Disk Cloning Scenarios #1 Chapter 2: Bad Sector on Hard Drive

Bad sectors are one of the most common hard drive problems. This guide is designed to provide effective methods to check and repair hard disk bad sectors.

The bad sector on a hard drive is a damaged disk area that cannot be accessed or read properly. These unreadable sectors in the hard disk are divided into two types: hard bad sectors and soft bad sectors. Let's delve into them in this article from EaseUS.

What is Bad Sector in Hard Disk

Bad sectors on a hard drive may become corrupted and unreadable due to software errors or physical damage, affecting data security and system performance.

Physical bad sectors(hard bad sectors): Refer to unusable areas on the hard disk due to physical damage such as falling, dust, etc., and generally cannot be repaired.

Logical bad sectors(soft bad sectors): Caused by software issues or data corruption, such as operating system errors or virus infections. The data cannot be accessed normally.

Causes and Effects of Hard Drive Bad Sectors

The following table lists the reasons and effects of bad sectors in detail:

Bad Sector Types	Causes	Effects	Solutions
Physical bad sectors(hard)	Factory technical issues Accidental crash, drop, shock, break, etc. Unstable voltage damaged platters and heads. Dust Extreme temperatures Sound and ultrasound	Slow system operation  Slow boot or even blue screen SMART error message File corruption, Unable or difficult to read Hard disk abnormal noise ...	Physical bad sectors can cause permanent loss of data and hard to fix.
Logical bad sectors(soft)	Unclean shutdown Power outage during a write System error Frequent reading and writing of data Virus/malware cause bad sector issues		Can be repaired by built-in system tools such as CHKDSK or third-party tools.

When your computer has the above problems, it means your computer may have bad sectors. Before it is completely damaged, please clone your data to another safe hard drive in time to protect your data.

Check and Fix Bad Sectors on Hard Disk

If your hard drive has encountered bad sector issues, it's crucial to back up your data to avoid losing data before checking it. You can clone the HDD with bad sectors to another safe one to copy all data. You can use drive cloning software like EaseUS Disk Copy to do this.

It can create a copy of the hard disk, including bad sectors, onto a new hard disk and use it directly as a spare drive without reinstalling the OS and software.

Now that you can identify and repair bad sectors on your hard drive safely, try the following two methods:

1️⃣Use Windows File Explorer to check Disk Errors

By right-clicking on the drive you want to check and repair through File Explorer, you will be able to fix some potential sector errors easily.

Step 1. Click on This PC and right-click on the disk you want to check, such as Local Disk(C:).

Step 2. Then, choose Properties and select Tools in the pop-up window. Click on the Check button.

Step 3. If the disk prompts that it does not need to be scanned, it means the disk is healthy. Of course, you can click on the Scan drive to check the drive again.

Step 4. Once it is done, you can click on Show Details to check more or Close it directly.

2️⃣Run the CHKDSK Command

CHKDSK is a built-in command prompt that comes with the Windows OS. It can be used to check errors on the disk, including file system errors and bad sectors, and perform some repairs.

Step 1. Click the Start menu, type cmd, or type it directly in the Windows search bar.

Step 2. Then, you can see the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. Type chkdsk C: /r and press the Enter key. The /r parameter is used to scan and repair bad sectors.

Note: C represents your system disk. Change the letter to another disk you want to check.

Step 4. If you receive the "Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process" message. You can type Y and press the Enter to schedule the volume the next time you restart your computer.

Step 5. Wait for CHKDSK to complete the process. Also, you can type chkdsk C: /f to repair logical errors in the file system as needed.

Avoid Bad Sectors on HDD Tips

Here are some tips to avoid bad sectors on your hard drive:

• Shut down the computer properly: Follow the correct shutdown procedure and do not force power off to avoid potential drive damage.
• Protect the computer properly: Avoid bumping and dropping, regularly clean dust, and ventilate the computer during operation.
• Check the hard disk regularly: Run CHKDSK regularly to check and repair disk problems to avoid more bad sectors.
• Defragment the disk regularly: Prevent long-term excessive fragmentation and optimize data layout.
• Keep backup copies regularly: Make sure you have a complete copy of your data to protect it better.