Read on to learn how to properly fix a crashed hard drive on your laptop computer. This approach will guide you to repair the hard disk with special software that will scan and reformat your drive to allow you to reinstall your original Operating System
Step 1
Make sure you are either OK with deleting all the software on the damaged hard drive, or you have all the files backed up before continuing further.
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Step 2
Download the newest version of the boot CD (see Resources below). You may be able to download the files and save them to a flash drive if your laptop supports it. If not, use your CD burner to make a CD.
Step 3
Turn on your laptop with the damaged hard drive and enter your BIOS settings. This may be different from laptop to laptop, so check your user manual; but it is usually done by pressing one of the function keys (i.e. "F2," "F8" or "F10") or by pressing "Delete." The laptop may actually prompt you with the proper button as soon as you turn it on. Once you enter BIOS, use the arrow buttons and look for a section that says "BOOT order." Make sure the BOOT order either starts with the CD ROM drive or the USB Flash Drive, depending on which you are using. Save the changes and exit. The computer will now restart.
Step 4
Select the "Hard Disk Tools" section by scrolling with your arrow keys and pressing "Enter." Look for "Partition Tools" and run the program named "PTDD Super Fdisk."
Step 5
Check the hard drive for physical defects by choosing the option for a surface test. This will check every section of the hard drive to see if it scratched or somehow physically damaged. Depending on the size of the hard drive, this may take a few hours. Once the software has determined whether or not there are physical damages on the drive, continue to the next step.
Step 6
Delete all the current partitions and prepare the hard drive for a clean slate. Select the option to "Delete Partition" and delete all the partitions that you see one by one. Follow the onscreen instructions to proceed. Once all the partitions are deleted, create a new partition by selecting "Create a Partition." Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new partition. Depending on the operating system that you are installing, you will have to chose a file system. For Windows, choose "FAT32" or "NTFS." The software will now create a new partition and format the drive. You are now ready for a clean installation of your Operating System by rebooting and inserting the installation CD.
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