Download Easy Disk Drive Repair for Windows to scan your hard drive and repair errors. Sign in to add and modify your software. Linux or Mac file-systems. Runs on Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Disk Utility can find and repair errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac disk. Errors can lead to unexpected behavior when using your Mac, and significant errors might even prevent your Mac from starting up completely.
Bad sector is one of the biggest threats to hard disk and the data inside. Even new hard disks from trustworthy brands and sources could come with defects, let alone to say if your internal or external hard drive has served you over years. Don't be surprised when you realize that your PC is running slow or with errors, like blue screen and random crash. They are just saying it is time to check and repair bad sectors on your hard disks.
Why You Need to Fix Hard Disk Bad Sectors
Bad sectors are usually caused due to the overloading of system files, or virus and spyware which creates troubles for the hard drive. This issue has evolved out to be a big nightmare for owners of computer or external hard drive.
The bad sectors of hard drive are responsible for the low-level performance and overheating issues for the PC because it is very hard to read the data from a corrupted hard drive with bad sectors in it. Some users have also reported that they are facing the issue of Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) error in their PC. This is really annoying and irritating for the users because they can even lose their whole data if those bad sectors present in the hard drive is not removed.
If your hard drive bears any physical damage, then for a complete solution of this issue, you need to replace the whole hard drive with a new one after backing up of data present in the previous hard drive.
Troubleshoot Hard Disk Issue Manually
There is an in-built disk check & repair tool in Windows 10/8/7. But that tool is only capable of recovering data up to some extent. At any point of time, if you feel that your PC is creating some real issues with the performance, then you have to check the whole hard drive instantly.
- Open This PC on Windows 10.
- Right click on the partition that may have bad sectors. If you're not sure, just repeat the steps on each partition one by one.
- Choose Properties on the right-click menu, then navigate to Tools tab.
- Deploy hard disk checking and repairing on Error checking and Optimize and defragment drive.
The in-built tool is quite handy, but more often than not it can only boost computer performance slightly. If the issues are not resolved by your PC itself, then you are supposed to take the help of external software which will help you out in this task.
We have prepared a list of top 7 freeware which will help you check and repair your hard drive effectively. Compatibility may be an issue with a particular freeware, but we assure you that all of them are really very good to resolve this big issue. So, let's have a quick look on all of them.
Important: Repairing bad sectors with the following tools will remove the data stored on the bad sectors. You're highly suggested use Jihosoft File Recovery to recover data from hard disk drive that are missing or inaccessible before trying any of them.
Best 7 Bad Sector Repair Software for Free
1) Disk Genius
Disk Genius is one of the most popular hard disk management tools among IT professionals, but not everyone knows that it also features with bad sector checking and repairing functions. The feature is hidden in Disk menu on the top bar where you can see and open Verify Or Repair Bad Sectors.
Though it is just a sub-function, Disk Genius is still qualified as the top 1 free back sector check & repair tool. The conditions of hard disk sectors will be presented by blocks in various colors presenting a straightforward report, then you just need to click Repair button to start the automatic repairing of hard disk bad sectors.
2) Data Lifeguard Diagnostic by WD
This software tool is probably one of the best software you will find to check and repair WD hard drives. Compatible with both Windows and Mac, Data Lifeguard will help you out to check all the sectors of your hard drive. Whether it is good or bad sectors, it will detect all the issues and create a detailed report. You can analyze the full report and take necessary measures to avoid data loss or other accidents.
Data Lifeguard Diagnostic supports WD Blue SSHD, WD Blue, WD Green, WD Desktop performance, WD S25, WD Xe, WD Black, WD Black SSHD, WD VelociRaptor, WD Purple, WD Ae, WD Red, WD Red Pro and much more to be listed. Check on the official website if your hard disk is not on the list.
3) SeaTools by Seagate
This tool developed by Seagate is a diagnostic tool that helps users determine the condition of your hard disk drive. SeaTools is from the well-known company in the industry of hard disk manufacture, but it also supports some non-Seagate hard disks. This software can be used in both Windows and Mac.
The user-interface is up to date which makes the job of the users very easy. That's why Seatools is a pro to check the bad sectors of hard disk. In the whole PC scan, it will check all the files and sectors of hard disk whether it is internal or external,
4) Check Disk
Check Disk by Paehl is another powerful tool which can detect and fix the bad sectors of hard disk with an ease. This software comes with multi-language support system and that's why users from all around the world choose this software for their personal use. The only drawback of this software is that it is exclusively available for the Windows users and not for Mac users. Otherwise, it is so called beast in this section to check the bad sectors of hard drive.
The full disk scan check will never let an issue to be left undetected. That's why the name Check Disk really suits this software for sure. Almost all types of hard disks are compatible with this software. You can easily check on the website of Check Disk whose link is given above.
