Do you own an HP laptop or desktop estimator? Are you lot detecting signs of hard drive failure like irksome performance or sudden crashes? A failing hard bulldoze might exist something you lot can't ignore, every bit your unabridged computer depends on it to carry out tasks. Not just is your difficult bulldoze used for information storage, but your operating system is on there as well. Performing tests to diagnose the problem tin help yous find the right repair solution,

A brief overview

Widely known for their personal and business IT solutions, Hewlett-Packard (HP) produces different hardware and software products. A few of these include, HP Spectre, x360 laptops, Chromebooks, LaserJet printers, and EliteDesk Desktops.

Hard drive failure is a mutual problem that not just HP users face, and can be very irritating. On elevation of that, hard drive failure is also something that is quite unavoidable. Difficult drives do neglect over long-term use, and volition need a replacement.

HP laptop

Why do hard drives fail?

Traditional spinning hard drives contain moving parts to read and write data. The moving parts are disadvantageous to the hard bulldoze's immovability, as adventitious damage or natural habiliment and tear can cause bad sectors. The bad sectors then put a risk to the bulldoze'due south lifespan.

Then what are bad sectors? All difficult drives come up with small-scale amounts of bad sectors, and they do accumulate over fourth dimension. When they do accumulate to a considerable amount, the hard drive will kickoff to neglect. Errors like slow kick up times and corrupt files are signs of such. Acquire more about why hard drives neglect and some fault signs to look out for in "Top viii difficult drive issues and how to fix them yourself".

Fixing a faulty hard drive

HP users may use specific tools and tests to diagnose their laptop or desktop drives. This may be a expert precaution against data loss from hard drive failure. Agreement the trouble at manus and using the right tools can help you find the right solution.

Here's our guide to diagnosing and repairing an HP hard drive yourself:

1. Test hard drive with HP congenital-in diagnostics

For your HP laptop or desktop computer, you have a few options here: chkdsk, HP Support Assistant, and HP Diagnostics UEFI. These tools can be used to examination your organization for any hardware issues.

"Chkdsk" tin can be found on all Windows PCs, and is used as a simple hard disk checkup tool. If your computer still boots successfully, you can run it from a command prompt, or the properties window of your hard drive.

Chkdsk can endeavour repairs on soft bad sectors caused past software errors, and mark hard bad sectors acquired by concrete impairment to exist skipped over. If run regularly, information technology can exist a useful tool to prevent and fix things before actual failure.

HP born tools

As you lot can tell from their names, HP Back up Banana and HP Diagnostics UEFI are HP-specific tools designed to test HP devices for whatsoever bug presented. These 2 apps should already come with your computer, but you may also download it from the HP Support site if needed.

If you can start your reckoner up successfully, you tin can launch HP Support Assistant for diagnostics and online support. If you tin can't become your computer to kick to Windows, you'll accept to utilise HP Diagnostics UEFI at bootup.

HP Support Assistant

HP Support Assistant is where you can find all the information you need most your computer. It is too where you can run diagnostics on all components on your system. Yous can launch the pre-installed app to do so.

To examination your system, you may run simple checks similar Performance Tune-up Bank check for arrangement optimization. Or run HP Hardware Diagnostics to test for potential hardware issues. This not only includes the difficult drive, but likewise components like retention and the video card. So you might fifty-fifty observe other hardware issues that you can prepare yourself.

HP Diagnostics UEFI

You can notwithstanding test your hardware for issues if you can't kick successfully to Windows (blank or stuck at HP splash screen). To use HP Diagnostics, but concur the "Esc" key when yous restart your reckoner to achieve the startup menu. Then press "F12" for Organisation Diagnostics.

HP Diagnostics performs a full system checkup, and volition report any hardware faults with failure codes. After you lot note down any failure code y'all get, y'all may check with HP Customer Support to find the correct solution to the failure

ii. Test your difficult drive with dedicated assay software

WD Data Lifeguard hard drive tests

Sometimes unproblematic system tests aren't plenty to fully exam your hard bulldoze. Then the next pace might be testing information technology with dedicated hard drive analysis software. Software similar WD Data Lifeguard (Western Digital) or SeaTools (Seagate) are some tools y'all can use.

Hard drive analysis software often offers two test options: Quick and Extended. With quick tests, data on the drive is verified and and a SMART exam is performed. This tests for any potential soft errors and failures. Extended tests are more thorough, with stress tests that diagnose bad sectors. They usually take longer, upwards to an 60 minutes or more.

With this method, you'll have to do a little more than prep than just launching an application. This involves taking out the faulty hard drive from your laptop or desktop computer, and connecting information technology to a different desktop computer via a SATA enclosure box. Testing the drive on a desktop estimator keeps information technology isolated from other factors that may affect its performance. The SATA enclosure being powered by a unlike power source also helps for this thorough cheque.

While the higher up options tin test and repair rising issues, bad sectors are unavoidable and can still cause the eventual failure of the drive. So if you may want to choose a long term solution over a brusk prepare that may only purchase you another year on the drive. This brings us to hard drive replacements.

3. Choose a hard drive replacement

Agreement what y'all need and want in a drive and its operation can assistance you choose the right drive for your computing experience. Here are a few things to expect out for.

Finding your ain hard drive model

Your current difficult bulldoze model can exist your reference while yous're looking for a new one. By judging your experience with your current drive, you'll be able to gauge what kind of feel you desire out of your computer. You may want a faster bulldoze, or more storage space. And comparing that with the drive you lot have been using can help you make up one's mind.

