A clicking hard disk drive is a mechanical failure in progress: the “clicks” represent the struggle of the heads, and with every spin-up of the disk, the data is under threat. This is not something that software can repair; nor will it magically self-heal if you continue to attempt to utilise it. This article provides information regarding the causes of the clicks you hear when your disk fails, why DIY fixes make the situation worse, and how a professional clicking hard drive recovery service retrieves your lost files.
The ‘click’ you’re hearing is the result of the heads failing to find the correct track, thus resetting and seeking again. Each time this occurs, there is an increased likelihood of contact between the heads and platters, turning a recoverable drive into an unrecoverable one. Therefore, no matter what else may be attempted, the first step has always been the same: turn off the drive as quickly as possible.
Inside your hard disk, read/write heads are suspended a fraction of a hair away from spinning platters and guided onto the track using continuous feedback provided by the disk. If the feedback mechanism (broken due to worn/damaged heads or through knocking the drive or a failing motor) ceases to function properly, the heads lose their way and start wandering around looking for the correct track. When they fail to locate the correct track they return to their parked positions in anticipation of another opportunity to seek out the track. That return to park represents the repeated “click” that you’ve heard (commonly referred to as the “click of death”). It is a mechanical problem, not a software one, which is why the usual fixes will not work.
A click indicates that your hard drive has already started to fail and the failure is getting progressively worse. With every use of your hard drive when the head is faulty there is a chance that the head may crash onto one or more of the platters (the physical media) and cause irreparable damage to that section of the platters. So attempting to recover data from a faulty hard disk using data recovery software is an extremely poor plan of action. Data recovery software can never repair a mechanical problem, which your hard disk has. What’s more your hard disk continues to be used for many hours and continues to suffer further wear & tear. And because of these two factors, you have no choice but to switch off the hard disk as soon as it starts to show signs of malfunction. The freezer trick and repeated power cycles are essentially the same mistake.
On the other hand, correct data recovery employs entirely different principles: Instead of running the hard disk, we simply stop it and repair it just enough to allow us to make one clean copy of the disk. We open the hard disk casing, swap out the defective heads with heads identical to those found in another donor drive of the same model. Then once the replacement heads are installed, we take a complete read-only backup/clone of the entire disk, reading it sector-by-sector into a good safe location. In order to ensure maximum success, the weakest sections of the disk are completed at the end of the process, allowing as much usable data as possible to be saved before the disk fails. Finally, from the clone made above, we can rebuild your files rather than trying to do so from a failing hard disk. Our clicking and grinding drive recovery service works exactly as described above. It costs from £300 +VAT per unit after a free diagnostic.
If an external drive clicks, it is almost always because it contains a standard hard disk drive within the enclosure, and that disk’s heads are failing. The recommendations remain the same: disconnect the device, stop reconnecting it in the hope that it will settle, and get it diagnosed. Clicking is also the clearest of the signs a drive is failing, so if a drive you depend on begins clicking, even intermittently, consider it to be on borrowed time and get your data off.
Yes, generally speaking, but depending on how fast you turn it off. Clicking indicates that the heads are failing. Therefore, recovering your files will require swapping out the heads for matched donor parts, followed by making a read only copy of the drive. Your chances of getting successful recovery decrease after every time you turn the drive back on; therefore, the key here is to shut the drive off and do nothing else.
The clicking is due to the heads continuously being unable to locate the track they are supposed to locate and reset. This can occur due to worn-out or damaged heads, a knock or a faulty motor, etc., which is a mechanical problem and has absolutely nothing to do with the software. Additionally, every time you try to recover data from a clicky hard drive, there is a chance that you will end up scratching the surfaces of the platters. As such, it would be recommended to halt using the clicky hard disk and have it professionally recovered instead of attempting some sort of home remedy.
No, because it will probably just get worse. All of these things (placing your failed drive in a freezer, constantly connecting and disconnecting the drive, running recovery software, etc.) add wear to a drive that is already experiencing problems and could potentially cause permanent damage to the platters themselves. If your drive starts clicking, this means the heads need to be replaced by a specialist, not at home.
Disconnect it and quit using it. There’s a regular hard disk inside this case with bad heads, so every time you connect it again there is a chance to turn a recoverable problem into an unrecoverable one. Please submit it to us at no charge for our evaluation; single-disk recovery begins at £300 + VAT.
A single clicking hard disk is from £300 + VAT, this price includes replacing the heads and creating a read-only image of your data. The cost will depend upon the type of disk and how badly damaged it is; we’ll do a free evaluation and provide a fixed written quote first; in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Shut down the drive, tell us about what went wrong and send it in. We’ll replace the faulty heads, and create a read-only copy of its data; we’ll also include a free evaluation and a fixed price quote before doing anything else.