Don't Trust Your Hard Drive, Backup
A Backup Article Contributed by Melissa Larose
Don't Trust Your Hard Drive, Backup
Hard drive failure can eat your data, so backup your files, folders, partitions, and software. It can happen to all of us whether we are aware of the need to backup or not, a hard drive can fail you, just like a car or an airplane, it can fail. Your personal data and all that hard work you performed to get all that music downloaded is out the window if the hard drive fails and you have no data backup at your disposal.
The backup data can be restored once you replace that hard drive and reload your operating system. In fact with a backup on a CD or external drive you can head over to a friend's computer and make sure it still exists. If it can open on your machine, it can open on theirs too right? Of course they may get a little upset if you continue to do this, so get that hard drive fixed.
The Truth about Hard Drive Backup
The truth is hardware can fail. We don't ever believe it can happen to us but it will. A hard drive is a mechanical device with intricate parts that operate on a daily basis. Not just on a daily basis but daily on every boot, reboot, an application startup and shut down, and every open, save, and deletion of every single document. That is a lot of work. Not only that but bumping, dropping , and any jostling while moving the computer can also have some affect on the hard drive as well.
This information should give you some empathy for your hard drive and its failure rate. The other side of the coin here is that the manufacturer could have made a lousy hard drive primed for failure.
The Hard Drive is Failing - Locate the Backup
Sometimes your hard drive will tell you it is not feeling very well. If you begin hearing a grinding sound coming from the hard drive, stop what you are doing, and call someone to help you. Responding to this dilemma in panicked state is not going to make this easier. The grinding is a warning, heed it.
You may also notice your hard drive is laboring over certain processes more than usual. It may sound like it is stuck instead of grinding. Sort of like your car when the engine races. Odds are it is stuck. Stop what you are doing and call a professional to assist you.
The absolutely worst way to discover a hard drive has failed is no response. Your computer just doesn't respond. If a hard drive fails that means you can't get to the operating system because guess where it resides? It resides on your hard drive and if the hard drive isn't working nothing is working. Backup and call the professionals.
When There is No Hard Drive Backup
The most important reason to stop what you are doing once you realize the hard drive is failing is your data. This is especially important if you have not been following a backup plan on a regular basis. A professional will be able to access the hard drive and retrieve that data for you. And you thought all was lost.
