in case of mechanical failures. Data recovery companies not only have the expertise to recover data from a crashed drive, but also have the appropriate workshop infrastructure like Class 100 Clean Room facilities. Following meticulous back up procedures is surely an effective protection against all types of media failure. So in the future, do take care to backup your vital data.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk