Failing or Clicking Hard Drive? What to Do

If your hard drive is clicking, very slow or not detected, turn the computer off, don't run repair tools, check whether your files are already in OneDrive, iCloud or Time Machine, then have a technician assess it. Physically damaged drives need a data recovery lab.

This guide covers what to do first. Our technicians visit homes and offices across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Moreton Bay (as far north as Caboolture). For our full service, see the data recovery page. If the drive is physically damaged, we'll tell you plainly and refer it to a data recovery lab.

What's the difference between logical and physical drive failure?

Drive problems fall into two broad types, and the type decides who can help.

What are the signs a hard drive is failing?

Spinning hard drives often give warning signs; SSDs can fail with little warning. These are the symptoms we see most often:

• Clicking, grinding or beeping. On a traditional spinning hard drive, a repeating click usually means a mechanical fault inside the drive.
• Drive not detected. The computer boots to a message saying no boot device was found, or an external drive no longer shows up in File Explorer or Finder.
• Very slow performance. Opening a folder or saving a file takes far longer than it should, and the computer freezes while the drive light stays on.
• Constant errors. Files that won't open, "cannot read from the source file or disk" messages, repeated restarts or blue screens.
• Disappearing files or folders. Things that were there yesterday are gone or show as unreadable.

Solid state drives (SSDs) don't click, because they have no moving parts. When they fail they tend to go slow, throw errors or vanish from the system altogether.

What to stop doing straight away

Every time a failing drive spins up, it can do more damage. Until someone has assessed it:

1. Turn it off and leave it off. Don't keep restarting to "see if it comes good".
2. Don't run repair tools. Don't run CHKDSK /f or /r, or Disk Utility First Aid. Repair modes write to the drive, and any long scan puts extra strain on a failing drive.
3. Don't install recovery software onto the same drive. Anything new written to the drive can overwrite the files you're trying to get back.
4. Don't open the drive, tap it, freeze it or shake it. Opening a hard drive outside a clean lab environment can make recovery impossible.
5. Don't reinstall Windows or macOS. A fresh install writes over the very data you want.

External and portable drives

If an external drive isn't showing up, try a different cable, a different USB port and, if you can, a different computer before assuming the drive has failed. A worn cable or a faulty port is a common and cheap thing to rule out.

If a portable drive still clicks or isn't seen after that, the same stop-using rules apply. Many portable drives have the USB connector built onto the drive's own circuit board, so don't open the enclosure. Prying it apart can damage the drive and make recovery harder.

Accidentally deleted or formatted files

If the drive is working but you've deleted files, emptied the Recycle Bin or Trash, or formatted the drive by mistake, the files may still be recoverable from a spinning hard drive. Stop using that drive straight away, because new files can be saved over the deleted ones. Don't download or install recovery software onto it. Most current laptops use SSDs, and on an SSD a feature called TRIM usually clears deleted data quickly. That makes recovery much less likely than on a spinning hard drive, so your backups are the best chance. A technician can attempt recovery from a working drive.

Check your backups first

Many people have more backed up than they realise. You can check from another computer, a phone or a tablet, without touching the faulty drive.

Windows 11 and OneDrive

Windows 11 often turns on OneDrive folder backup when you sign in with a Microsoft account, so your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders may already be in the cloud. Go to onedrive.com in a browser, sign in with the same Microsoft account you use on the computer, and look in My files. Check the OneDrive Recycle bin too. If you use File History, plug the backup drive into another Windows PC to check that it holds recent copies.

Mac: iCloud Drive and Time Machine

Sign in at icloud.com and open iCloud Drive. If Desktop and Documents syncing was on, those folders will be there. If you back up with Time Machine, your external backup drive can restore files to another Mac or to a replacement drive. Our Apple Mac support and repairs page covers the Mac side in more detail.

Photos on your phone

On iPhone, check Settings, then your name, then iCloud, to see whether iCloud Photos is on. On Android, open Google Photos and check that backup is turned on for your account. Photos taken on a phone may already be safe even if the computer copy is lost.

