Jason Stark
Computer users seldom worry about the health of their hard disks even though this is where a large part of their personal and work related information resides. If you are a laptop or a desktop computer owner and would like to be more in control of the valuable data on your hard drive, then you want to read this article very carefully. It will answer the three most frequently asked questions about hard drive crashes and especially about forecasting the crashes.
Q: I am Sometimes Not Able to Boot my Laptop. Is My Hard Drive About To Crash?
A: Not necessarily but it does most likely stem from a problem related to the hard drive. First, follow your laptop manufacturer's directions to access the hard drive. Unseat the hard drive, inspect all the connecting pins for bends, gently straighten the bent pins, and reseat the drive. That might help.
Q: Is There a Diagnostic Software That Could Predict a Hard Disk Crash?
A: Good question. Today's hard drives mostly implement S.M.A.R.T. which is a diagnostic system for the hard drive. I suggest using a S.M.A.R.T. based DiskCheckup from www.passmark.com. If you wish, you can get an alarming beep when the temperature of your hard drive climbs over a certain pre-set level, like 50 C (degrees Celsius). When that happens, it could be an indicator of an upcoming hard drive failure. There are many other indicators you will see when you install DiskCheckup.
Q: Can You Recommend Any Good Software That Can Verify That the Hard Drive is Operating Correctly?
A: I'm sure there are other ways but the chkdsk utility that comes with any Microsoft Windows operating system, still proves to be an indispensible tool. Just pull up the Explorer, right click on the drive letter, select Properties, then Tools, and start the Check Disk. Check both marks to make sure that any disk failure is corrected. You will probably have to restart the computer to run checks before the next Windows boot. This could take quite some time so plan accordingly.
So these are the three answers to the three most frequently asked questions about being ready for a hard disk crash. Now that you know how to predict the health of your hard drive, go out and install the S.M.A.R.T. based software. Run chkdsk. If everything looks good, you do not have to worry about your data being lost any time soon.
About the Author
Jason has been writing articles for over three years. Not only does this author specialize in internet, business, computers, and spirituality, you can also check out his latest website http://batteryalarmclock.org with several digital travel alarm clock reviews. If you travel much, you will find them irresistible.
Jason Stark may be contacted at http://bedsidealarmclock.org.
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