Given the ever-increasing importance of data, it’s no wonder that hard drive problems can produce fear and panic, especially if you haven’t conducted a recent backup. Hard drive recovery is a much more pleasant undertaking if you have steady and consistent backups to rely on during the process.

Luckily, disk problems don’t necessarily mean the bell has rung for any given drive. When trouble strikes, this checklist from TechRepublic Premium can help you methodically track down the problem. It walks you through the steps for troubleshooting hard drive issues, whether you’re dealing with internal or externally attached disks. The goal in these scenarios is to start with the obvious and work toward the not-so-obvious.

From the checklist:

FOLLOWING THE STEPS

1. Reboot your computer

If a hard drive is inaccessible or your operating system won’t run, reboot the computer and, in the case of SATA or SAS drives, listen for the sound of the drive spinning up as well as any clicking sounds the drive emits, which can be indicative of physical failure.

The download comprises an 11-page PDF.

Previously priced at $99, this is now available to download for $9. Or free with a Premium annual subscription: click here to find out more.

TIME SAVED: It took 16 hours of writing, editing and research to create this content.