How to fix ‘Windows detected a hard disk problem’ error in Windows 10

Have you ever encountered any error message concerning your hard disk when interacting with your PC?

The first thing you should do when you are presented with such a message is to think of backing up your current data to a flash drive, cloud storage of your choice, or an external hard disk. This is because this error message indicates the possibility of complete failure in the not so distant future.

Disk errors in windows operating system may be caused by improper operations, system error, bad sectors or simply a virus. The first indication of this error message should prompt you to spring into action as it will on average display about 5 to 10 times before the hard disk fails completely.

After backing up your data, proceed to attempt the following remedies;

Method #1: Scan for any potential virus

It is recommended that you use the pre-installed Windows Defender antivirus to scan your system. Alternatively, you can choose to use the other free and paid alternatives available.

Method #2: Execute SFC to fix System File

The system file checker in Windows provides an avenue where one can check for hard disk damage, especially when one is not certain of the specific location that is damaged.

The first step is to launch the command prompt (cmd) while running it as administrator.

Once on the command prompt window, type sfc /scannow then hit Enter / Return key. You should be patient as the computer attempts to scan through all the files in your computer. Therefore, you should not to interfere with the progress until it is 100% complete.

Method #3: Conduct a surface test

This method checks for specifically targeted sectors or the entire hard disk.

Step 1

You need to initialize a free partition manager called partition tool. You can find the freeware on https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html.

Step 2

After installing, open the partition manager. Select the targeted hard disk then hit the Surface Test ‘button’ in the Check Disk Menu.

After this selection, click the start now button to commence this hard disk operation.

Step 3

Unfortunately, this is hard disk diagnosis process requires patience. Any errors in the hard disk will be highlighted in red. Green indicates good areas in the hard disk as indicated below;

Once this process completes, you can be able to detect bad areas in your hard disk. Unfortunately, this application doesn’t allow fixing corrupt areas.

Conclusion

You now know how to fix ‘Windows detected a hard disk problem’ error in Windows 10. Which method worked best for you? Please let us know in the comment section below.