Signs your hard drive is failing, and what to do
Clicking, slow start-ups and disappearing files are all warnings. Here is how to spot a failing drive and protect your data before it goes.
Published 25 September 2026
The warning signs
- Clicking, grinding, buzzing or beeping sounds
- The computer takes much longer to start or open files
- Freezes, crashes or blue screens, especially when opening files
- Files or folders that vanish, or open corrupted
- A SMART warning from Windows, macOS or your drive software
- An external drive that keeps disconnecting
What to do straight away
If you still have access to your files, back up the most important ones first, to a different drive. Copy the files that matter most rather than trying to copy everything, because a failing drive can stop working at any moment.
If the drive is clicking or grinding, don't try to copy anything. Switch it off. Every time it spins up, the damage can spread.
What not to do
- Don't run disk repair tools such as CHKDSK on a failing drive
- Don't keep restarting the computer to see if it recovers
- Don't open the drive yourself
- Don't put it in the freezer (here's why)
Getting help
If your files matter and the drive is showing these signs, bring it in for a free data recovery consultation. The earlier we see it, the more we can usually recover.
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