Method 4. Update Hard Disk Drivers

If your computer's hard drive is acting up, it can cause issues. To fix it, tell Windows to update the drivers by doing this:

• 1

  Press Win + X at the same time.

• 2

  Pick Device Manager.

• 3

  Find your hard drive under Disk drives, and right-click on it.

• 4

  Choose Update drivers.

• 5

  Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

Method 5. Manually Fixing Bad Sectors Using Linux

Bad sectors on your hard drive can mess up your files and cause problems. If you're using a Linux system, like Ubuntu, you can find and fix these bad sectors yourself. Here's how:

• 1

  Make a special USB drive with Ubuntu on it.

• 2

  Boot your computer with this special USB drive.

• 3

  Open the terminal and type sudo badblocks -v /dev/sdX, where X is the letter for your troubled hard drive..

• 4

  If it finds bad sectors, you can repair them using the command sudo fsck /dev/sdX.

Method 6. Assign a New Drive Letter

Sometimes, a computer mix-up can make your hard drive inaccessible by losing its assigned letter. To get back to your files, you can give it a new letter with these steps:

• 1

  Press the Windows key + X together to open the Power User Menu .

• 2

  From there, choose Disk Management.

• 3

  Find your troublesome hard drive in the Disk Management window and right-click on it.

• 4

  Click on Change Drive Letter and Paths in the menu. Press Add.

• 5

  Pick a new letter from the list and click OK to confirm.

• 6

  Once you've done this, your files on the hard drive should be accessible again.

Method 7. Rebuild the File System for Data Recovery

If your hard drive is acting up, rebuilding the file system might save your data and fix any problems. Just do these steps:

• 1

  Backup your important stuff on an external drive or in the cloud.

• 2

  Format the troublesome hard drive using the right file system (NTFS for Windows, HFS+ for Mac, ext4 for Linux).

• 3

  Put back your backed-up onto the formatted hard drive.

Method 8. Run S.M.A.R.T Tests

Modern hard drives, whether SSDs or HDDs, can check their own 'health' using something called S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology). While Windows doesn't have its own tool for this, you can use a free one called CrystalDiskMark. Just follow these steps:

• 1

  Download and install CrystalDiskMark..

• 2

  Open the program. Look at the list to see the health of your drives.

• 3

  Pick the drive you want to test.

• 4

  Set up the test settings, like the size and type.

• 5

  Hit Start to begin the S.M.A.R.T. test.

• 6

  After it finishes, review the results, including performance info and any warnings or errors from S.M.A.R.T.

Method 9. Fix MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table)

Sometimes, boot problems and errors with partitions on your hard drive happen because of issues with the MBR or GPT. To fix them, do this:

• 1

  Boot your computer using a Windows installation disc or USB drive.

• 2

  Choose 'Repair your computer,' then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

• 3

  Type bootrec /fixmbr (if it's an MBR problem) or bootrec /fixgpt (for GPT issues) to repair the partition table.

Method 10. Use Manufacturer's Tools

Every company that makes storage devices has its own tools to check how well their products are doing. Since each tool is a bit different, we won't go into details here. You can find them on the official website of your device's maker, usually in the Support section. Look for guidance for these common brands: