Top 5 Best Hard Drive Repair Software

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hard drive repair software

A computer’s hard drive is one of its most critical components. It contains all of the data and information that turns the machine from an interesting conglomeration of electronic components into an extremely flexible tool. A malfunctioning hard drive can result in decreased performance as well as missing or corrupt data.

The HDD in your computer can contain hundreds of gigabytes of data encompassing millions of files. Some of these files can easily be recreated by reinstalling software or downloading content. There is a very good chance that at least some of the data that resides on your hard disk is valuable and would be hard, if not impossible, to replicate. If you are experiencing problems with your hard drive, you may need to employ a disk repair tool to rescue your data. In this article, we will take a look at five different hard disk repair tools.

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Brief selection
1
disk drill windows icon
Disk Drill
Platform:  macOS Windows
Distributed as: Freemium
2
easeus partition master icon
EaseUS Partition Master
Platform:  macOS Windows Android
Distributed as: Freemium
3
windirstat icon
WinDirStat
Platform:  Windows
Distributed as: Free

Top 5 Hard Drive Repair Software

 #
Disk Drill Logo

1. Disk Drill

4.54 Best choice for Windows users – The Windows version of Disk Drill empowers regular users to reliably recover all kinds of lost data with a few simple clicks.

Read full Disk Drill review
Platforms

Windows macOS

Distributed as

Freemium Some features are provided free of charge, but money is required to unlock the rest

Limitations

Recover up to 500 MB for free

Price range

$89...$598

Overview

The first hard drive repair software we will consider is Disk Drill for Windows. This utility supports Windows 7 through Windows 11 as well as older versions of the OS. It can be downloaded for a free test drive where up to 500MB of data can be recovered. We will concentrate on the full-featured Pro version of the application as we investigate its features.

Top Disk Drill Pros
  • Two for one

  • RAID Array Recovery

  • Windows Storage Spaces recovery

  • Organized scan results

  • Visualization of the scanning process

Top Disk Drill Cons
  • Phone support

  • Bootable disks

  • Recovery over a network

  • Video and photo repair

Overall experience

This is an excellent data recovery tool that can be used to repair a hard drive or recover from any type of unexpected data loss scenario.

EaseUS Partition Master Logo

2. EaseUS Partition Master

4.1 Hasn’t been fully tested yet – We’re still testing this software. Wait until we’re done for our final verdict!

Platforms

Windows

Distributed as

Freemium Some features are provided free of charge, but money is required to unlock the rest. 

Limitations

Basic disk management

Price range

$19.95...$69.95

Overview

Partition Master is the next hard drive repair utility we will review. This tool’s primary purpose is to resize, repartition, and restore lost partitions. It supports all Windows versions and is available for a free trial with a limited feature set.

Top EaseUS Partition Master Pros
  • Partition and resize disks of any size

  • Easily clone a disk or partition

  • Convert a partition or disk to another file format

  • Manage dynamic volumes

  • Create a WinPE bootable disk

Top EaseUS Partition Master Cons
  • Subscription based pricing model

Overall experience

A good tool for resizing and restoring partitions. Not suitable for other data recovery situations.

WinDirStat Logo

3. WinDirStat

1.2 Hasn’t been fully tested yet – We’re still testing this software. Wait until we’re done for our final verdict!

Platforms

Windows macOS

Distributed as

Free All features are provided free of charge, and the software can be used, studied, and modified without restriction.

Limitations

None

Price range

Free

Overview

This freeware tool can provide statistics that may enable you to fix problems with your disk such as insufficient space. It works with all Windows versions and is a clone of a Linux tool. It is not specifically a data recovery tool.

Top WinDirStat Pros
  • Create directory lists sorted by file/subtree size

  • View a treemap which displays the complete directory tree at once

  • Display an extension list that shows statistics concerning file types

  • Graphic statistical display employing rectangles of varying size and colors

  • Delete files from within the program

Top WinDirStat Cons
  • Outdated GUI (graphical user interface)

Overall experience

Performs its single function of mapping disk usage statistics admirably. No data recovery option available.

