How to Fix Bad Sectors on an External Hard Drive [Complete Guide]

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Sherly 

Last updated on April 24, 2024

If bad sectors are present on an external hard drive, they might exhibit a progressively worsening problem. But what are bad sectors, anyway? Should you ignore them, or are they an early warning sign that your external hard drive is about to kick the bucket?

This article will explain what they are and guide you through repairing bad sectors on an external hard drive.

Fix Bad Sectors on External Hard Drive – 3 Safe Repair Methods

You can try some fixes that might get your external hard drive working again. Here are some methods to fix bad sectors on an external hard drive:

• Solution 1: Fix bad sectors on external hard drive with Partition Master tool
• Solution 2: Repair bad sectors on external hard drive via Windows Explorer
• Solution 3: Fix bad sectors on external hard drive using CHKDSK command

Let's start with the first fix, the easiest one, and then we'll dive deeper.

Solution 1: Fix bad sectors on external hard drive with Partition Master Tool

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a handy and reliable utility to perform surface test on external hard drive, locate bad sectors, and fix them. It supports all Windows versions. The clear interface and timely prompts will make the process a breeze. Download and give it a try.

Here are the steps to perform an external hard drive surface test and locate bad sectors:

Step 1. Launch Partition Master. Right-click the drive you want to check and select "Surface Test".

Step 2: The operation will start immediately, and bad sectors will be marked in red.

After it finds bad sectors, you can try to repair the external hard drive's bad sectors with its “Check File System Errors” feature.

Step 1: Launch Partition Master on your computer. Then, right-click the partition that you wish to check and select "Advanced" > "Check File System."

Select "Check Partition"

(2) In the Check Disk Utility dialog box, select the Check for errors and try to fix them option, and then click Start.

Step 3: The software will now begin checking the partition's file system on the disk. When it's done, click “Finish”.

Main features of "Partition Master Tool":

As a reliable disk management tool, Partition Master features many functions, such as:

• Repair bad sectors on SD card
• Clone external hard drive to internal hard drive
• Solve Macrium Reflect clone failed error 9
• Resize/extend/split/merge partitions on SSD and external hard drive

You can download this tool to manage your external hard drive.

Solution 2: Fix bad sectors on external hard drive via Windows Explorer

Moreover, you can also scan and fix bad sectors on Windows Explorer without using any third-party software. Here's how:

1. Double-click "My Computer," find the external hard drive you need to fix, right-click on it, and select "Properties."

2. In the Properties window, click Tools > Check Now.

3. A window will pop up, check the box for "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors," then click "Start" to proceed.

4. Wait for Windows to fix it automatically.

During this process, you might encounter some issues. To learn more, please follow this link:

Fix 3: Use CHKDSK to fix bad sectors on external hard drive

You can also use the built-in Windows tool Check Disk, or CHKDSK, to do a preliminary check and attempt repairs. CHKDSK checks for file system integrity and bad sectors on your hard drive. It can recover from both logical and physical errors found in the file system and on the hard drive. To check an external hard drive, follow these steps:

Step 1: Connect the target external hard drive to your computer.

Step 2. First, press the "Windows" and "R" keys to open the "Run" box. Then, type "CMD" and press "Enter".

Step 3. Type in "chkdsk e: /f/r/x" (replace "e" with the letter of your external hard drive), then press "Enter."

Step 4: Be patient and wait for it to finish.

By the way, here are two links for you to learn more about the CHKDSK command. It might be a little difficult for beginners, so you can get a simpler way via the button below.

Reasons for Bad Sectors on External Hard Drive

Hard drives contain millions of sectors. Bad sectors are just a tiny portion of the storage space. The accumulation of bad sectors can shorten the lifespan of an external hard drive. There are two types of bad sectors: logical and physical. Since physical sectors can't be fixed, this article will focus on how to repair logical bad sectors.

With the popularity of large capacity external hard drives, many users purchase them to store massive files. Besides the inherent quality issues and natural aging of the drive, bad sectors can be caused by the following:

Dust Misuse High temperature Poor power quality Infection via media or computer virus System shutdown during file transfer

As mentioned above, there are many reasons for bad sectors on an external hard drive. Moreover, bad sectors on a hard drive can lead to data loss or malfunctions. Share this article to inform more users about the remedies and causes of bad sectors on an external hard drive.

Conclusions

This article introduces 3 ways to fix bad sectors on external hard drive. But please note that not all bad sectors can be repaired. Apart from fixing bad sectors on the hard drive, the Partition Master tool has many other powerful and practical features. For example, it can adjust/move/delete partitions, rebuild MBR, clone disk, and more.

So don't hesitate: download and try it out to lend a hand.

Frequently Asked Questions on Fixing Bad Sectors on an External Hard Drive

This section lists some common issues that you might encounter, and how to fix them. Scroll down to see if any of them apply to you.

1. Can bad sectors on a hard drive be repaired?

There are two types of bad sectors on a hard drive: physical and logical.

Physical bad sectors can be caused by physical damage, such as contact between the hard drive's read/write head and the disk or overheating issues.

Logical bad sectors can be caused by malware or an interrupted write process to the disk.

Physical bad sectors cannot be repaired, while logical bad sectors can be repaired.

< strong > 2. Can CHKDSK fix bad sectors?

Yes, CHKDSK can scan your hard drive and just provide a report, or it can scan the disk and fix file errors or bad sectors (logical bad sectors).

How to fix bad sectors on an external hard drive in Windows 10?

Please follow these steps to fix bad sectors on an external hard drive:

Open "File Explorer". Right-click on the hard drive, and select "Properties."

In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error Checking area.

In the “Check Disk” window, check both “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.” Click Start.