How to Recover Data From Hard Drive with Bad Sector?

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Why Do Hard Drives Develop Bad Sectors?

Hard drives can develop bad sectors over time, which can lead to data loss or slow performance. Understanding the causes helps prevent further damage and preserve data. There are several common reasons for bad sectors.

• Physical damage: caused by drops, shocks, or mechanical wear of the platters and read/write heads.
• Power failures or sudden shutdowns: sectors can become corrupted while data is being written.
• Manufacturing defects or aging components: unstable sectors may appear over time.
• Overheating: excessive heat can damage the disk surface.
• Exposure to strong magnetic fields: can corrupt the magnetic media.
• Logical issues: file system errors or software problems can create bad sectors that are sometimes repairable.
• Aging degradation: Magnetic media naturally degrades over time, especially on older HDDs, causing sectors to fail.

How to Recover Data from Hard Drive with Bad Sector?

Hard drives (HDD or SSD) with bad sectors can lead to data loss, slow access, or missing files. Recovering data from such drives requires caution, sincerunning standard tools like chkdsk on a failing drive can worsen the damageand lead to permanently data loss. All in all, using specialized recovery software is the safest approach.

MyRecover is a professional, user-friendly hard drive recovery tool that can safely retrieve data from disk with bad sectors. It works with HDDs, SSDs, and external drives, and supports recovering files lost due to virus attck, physical damage, power / file transfer failure, logical errors, accidental deletion, system crashesor formatting(up to 500+scenarios).

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on a different, healthy drive.

Step 2. Launch it and select thethe HDD with bad sectors. Click "Scan" button.

Step 3. Browse through all recoverable files by "Type" after the scanning. Preview and select files to recover.

Step 4. Click "Recover" and save the themto another safe storage device (not the failing HDD).

Then be patient and wait for the recovery process to finish. The software will carefully recover all accessible data to the new location. Once complete, you can safely access your recovered data.

Further Reading: Repair Bad Sectors on Hard Drive

Bad sectors on a hard drive can be classified as physical (hard) or logical (soft). While logical bad sectors can sometimes be repaired, physical bad sectors are permanent. Understanding the type of bad sector is crucial before attempting any repair, as improper handling can lead to further data loss.

1. Use Windows Built-in Tools

Windows includes the chkdsk utility, which can scan for and attempt to repair bad sectors. Running chkdsk [drive letter]: /f /r will locate, fixbad sectors and try to recover readable information.

However, if the drive is failing or has many consecutive bad sectors, repeated scans may worsen the damage, so it’s recommended to recover files from the bad sector had drivefirst.

2. Reformat the Hard Drive

Reformatting a hard drive can help isolate bad sectors and make the remaining healthy areas usable. During a full format, the system scans every sector of the disk, identifies damaged sections, and marks them as unusable. This ensures that data will not be written to those sectors in the future, reducing the risk of further corruption.

To format a hard drive in Windows, open "File Explorer", right-click the drive you want to format, and select "Format". In the Format window, choose the desired "File System"(NTFS for Windows or exFAT for cross-platform use) and optionally enter a "Volume Label". Decide whether to perform a "Quick Format"or a full format, then click "Start".

How to Prevent Hard Drives from Developing Bad Sectors?

Bad sectors on a hard drive can lead to data loss, slow performance, and system instability. While some bad sectors are unavoidable due to aging or manufacturing defects, there are several effective ways to reduce the risk and prolong the life of your HDD or SSD.

• Regular Backups: Always keep backups of important files on a separate drive or cloud storage. Even if a bad sector occurs, your data will remain safe.
• Avoid Sudden Power Losses: Unexpected shutdowns or power outages during read/write operations can create bad sectors. Use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for desktop PCs and avoid abruptly disconnecting external drives.
• Maintain Optimal Operating Temperatures: Overheating can damage disk platters and lead to bad sectors. Keep your computer well-ventilated, clean dust from fans, and monitor disk temperatures with tools like CrystalDiskInfo.
• Use Disk Utilities Cautiously: Occasionally check your drives for errors using reliable tools, but avoid running intensive scans or repairs frequently on a failing drive, as this may worsen physical damage.
• Handle Drives Carefully: Physical shocks, drops, or vibration can damage the platters inside HDDs. Always handle internal and external drives with care, especially when moving them.
• ...

Bottom Line

In summary, bad sectors on a hard drive can occur for various reasons, from physical damage and power outages to aging components and logical errors. While some sectors may be repaired, others are permanent, making data recovery and preventive care essential. Using professional recovery tools like MyRecover ensures that you can safely retrieve files from drives with bad sectors without causing further damage.

It also comes with the higher edition (Technician), empowering IT professionals, system administrators, technicians, and consultants to deliver expert, paid technical support services to their clients (simply put, provide billable service).