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‎03-21-2021 03:15 PM

HP Recommended
Product: HP 15 Notebook PC

There was an update for my laptop that I went ahead and let install but after a day and a half of letting install, there is the issue of SMART Hard Disk Error. What does that mean for my laptop and what can I do so that all the files on there will be saved? If there is any information out there on what to do, I will greatly appreciate it!

1 REPLY 1

‎03-22-2021 10:12 AM

HP Recommended

@Hector35 

While a Smart disk failure is not a guarantee of a failed drive, it often means that the file system has become corrupted, at least, and that will hinder file recovery.  This is why you need to do regular file backups of laptops.

 

All you will be able to recover at best from the drive is personal data. You will not be able to recover settings, website information (including user accounts and passwords) or applications.

Your best bet for recovering data now is to do the following:
1) Remove the disk drive from the old PC. If this is a SATA hard drive or a SATA SSD, this is a simple thing to do. If this is an m.2 SSD, that could be either screwed to the motherboard or soldered to the motherboard. If the second, you would need to have a techician remove it for you, or you risk seriously damaging the PC doing it yourself.
2) If you have a desktop PC with a spare hard drive connector, then connect the old drive to that. If the old drive is a SATA drive, connect both the power cable and the data cable. (This adapter is illustrated below) If the old drive is an m.2 SSD, you will need a USB-to-mSATA cable.
USB-Drive-Adapter.jpg
3) Try to retrieve the files and folders you want to save from the old drive and copy them to the new PC.

If this does not work, then you need to do the following:
1) Download and install this utility on a working PC http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/recover_data_in_3_steps_with_minitool_power_data_recovery_free_...
2) Run the data recovery utility to see what can be retrieved from the old drive.

If that tool does not find what you need, an alternative is Recuva http://www.piriform.com/recuva

And, if that does not work well, the best tool out there is this one, but only the demo version is free https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm



I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP
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