Power Checklist: Troubleshooting Hard Drive Failures

Given the ever-increasing importance of data, it’s no wonder hard drive problems can produce fear and panic, especially if you haven’t conducted a recent backup. Hard drive recovery is a much more pleasant undertaking if you have steady and consistent backups to rely on during the process.

Luckily, disk problems don’t necessarily mean the bell has rung for any given drive. When trouble strikes, this checklist, created by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic Premium, can help you methodically track down the problem. It walks you through the steps for troubleshooting hard drive issues, whether you’re dealing with internal or externally attached disks. The goal in these scenarios is to start with the obvious and work toward the not-so-obvious.

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    3. Check data connectivity

    Every hard drive must have data connectivity for an operating system to recognize and work with it. Ensure the data cable (common options are ATA, IDE, SATA, SCSI, and SAS for internal drives and USB, Firewire, and eSATA for external drives) is firmly connected on both ends to the drive and the motherboard.

    If the drive is receiving power, but the operating system doesn’t see it even after you’ve checked the data cable, try another data cable if possible. If you are using an internal card, such as an SCSI card, verify it’s properly seated into the motherboard. Swap cards if you have a spare.

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TIME SAVED: Crafting this content required 22 hours of dedicated writing, editing, research, and design.

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Published:
January 30, 2025
Topic:
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