You tin can find information about your hard bulldoze model on HP Support Assistant, along with other hardware and software information. Or you can detect it from Device Managing director, under "Disk Drives". The properties page can help you observe information for further research.

If your estimator tin can't boot correctly to go to the above methods, you can check your hard bulldoze model from BIOS setup. This is F10 from the startup menu that is prompted past holding Esc during kicking up.

Or you could just open your laptop up and see for yourself. Hard drives have information such as model and serial number printed on the front label. Taking information technology out for a quick await is too an easy manner to familiarise yourself with your laptop.

What should I look for in a hard drive?

Grade cistron

A 2.5-inch hard drive

A 2.5-inch difficult drive.

SATA difficult drives mostly come in two physical sizes, 2.five-inch and iii.v-inch. This refers to the rough diameter of the spinning platters on the drive. Laptops generally utilize 2.5-inch drives, while desktop computers comprise the latter. As the ii.5-inch drives are smaller to fit into the laptop bodies they relatively have less storage capacity than 3.5-inch ones.

Capacity

If you're happy with the storage infinite you've been using before, it could be a skillful idea to stick with that. This helps to avert ownership besides much space that you won't be using anyhow.

Still determining how much space you really need can be hard to imagine. For reference, you'd normally crave 250-500GB for personal utilise of documents and media files. For professional use of larger media files such as creative projects, y'all might need at least 1TB or more.

Speed

The revolutions per minute (RPM) of the spinning platters determines how fast the drive can read and write data. Information technology goes without maxim, the faster the RPM, the faster the performance of the bulldoze.

Consumer-grade drives usually come in either 5400RPM or 7200 RPM. Equally mentioned, you'd of course desire to choose the college RPM. Still, equally the moving parts practice need to be powered, the higher the RPM, the more power the drive will draw. So for a more balanced but non as fast performance, 5400RPM might exist the mode to become.

Replacing HDD with SSD

Samsung 840 EVO SSD

Samsung 840 EVO 2.5-inch SSD.

An SSD upgrade can get you the best of both worlds. By using NAND memory, it does non incorporate machinery that needs to be powered. This means information technology draws much less power, and offers meliorate durability and performance. SSD upgrades are more and more popular these days equally a quick operation boost. Learn more than in our guide to SSD upgrades.

Where can I purchase a difficult bulldoze replacement?

There are many options in the world of tech hardware these days, both online and in-store. Buying from trusted retailers like Amazon or directly from HP tin can normally get you a reliable purchase.

If you're bang-up to get some in-person advice, shopping in store tin can also be a great selection. By going to a local retailer you may be able to go useful pointers on the right hard drive replacement for you.

iv. Install your new difficult bulldoze

Now comes the real stuff. Installing your hard drive by yourself should take nothing more than than a few simple tools and a few guidelines to follow. This is an most-immediate solution to hard bulldoze failure as yous'll exist able to supplant information technology and apply it in no time.

HP Back up'southward YouTube channel has a lot of resources and video tutorials that show people how to replace and repair their ain HP devices. Here's one about replacing the hard bulldoze or SSD on an HP EliteBook 840 G3 Notebook PC:

Popular tech DIY site ifixit besides offers repair and upgrade guides for all sorts of hardware products, including HP products. Find a repair guide specific to your HP laptop or desktop figurer there.

5. Install Windows on new bulldoze

You lot won't be able to use your calculator once you've just installed it every bit at that place is no operating system on it. Starting it up volition only prompt errors like "no operating organisation institute". To starting time using your new bulldoze as a kick drive, a Windows installation will naturally be needed.

An easy way to reinstall Windows on your new drive is by using a USB installation media. Start, download a Windows installation media onto a USB with at least 16GB chapters. So, at startup, concord "Esc" only similar before to enter the startup menu. But this time we're not looking for F2 Diagnostics. Select F9 Boot options menu and choose which device to kicking from. Install Windows, then yous're done!

Summary

To sum up, fixing difficult drive issues past yourself can be a very uncomplicated and rewarding thing to accomplish. We take pride in giving the right DIY solutions, as we very much enjoy making tech easy for people. A quick tip though, always remember to backup your data. Creating regular backups not only secures your files from potential crashes, it also puts your mind at ease. Knowing that your data tin be accessed from a safe place anytime is always a good feeling.

Professional repair

Diagnosing a laptop

While everyone is totally capable of doing all this themselves, you lot may observe yourself likewise busy or y'all might not take the correct hardware tools. Choosing to go with a professional repair can then be something to think about.

For specialised professional repairs, you tin can take your computer to an HP-authorized service centre. Bringing forth whatever data well-nigh errors reported will also be a swell assist to back up technicians. Withal, their replacement and repair services offered may depend on your figurer model and the state of the hard drive.

Checking your warranty before doing all this might also be a good thought. If your HP laptop or desktop computer is even so under warranty, you lot might be able to go a free replacement and servicing from an HP-authorized service heart. If not, your only professional repair solution will be from a third-party repair service.

Speaking of third-party repairs, that'southward where we can help! Located in Inner West Sydney, our technicians at Safemode Reckoner Service are highly rated and knowledgeable. Nosotros offering total checkup services and tin provide you with the right repair solutions to any trouble you might have. Call the states today or drop past our Inner West store for a friendly chat.