Signs your hard drive is failing
- Computer is suddenly slow with a lot of disk activity
- Programs freeze or crash randomly
- Files won't open or are corrupted
- Clicking, grinding, or unusual noises from the computer
- "SMART status bad" warning at boot
- Computer fails to boot or boots inconsistently
- Blue screens with disk-related error codes
If you suspect a failing drive, stop using it. Every read and write puts more stress on a dying drive. The sooner we get the data off, the better the odds of full recovery.
Our drive replacement process
- Free diagnosis. Drive health test, S.M.A.R.T. analysis, surface scan. We confirm the drive is the problem, not something else.
- Data recovery first. We pull your files off the failing drive while it's still readable. Learn more about data recovery →
- SSD recommendation. If your old drive was an HDD, we'll recommend upgrading to an SSD — same labor, dramatically faster computer.
- Windows reinstall or clone. Depending on your situation, we either clone the old drive to the new one (preserving everything) or install fresh Windows and migrate your files.
- Test thoroughly before delivery. Make sure the new drive is healthy and Windows is stable.
Hard drive vs. SSD — which should you put in?
Almost always SSD. SSDs are faster, more reliable (no moving parts to fail), and prices have dropped dramatically. The only reason to install another HDD is if you need huge amounts of cheap storage for media files. For your main system drive, SSD is the answer. SSD upgrade details →
Pricing
We quote a flat all-in price (drive + labor + Windows reinstall + data migration) up front. Diagnosis is always free. If we can't recover your data, you don't pay for the recovery attempt.
Ready to fix it? Diagnosis is free, pricing is flat, and we treat your machine like it's our own. Call (440) 596-0009 or stop by — we serve North Ridgeville, Westlake, Bay Village, Rocky River, Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, Sheffield Village, Sheffield Lake, and surrounding West Shore communities.