Overview : This article discusses various methods that can be used to recover a damaged hard drive on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. If any of these methods fail to recover the drive, we will also discuss the use of data recovery software to recover the information contained on it. Equipment damage.

Corruption is an annoying and often unexpected problem that occurs on a hard drive and results in the loss of some data or, worse, the loss of the entire hard drive. This is a problem that everyone who has had the misfortune of encountering it has encountered, and it is a very real possibility for anyone who uses a hard drive.

In this article, we will look at the various causes of corruption. We’ll also show you how to repair a damaged hard drive, so you can repair it and recover your data.

Signs of Drive Damage

Before we explain how to repair a damaged hard drive, let’s dive into the most common signs of a failing hard drive to help you understand what’s going on behind the scenes:

The file system appears as RAW or needs to be formatted.

• I can’t access my hard drive
• The file is missing or inaccessible
• The disk has bad sectors.
• decreased productivity
• You receive BSODs and other error messages.

What Causes Hard Drive Damage?

We need to understand the causes of hard drive damage. This not only helps us repair and recover data effectively but also prevents similar situations from occurring in the near future. Therefore, you must understand the common causes to determine how to repair a damaged hard drive.

• Malware and Virus Attacks:  File system corruption and severe data loss are the result of well-planned attacks by viruses and malware from unknown sources. Luckily, there is reliable antivirus software that can help prevent such attacks and take preventive measures at the same time.
• Block or Bad Sector: As mentioned earlier, bad sectors are areas of the hard drive that cannot be used. They deteriorate due to prolonged use and can cause the hard drive to become unreadable. Sometimes users may receive a report of bad sectors on the disk and may need to format or replace them immediately.
• Software Errors:  Software errors are the main cause of software errors that are seen on the hard drive. However, this software error may only affect a few files, but the situation becomes more complicated when the entire file system is affected, which can lead to permanent data loss.
• Read/Write Problem: The spinning disk is used to write data to regular disks. To facilitate the reading and writing process, this equipment largely uses the spinning platters of conventional disk drives. Due to the nature of these spinning disks, they wear out easily, which can also cause read and write problems and possibly even damage the hard drive.

Fix all Type of Corruption Issues with the Most Tested Solution

The biggest problem when repairing a damaged hard drive is that the longer you use the hard drive, the worse the damage becomes.

Therefore, we highly recommend that you first create a full byte-by-byte backup of your corrupted hard drive. Then you can use Hard Drive Recovery Software by SoftwarePro  to recover lost data from the backup image and avoid scanning the damaged hard disk directly. After data recovery, you can start repairing the drive without worrying about a complete failure.

Let’s take a look at two software programs that can easily recover data file from formatted hard drive in windows 11, 10, 8, 7 etc. Based on extensive testing of data recovery software over several days, we have selected the following programs, considering various factors such as recovery performance, features, value, and ease of use.

• Initial download and Install  of hard drive recovery software for any Windows system.
• Select the partition and press “Scan” or “Scan Formatted” according to your requirements.
• See an example of fully recovered data in the Hard Disk Recovery Wizard table.
• Select “Save All Data” or “Save Deleted Data” to save the data recovered from the HDD anywhere on the host computer.

How Do I Solve the Corrupted Hard Drive? Manually

# 1: Run a CHKDSK Scan:

Windows has a Check Disk (CHKDSK) command that can scan your hard drive and fix any problems found. You can change it using different options, depending on what you want from the command.

1. Use the /r option. This will fix disk problems, detect bad sectors and mark them as unsortable.
2. Right-click the Start menu and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin) from the Quick Menu. If UAC asks you to allow access, click yes.
3. Type the following command and press Enter. Please note that E must be replaced with your hard drive letter chkdskE:/r .
4. If your hard drive is larger than 1 TB, this command may take some time to complete.

# 2: Scan for Viruses

A viral infection can damage your hard drive. You can easily check if this is the cause of the problem by running a scan with your antivirus software. This will effectively solve the problem and prevent further damage.

1. Find Windows Security in the search box and choose the best result.
2. Windows security in search results.
3. Click the Virus and Threat Protection button in the left panel of the window that opens.
4. Select the Quick Scan option.
5. The Virus and Threat Protection tab in Windows Security repairs damaged hard drives.
6. Windows Defender scans your computer and reports any problems it finds.

# 3: Change  or Assign  Drive Letter

Without a drive letter, it may be difficult for the operating system to find and access your hard drive.

Therefore, you can restore a hard drive damaged by this problem by assigning a new drive letter or modifying an existing drive.

Right-click the Start menu (Windows logo) and select Disk Management.

Right-click on the damaged partition and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Change drive letter and path settings

Click the “Edit” button. If you can’t find the drive letter, select Add.

Add or change letter options to repair a damaged hard drive

Select a drive letter from the options menu. Select OK.

Click OK again.

# 4: Update or Reinstall your Drivers.

Your operating system and hardware must establish and maintain communication. This is the driver’s responsibility. If your drivers are damaged or outdated, your computer may not be able to read your hard drive correctly. A damaged hard drive may only require an upgrade or reinstallation.

• Right-click the Start menu (Windows logo) and select Device Manager from the context menu.
• Device Manager in the context menu.

# 5: Update Driver in Device Manager

Select Automatically search for drivers. Otherwise, if you have installed the latest drivers, you can do it manually by clicking Show drivers on my computer.

• Repair a damaged hard drive with two driver update options.
• If you don’t see any driver updates, click “Remove device now.” Select “Delete” again.
• Restart your computer so that the driver is automatically reinstalled.

# 6: Run SFC and DISM

System File Checker and DISM are two Windows features used in this method. Use System File Checker to scan for corrupted system files and replace them with working system files. This is also a DISM feature that checks the integrity of the file system to ensure there is no corruption.

So, to repair a damaged hard drive, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the open or start menu and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3.   Scan sfc in PowerShell
4. Then type or enter the following command and select Enter.
5. dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
6. Repair a damaged hard drive with a disk scan in PowerShell

Final Conclusion

There are many causes of hard drive damage, some of which can even lead to data loss if not handled carefully. The methods listed above will ensure that you can recover a damaged hard drive without the risk of data loss. But before you start repairing your damaged hard drive, do your best to recover your precious files and keep them safe. The safest and fastest way is to use third-party applications. We recommend using data recovery to perform this task.