7 signs your hard drive or SSD is failing.

The warning signs

1. Clicking, grinding or buzzing from a spinning hard drive. Power it off now.
2. Freezes and beachballs when opening files or folders.
3. Very slow boots that keep getting slower.
4. Missing or corrupted files that won’t open.
5. Errors like “No bootable device” or the folder with a question mark on a Mac.
6. SMART warnings from Windows, macOS Disk Utility or a drive-health app.
7. The drive disappears and reappears when you plug it in.

What to do right now

• Back up your most important files first, while the drive still works.
• Stop heavy use. Don’t run disk-repair tools or defragment a failing drive.
• If it’s clicking, turn it off. Every spin can cause more damage.

When to call a professional

If files are already missing, the computer won’t boot, or the drive makes noises, stop and get help. Our data recovery service in Berkeley starts at $130 and we assess the drive before you pay for recovery. Then we can replace it with a fast SSD and set up automatic backups.