Hard disk,a Magnetic storage medium for a microcomputer. Hard disks are flat, circular plates made of aluminum or glass and coated with a magnetic material. Hard disks for personal computers can store up to several gigabytes (billions of bytes) of information. Data are stored on their surfaces in concentric tracks.

What is the job of a hard disk?

A hard drive is the hardware component that stores all of your digital content. Your documents, pictures, music, videos, programs, application preferences, and operating system represent digital content stored on a hard drive. Hard drives can be external or internal.

A hard disk drive failure occurs when a hard disk drive malfunctions and the stored information cannot be accessed with a properly configured computer.

Common HDD Physical Failure Signs

• Overheating.
• Strange noises.
• Blue Screen of Death errors.
• Stuck spindle motor.
• Inability for the device to boot.
• Bad sectors prevent data access.

This document pertains to HP PCs with the HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) beginning in late 2008.On startup, a Hard Disk Error message displays:Figure : Hard Disk ErrorHard Disk Error
Please run the Hard Disk Test in System Diagnostics.
Hard Disk # (XXX)This error message might indicate an issue with sectors, data, or physical disks on the hard drive.If this error message displays, do the following:

• Make an immediate backup of all important data and files.
• Perform a hard drive diagnostic test to verify the condition of the hard disk drive. For instructions on how to perform a hard drive test, refer to the following steps.

Perform a hard drive diagnostic test

Run the Hard Drive Test in the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics using the steps in this section. There are six hard drive tests. If you think there is a problem with the hard drive, first try the Quick Test (2 to 3 minutes). If the Quick Test does not find a problem, run the Extensive Test (2 hours or more) which also has a Loop Until Error option.

1. Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.
2. Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key.Figure : System Diagnostics
3. The HP PC Hardware Diagnostics opens. On the main menu, click Component Tests.Figure : Selecting Component Tests from the main menu
4. In the Component Tests menu, click Hard Drive.Figure : Selecting Hard Drive from the Component Tests menu
5. In the Hard Drive Tests menu, click Quick Test.Figure : Selecting the Hard Drive Quick Test
6. Click Run Once.Figure : Running the Hard Drive Quick Test
7. The Hard Drive Quick Test begins. If the computer has more than one hard drive, select the drive you want to test. To test all the hard drives, select Test All Hard Drives.When the test is complete, the results are displayed on the screen. Test results are also available in the Test Logs on the main menu.
8. If the hard drive passes the Quick Test, but there is still a problem with the hard drive, run the Extensive Test. This test includes the SMART Check, Short DST, Optimized DST, and Long DST. To run these tests individually, select them from the Hard Drive Tests menu.If the hard drive fails one of the tests, write down the failure ID (24-digit code) so you have it available when you contact HP Customer Support. The information is also available in Test Logs on the main menu.

Review the hard drive test results

When the hard drive test is complete, a message is displayed to indicate what actions have been taken.

Test result	Suggested action
Hard Disk Test passed	Use the computer as usual.
Problem found and repaired	Use the computer as usual.
Bad sector found and re-mapped	Restart the computer.If another error message is displayed, run the hard drive test again.If no error message is displayed, use the computer as usual.
Specific error message and 24-digit failure ID code is displayed	Proceed to the Contact HP section for instructions.
Error message SMART Check: NOT INSTALLED | Short DST: NOT INSTALLED is displayed	Reload default BIOS Setup settings.Refer to specific HP document for your product and then follow the steps in the section of Reload default BIOS Setup settings.HP Notebook PCs – BIOS Setup Information and Menu OptionsHP Desktop PCs – BIOS Setup Utility Information and Menu OptionsAfter reloading the default BIOS setup, run the hard drive diagnostic test again. If the error Not INSTALLED displays again, proceed to the Contact HP section for instructions.

Contact HP

If the hard drive test fails, write down the failure ID (24-digit code) so you have it available when you contact HP Customer Support. The information is also available in Test Logs on the main menu.Figure : Example of failed hard drive test

How do I fix a hard disk error?If you are looking for methods to fix hard disk problem, continue reading and you’ll get what you want here now.

1. Use system file checker to fix hard disk error. Type: cmd in the search bar and click Enter. …
2. Run CHKDSK to fix hard disk problem. …
3. Use partition manager software to check and repair hard disk/drive errors

Fixes to ‘Windows detected a hard disk problem’ error

So how can you exactly fix the ‘Windows detected a hard disk problem’ error in your PC? If you are looking for methods to fix hard disk problem, continue reading and you’ll get what you want here now.

1. Use system file checker to fix hard disk error

• Type: cmd in the search bar and click Enter.
• Type: sfc /scannow and hit Enter.

This command will scan all protected system files and replace all corrupted files with a backup copy. After the process is finished, your hard disk would work properly again.

2. Run CHKDSK to fix hard disk problem

• Press “Win+R” keys to open Run and type: cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
• Type: chkdsk C: /f /r /x and hit Enter.