Clonezilla Logo

4. Clonezilla

2.2 Hasn’t been fully tested yet – We’re still testing this software. Wait until we’re done for our final verdict!

Platforms

Windows macOS Linux

Distributed as

Free All features are provided free of charge, and the software can be used, studied, and modified without restriction.

Limitations

None

Price range

Free

Overview

CloneZilla is a tool that allows the user to clone disk partitions in a wide variety of file formats including those used in the Windows OS. To use the software you must download and burn the application to a CD after which you use the newly created disk to boot your PC. At that point, you can use the tool to create clones of disks and partitions.

Top Clonezilla Pros
  • Support for multiple file systems

  • Restore one image to multiple targets simultaneously

  • Disk image encryption

  • Can be used for bare metal backup and recovery

Top Clonezilla Cons
  • No data recovery option

Overall experience

A good tool for disk imaging and cloning. Multiplatform support. Does not perform data recovery tasks.

Recuva Logo

5. Recuva

3.04 Good for basic data recovery jobs – Despite its age and lack of development, Recuva is still worth taking a look at—if only because it recovers an unlimited amount of data for free.

Read full Recuva review
Platforms

Windows

Distributed as

Freeware All features are provided free of charge without any limitations

Limitations

None

Price range

$0...$34.95

Overview

Recuva is a data recovery tool that works with all versions of the Windows operating system. It can help you repair a hard drive and recover accidentally deleted files.

Top Recuva Pros
  • Completely free

  • Chances of recovery

  • Two operating modes

  • Secure file erase

  • Multilingual capabilities

Top Recuva Cons
  • No Enterprise license

  • Scanning/creation of images

  • Recovering structure and names

  • Recovery odds accuracy

  • Updating the list of drives

Overall experience

A basic data recovery tool that can be useful for repairing a hard drive or recovering deleted files.

The Reasons Behind Hard Drive Failure

Hard drives can fail for a number of reasons. Here are some of the most common causes of hard drive failure:

  • Excessive heat
  • Exposure to high humidity or water damage
  • Power surges
  • Firmware corruption
  • Malware infection
  • Physical shock
  • Human error

Protecting the valuable data that resides on your hard drive can be done in a number of ways:

  1. Employ a surge protector to minimize the chance of electrical damage.
  2. Use the machine in climate-controlled areas free of high heat or humidity.
  3. A quality antivirus program can help limit your exposure to malware.
  4. Keeping your firmware updated will reduce the risk of drive failure.
  5. Finally, ensure the human interaction with your data is performed by trained
  6. individuals to limit the potential for human error.

Conclusion

As you can see from our review, there is a wide range of tools that can be used to help you repair a damaged hard drive. We feel the best HDD repair tool is Disk Drill for a number of reasons. Its user interface and ease of use allow you to recover data in a streamlined manner. The advanced scanning algorithms will interrogate your disk on a sector-by-sector basis to recover the maximum amount of data possible.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Most drive repair software can be used to fix an external drive as long as you can connect it to your computer through a USB or other type of port.

Employing a quality data recovery tool is the fastest method for fixing a corrupted hard drive. The application will enable you to recover most if not all of the files from the damaged disk.

The answer to this question varies based on the specific tool you are using. Comprehensive applications such as Disk Drill have features which let you analyze your disk to address duplicate file and space concerns.

robert agar
Author

Robert is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast who graduated from Pace University in New York with a degree in Computer Science in 1992. He is a former computer specialist at IBM. During his long career in IT, he has worked for a number of major service providers in various roles related to data storage, management, and protection.

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Nikolay Lankevich
Nikolay Lankevich
Approver

Nikolay Lankevich has over 15 years of strong experience in various fields and platform includes Disaster Recovery, Windows XP/7. System analysis, design, application (Inter/Intranet) development, and testing. Provided technical supports on desktop and laptops on Win-XP and Macintosh for about 2000 employees.