Broken External Hard Drive Repair Tips

Fixing a broken external hard drive requires some straightforward hardware and software troubleshooting checks. In this post I’ll step through what some of these key tasks are and some of the software scans you can complete too.

The starting point with internal and external HDD repair work is to make sure the mechanics of the device are okay. While the machine is running you should listen out for any sounds that seem unusual. If you hear clicking or grinding noises then that can indicate component damage inside. This could be seized bearings, misaligned read heads, loose components or a failing motor issue. The best advice is not to attempt to open the external hard drive yourself. Instead, contact a PC repair shop to complete the repairs as you do not wish to run the risk of causing further damage.

You can however check some of the peripheral elements relating to the broken external hard drive. In particular check the cable is in good condition and that none of the connector pins have been damaged or pushed in. Try using a different port on your computer for connecting the device to make sure the USB port itself has not been damaged. If you have a second PC available then try connecting the broken external hard drive to that (to make sure your PC is not to blame).

While Windows is running you should check the Device Manager to see if there are any reported hardware conflicts with your external hard drive. It will also indicate if there are device driver issues and give you a troubleshooting Wizard facility to download/search for new drivers.

Your final check is to on Windows own error checking utility [Windows Explorer/select the broken external hard drive/properties/tools]. This HDD repair utility mainly focuses on fixing bad sectors which can occur on all types of hard drives due to mechanical or software faults.