To retrieve files from a corrupted hard drive you can try using CHKDSK or data recovery software or even use a professional data recovery service.
You should also first listen for any clicking or grinding noises and see if the hard drive is detected by the system.
If the hard drive is detected although shows errors or is unreadable, then it's likely a logical issue.
To use the built in Windows tool CHKDSK to scan and fix errors, open the command prompt as an administrator and type in chkdsk X: /f /r and replace the X with your drive letter.
Data software such as Disk Rill, Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can also be used to sometimes scan for and recover files from corrupted hard drives.
If the hard drive has physical damage or the software doesn't work then you may need to take the hard drive to a professional data recovery service.
You can often recover data from a hard drive that is not recognized.
If the issue is a logical failure such as corrupted file system or malware, then data recovery software may be able to help you retrieve your data and files.
If the hard drive has suffered any physical damage then data recovery services can often retrieve and recover the data from the hard drive which is not recognized.
Although even then if you use a specialized data recovery service, they cannot always get the files or data off.
To retrieve data from a failed hard drive you can sometimes use software based data recovery if the failed hard drive is a logical error.
You an also often retrieve data from a failed hard drive through use of data recovery software such as Disk Drill, EaseUS, Recuva or Wondershare Recoverit which can scan the hard drive for lost or deleted files and attempt to recover them.
Some software can also create an image of the entire hard drive to help facilitate the data recovery process.
You can also sometimes fix a hard drive by using the chkdsk command.
Another way of retrieving data from a failed hard drive is to take the hard drive to data recovery specialist company like Ontrac, Secure Data Recovery and DriveSavers.
Specialized data recovery companies have the proper equipment as well as expertise to repair damaged hard drives to recover data.
The symptoms of a failed or dead hard drive are the data being inaccessible, frequent system crashes, BSOD's or Blue Screen of Death, clicking or grinding noises or the hard drive that is dead or failing may not be detected by the computer BIOS or operating system.
Other signs and symptoms of a dead or failing hard drive are data corruption, slow performance, error messages when accessing of files and even the hard drive not spinning.
If the hard drive is not spinning up then the hard drive could be dead.
Most often a hard drive will start to warn you of it when the hard drive is failing or about to die.
When the hard drive is failing or is about to die there will often be clicking, whirring, screeching or grinding sounds that come from the hard drive.
A significant slow down in your computers speed, especially during booting up, file access and application loading are often a sign of a failing hard drive.
Having scrambled file names, error messages when opening of files and missing files are also signs that the hard drive's storage is failing.
And even intermittent or frequent freezes and crashes of your computer, especially when interacting with files can also signal that the hard drive is failing or is about to die.
A hard drive should last between 5 to 10 years before they go bad.