One of the most common causes of data loss on a traditional hard drive (as opposed to a Solid State drive, or SSD) is a ‘head crash’. But what exactly is a ‘head crash’, and what should you do if you think your hard drive is experiencing one? Read on to find out more… By Eric Gaba, Wikimedia Commons user Sting, CC BY-SA 3.0 how does a hard drive work?Put simply, a hard drive stores data by using read/write heads to record data onto (and retrieve data from) ‘platters’, which are discs made of aluminium, glass or ceramic, coated in a thin layer of metal that can be magnetised or demagnetised. There are two read/write heads for each platter, one to read the top surface and one the bottom. So a hard drive with five platters, for example, would have ten read/write heads. The read/write heads are mounted on an electronically controlled arm, that moves across the drive and back again. The read/write heads don’t actually touch the platters, but rather ‘float’ just above them in a layer of fluid or air. what is a 'head crash'? Now that you understand the basics of how a hard drive works, you can perhaps guess what a ‘head crash’ is: a ‘head crash’ occurs when a hard drive’s read/write head comes into contact with the platter. When this happens, the thin layer of metal on the platter is stripped away, resulting in the loss of data. what should i do if i suspect a 'head crash'? Once you realise just how delicate the internal workings of a hard drive are, it becomes obvious that actions such as shaking the drive to hear it rattle, or continuously starting up the drive with its crashed heads to see if it will work, are only going to lead to further stripping of the coating on the platter(s) and potential data loss! If your hard drive starts making a clicking / grinding noise, or is spinning up without allowing you to access the data, turn it off immediately and take it to a data recovery specialist for advice. For further information, or if you would like any assistance with data loss, call Richard on 01403 753666.
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