Hard Disk Crash

Hard disk crash is the term commonly used to state that the hard drive has malfunctioned due to internal failures of the heads. 

The read-write heads inside the hard disk are minute little electromagnetic devices held together by the armature and are precisely aligned just above the disk platters. The head transforms the electric signals from the electronics, into magnetic waves and writes data into the hard disk.

Head crash could possibly occur because the heads are suspended just above the disk platters and are separated by an extremely thin air gap between them. The platters spin at above 5,000 rpm and head crash can happen when there is physical movement of the hard disk while it is in operation or when the internal electromechanical parts and electronic circuits malfunction.

There are 5 major causes of hard disk head crash and data recovery is possible. They are: 

1) Dust Particles

Particle size of dust could be extremely small and can hence interfere with the internal operation of hard drives. If dust particles find its way into the disk, it can result in a head crash. This is because the dust particles can go in between the air gap of the heads and the platters, impending the heads movement along the platters.

2) Mechanical Shocks

While the hard disk is in operation, any impact on the drive can cause the heads to crash onto the platters when it glides along creating scratches on the platter surfaces. Mild hard disk crash can also cause multiple bad sectors on hard drives.

3) Unstable Power Supply

Sudden power surges could cause the heads of the hard disk to crash if the power supply is not sufficiently regulated to cushion out the surges. The heads could run erratically and crash onto the platters due to their close proximity.

4) Wear and Tear

When the hard disk reaches its lifespan, it would inevitably fail due to ageing caused by wear and tear of the mechanical parts and electrical circuitry.

5) Parking of Heads

There are different head parking strategies applied to the design of hard disk drive. Utilization of auto-parking mechanism when the disk power down could significantly reduce the risk of head crash onto the platter.

In-built of anti-vibration systems, protective layers on platters and other new techniques inside the hard disk have greatly improve the overall robustness in the internal operation of the drive. Nevertheless, heads crash are inevitable and hard disk data recovery could be the last resort to salvage and retrieve data on crashed hard drive.

Data recovery resource is the go to place for users to understand and know more about issues pertaining to data lost and how recovery might be possible.

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