How to send a defective hard disk for replacement

Step1 : On the event of a sudden hard disk crash, you should first use a Live CD like the Ultimate Boot CD, Partition Table Doctor etc to boot and check your hard disk for any data which can still be read and thus recovered.

Step 2 : Download Disk checking software from respective manufacturer’s website. Example, Seagate offers a small application called SeaTools which can be downloaded as an ISO. You can then run a SHORT DRIVE SELF TEST which takes anywhere between 60 to 320 secs. If it shows PASS means your HDD is allright. Rejoice and send me beer! Check your cables and it’s going to be fine else if it shows FAIL, curse yourself for not backing up your data.

Step3 : You can try to run a LONG DISK CHECK to see if the application repairs the drive and resurrects it. If the repair is not possible, the next step is to check if your hard disk is in warranty or not. These days most manufacturers offer a 3 year or a lifetime (5 year) warranty. Enter your drive’s ‘SERIAL NUMBER’ and ‘MODEL NUMBER’ where it says to check for warranty status. Usually this is found in the support section.

Step4 : If your hard disk’s warranty has expired then shell out some money and if its not you just need to fill in a Request for Return form with your address and Hard Drive

Tagged as: Defective Hard Drive, Hard Disk Crash, Hard Disk Replacement, HDD Warranty, Return Hard Disk