If you can't tell what's backed up or where, we can check it with you, either onsite or in a remote session that looks through your cloud backups. It's also worth setting up proper backups once this is sorted. See our data backup and transfer services.

What a technician can recover, and what goes to a lab

A Geeks Brisbane technician can help with the common situations where the drive still works but the computer or Windows doesn't:

• Copying files off a drive that is still readable but has a broken Windows or macOS install
• Getting files from a removable drive taken out of a laptop or desktop that won't start
• Attempting recovery of deleted or formatted files from a working drive
• Finding and restoring files from OneDrive, iCloud, Time Machine, File History or other backups
• Setting up a new or replacement drive with Windows 11 or macOS and putting your recovered files back

Many current MacBooks and thin laptops have storage soldered to the board, so the drive can't be removed; if that computer won't start, your backups are the main route to your files.

We don't repair drive electronics and we don't open drives. If a drive is clicking, isn't detected at all or has physical damage, the safest option is a data recovery lab with the right equipment and clean-room conditions. We'll explain that honestly rather than risk making things worse.

If your drive is clicking or not detected: do you need us at all?

Not necessarily. If nothing is backed up and the drive has a physical fault, you can contact a data recovery lab directly. You don't have to book us first.

We're useful if you want help checking OneDrive, iCloud or Time Machine first, getting a working computer back, or arranging the referral. Our time is charged at the normal hourly rate: $205/hour onsite or $125/hour remote, with a one-hour minimum and no call-out fee. We bill by the hour at these rates rather than quoting a fixed price.

If you're remote from us, checking your cloud backups can be done in a remote session at $125/hour without anyone touching the drive.

How a lab referral works

If a drive has a physical fault and you'd like us to arrange the referral, our technician will explain why it needs a lab and refer it on. The lab quotes its own work separately and sets its own timeframe, so you'll know the cost before you decide whether to go ahead.

How long does it take?

Checking backups, and copying files from a drive that still reads, can often be done in the same visit. Restoring large backups or setting up a replacement drive can take longer, depending on how much data there is.

Storm or power surge damage in Brisbane

Brisbane's storm season is a common time for computers to be hit by a power surge or lightning. If that's what happened, switch the computer off at the wall and don't power it on again to test it. Our technicians can come to your home or office to check what's backed up and get you a working computer again.

A real example from a Brisbane customer

Not every drive can be saved, and it's better to know that up front. Here's what Boyd wrote in a Google review after a hard drive crash:

"Very happy with the service. Sadly, my data couldn't be saved as a result of a hard drive crash, but Vinnie determined most of the data was saved in One Drive. He got me going again with a reconfigured drive and new Windows 11. Plenty of helpful advice."

The drive itself was gone, but most of Boyd's files were already in OneDrive, so they weren't lost with it.

Frequently asked questions

Can data be recovered from a failed hard drive?

Often, yes, if the drive still reads. With a physical fault a lab may be able to help, but not every drive can be saved, and whether it's worth trying depends on how irreplaceable the files are.

Should I run CHKDSK or Disk Utility First Aid on a failing drive?

Don't run CHKDSK /f or /r, or Disk Utility First Aid. Repair modes write to the drive, and any long scan puts extra strain on a failing drive.

How long does it take to copy 1TB from a hard drive?

It depends on the connection type, the health of the drive and the number of small files, which take longer to copy than a few large ones. As a rough guide, over USB 3 a healthy spinning drive typically copies 1TB in a few hours, while over USB 2 it can take most of a day. A failing drive can be far slower or stall, which is another reason not to keep it running.

My external drive isn't detected. Is it dead?

Not necessarily. Try another cable, port or computer first, since a faulty cable or port can look like a dead drive.

Book a technician

If your drive is showing any of these signs, turn it off and get in touch. Call 1300 600 004 or book online, and a Geeks Brisbane technician will check what can be recovered and tell you honestly what your options are. You can also read more about Geeks Brisbane or browse more guides on our blog.