5) HDD Scan
Almost every type of SSD and HHD are compatible with this awesome software tool which is only compatible with Windows operating system. All types of defected and bad sectors present on the hard drives are fixed by this software automatically. You just have to give the command to run the full PC scan and the scan reports will get displayed in front of you within a few minutes depending on the size of the hard drive. All the reports can be saved in MHT format in the PC for the analyzation. This software is also well capable of changing some of the HDD parameter to fix the issues. If you use this software on your PC, then you will hardly suffer from any bad sector of hard disk at all.
6) Macrorit Disk Scanner
The real-time whole disk scan available in this software scanner will let you to find all the issues regarding the bad sectors. You can also track the status of the running scan process in a pop-up window. And as like other software tools, this software will also let you to download the file of scan process on your PC. PCs running on Windows OS are compatible with this software and moreover, almost every type of HDD and SDD is supported. So, at least try this software once.
7) Abelssoft Check Drive
This is our last pick in this list but the results which you can extract from this software are very helpful for users. As like other software tools we have mentioned, this tool will also serve you in the best possible manner. The real-time hard disk scan will let you to analyze all the bad sectors of hard disk very easily. This software will surely provide you the easiest way in which you can resolve all the issues and bad sectors present in the hard drive of your PC. Abelssoft check drive software is available in both paid and free versions. So, it is up to you that which subscription do you want for your PC.
Conclusion
This article concludes that bad sectors present in the hard drives need to be fixed as soon as possible because the consequence can cost your whole data. These bad sector repair tools will definitely help you in this task in the right direction. If you use any other software which can replace the software present in this list, then please inform us in the comments section.
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Can you bear the loss of your important pictures and files on your external hard drive when it suddenly became corrupted? Of course, you can't. They mean irreplaceable memories and future career to you. However, the unexpected could happen due to various reasons. It is just simply the nature of the beast.
If you encountered this problem, hopefully this post can help you regain the lost files and repair the corrupted external hard drive.
What is a corrupted external hard drive?
Mac Computer Repair
Different from hardware damages, a corrupted external hard drive usually results from software errors. The errors may resident in the partition table, file system, root directory or large data sectors. The errors will make the external hard drives failed to be mounted, recognized or read by MacOS. Consequently, users will be unable to open the external hard drive nor access the files on it.
The corruption not only happens to external hard drives but also to internal Mac hard drive and other external devices. To fix a corrupted external hard drive on Mac, the solutions are categorized into without formatting and by formatting.
Fix a corrupted external hard drive without formatting
Formatting usually is the least wanted solution for fixing the problem, so we gather two fixes without formatting here.
- Verify the connection
It sounds dumb but working very well. Many times, poor connection will make the Mac/MacBook not recognize the external hard drive. Make sure the connection is clean and firm.
- Wipe the USB port with a clean and dry towel to get rid of any dust or other material.
- Use another USB port/cable/hub/adapter.
- Reboot the Mac/MacBook to refresh all USB ports.
- Run First Aid to repair the software errors
Do you know First Aid? It is a small utility in Disk Utility for checking and repairing the minor logic errors on a disk. In this case, you can use it to repair the corrupted external hard disk.
- Open Disk Utility through Finder and Applications.
- Select the external hard drive at the left side.
- Click on the First Aid button, or right-click the external hard drive and choose First Aid from the options.
- Click Run.
If you see the messages telling you that the First Aid failed, the external hard drive is too corrupted to be fixed by First Aid.
Fix a corrupted external hard drive by formatting
When the external hard drive has been badly corrupted, formatting will be the last fix. It will remove all errors by writing a new file system on the external hard drive and prepare it as a new and blank disk for use.
Before handling the formatting, you need to make sure you have adequate backups of important files. Otherwise, you need to restore the files from the external HD first with a Mac file recovery app you trust.
Then format the corrupted external hard drive:
- Open Disk Utility through Finder and Applications.
- Select the external hard drive at the left side.
- Click on the Erase button, or right-click the external hard drive and choose Erase from the options.
- Give the external hard drive a name.
- Choose ExFAT as the Format.
- Choose GUIDE as the Scheme.
- Click Erase.
After the external hard drive is completely formatted, you need to safely eject it and replug it back to the computer. The Mac/MacBook can mount and read the external USB hard drive successfully now.
Disk Repair For Mac
How to prevent the external hard drive from corruption?
Even though disk corruption is something that will eventually happen, it doesn't mean that it will happen soon. In fact, a lot of precautions you can take to avoid the early disk corruption.
Hard Drive Repair Software Mac
Some tips are listed below:
- Detach the external hard drive during the shutdown and restart the computer.
- Safely eject the external hard drive after finishing using it.
- Don't download any spammy-look files to the external hard drive.
- Don't disconnect the external hard drive during the file transferring.
- Handle the external hard drive careful without dropping it hard or setting it in a wet, dusty or corrosive environment.
Final words
Regardless of external hard drive brands such as Seagate, Western Digital or Toshiba, the post can be applied to almost each corrupted external hard disk. In addition, if other USB drives such as memory sticks or pen drives, this post can be a good resource as well.
