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5 June 2024  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
 

Summary
Learn how to perform the external hard drive repair without losing data, ensuring that you can continue to enjoy the storage capacity it offers.



Table of contents

table iconI. The reason for the failure/damage of the mobile hard disk
table iconII. How to restore the data in the mobile hard disk?
table iconIII. How to repair the failure of the mobile hard disk
Rexternal hard drive repair

I. The reason for the failure/damage of the mobile hard disk

Several factors can cause external hard drive issues, preventing proper functioning. Possible causes include:
● Improper operation, directly unplug the connected mobile hard disk from the computer, but fail to eject it safely.
● Virus or malware infection.
● There are too many bad sectors on the hard disk.
● File system error. Can try to format the mobile hard disk to resolve this issue.
● Outdated/corrupted drivers. Learn how to update driver to solve this issue.
To repair a failed or damaged mobile hard disk without losing data, first use professional data recovery software to scan and recover the data. After recovery, proceed with hard disk repair operations, as some repair methods may cause data loss.

II. How to restore the data in the mobile hard disk?

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is designed to restore various data files. Whether you’ve accidentally deleted important files, emptied the Recycle Bin, or formatted a disk/storage, this tool can retrieve your lost data. It features four modules: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, addressing all your data loss issues comprehensively.
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Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

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2. How to use Renee Undeleter to recover mobile hard disk data?

Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter on the computer, and select the (Whole Disk Scan) option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install on the disk that needs to restore data, so as not to cause data overwriting.
select whole disk scan in renee undeleter
Data Recovery Function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Recover files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze partition information and fully scan the entire disk.
  • Image Creation – Create an image of a partition to back up its current state.
Step 2: Select the external hard disk and click (Next).
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
Step 3: Wait for the scan to identify all existing partitions on the hard disk. The “Select the partition you want to scan” window will appear, allowing you to choose the deleted partition to scan. If no partition is selected, all partitions will be scanned, which will take longer.
recover partition with Renee Undeleter
Step 4: Preview the files during scanning. Once all required files are found, check the target files and click Recover to restore the data to other disks on the computer.
select taget files to recover with renee undeleter

III. How to repair the failure of the mobile hard disk

1. Run antivirus software

Viruses and malware can cause hard drive failure. Scanning and removing them with antivirus software may repair corrupted hard drives. Connect the mobile hard disk to another Windows computer with reliable antivirus software installed to scan and remove viruses.

2. Use hard disk detection/repair software

If the hard disk has bad sectors, you can use special hard disk detection/repair software to detect and repair hard disk errors.
Step 1: Connect the mobile hard disk to the computer. Download, install, and run HDD-SCAN, a free hard disk diagnosis tool. This software tests storage devices for errors, displays S.M.A.R.T attributes, and allows changes to HDD parameters like AAM and APM.
Official website link: https://hddscan.com/
HDD-SCAN
Step 2: HDD-SCAN displays the scanning status graphically. At around 78% completion, numerous bad sectors (B) are detected.
scanning situation
Step 3: HDD-Scan can output detailed scan logs. If bad sectors are found, use the brand-specific repair software like SeaTools or Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. Search for the appropriate tool based on your hard disk brand. Note: Using these tools may erase all data, so back up your data first.
SeaToolsTools

3. Use Windows built-in disk checking tool

Use the Windows built-in Disk Check tool to fix external hard drive errors. If successful, you can access the data. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Connect the mobile hard disk to the computer, press Windows icon + R, enter diskmgmt.msc in the input box, and click OK to open Disk Management.
run disk management
Step 2: In Disk Management, right-click on the failed hard disk partition and select (Properties).
check disk's properties
Step 3: In the (Tools) tap, select (Check).
check disk
Step 4: For Windows 7 or 8, check “Automatically repair file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.” Windows 10 repairs all errors by default. Wait for the process to complete.
check disk Windows
The disk check function marks the space with bad sectors as unusable at the file system level to prevent data from being written to these unstable areas. Scanning with HDD-Scan will still display these bad sectors. To completely address bad sectors, you can perform a low-level format (not always effective) or replace the hard disk.