PC Assembly, Hardware Configuration and Servicing

Course Description

This course is an exploratory, first course in computer hardware systems

and maintenance designed primarily for students in information technology.
However, it also meets the need of students in other fields, as a course that
provides hands-on training in the installation, configuration, optimization and
upgrading of computer systems. As a practical course, the focus is to impart useful
skills on the students in order to enhance ability to install, troubleshoot, repair and
maintain computer systems.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students are expected to:

1. Understand the introduction to computer systems

2. Assemble/setup and upgrade and maintenance of computer system;
3. Perform installation, configuration, and upgrading of personal computer
hardware;
4. Install/connect associated peripherals; and,
5. Diagnose and troubleshoot personal computer hardware and other peripheral
equipment.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 1

Course Outline Module
Contents
Assessment
Time Frame
Number Period
Module Assessment Chapter 5 Operating System Installations
Contents Time Frame and upgrades
Number Period
Lesson 1: Hardware requirements
Chapter 1 Introduction
Lesson 2: Hardware compatibility
Lesson 1: Common Windows errors
Lesson 3: Common errors during
Lesson 2: Desktop Operating Systems
installation
Lesson 3: Network Operating Systems
Chapter 6 Installing Windows Windows 7
Lesson 4: Overview of Windows Aug. 9-Sept. Oct. 11-Nov.
Module 1 Operating System
Prelim Module 3 Lesson 1: Hardware Device Driver Semi-Final
3, 2021 Installation
5, 2021
Lesson 5: Windows Boot Process
Lesson 2: Where to find Hardware drivers
Lesson 6: Windows configuration files
Lesson 3: Searching for drivers in the
Lesson 7: Windows core files
internet
Lesson 8: Windows System Directories
Lesson 4: Installing device drivers (Video
Prelim Examination: September 6-8, 2021 card, LAN card, Modem, printers etc..)
Chapter 2 DOS Essentials Lesson 5: Post-install operations
Lesson 1: MS-DOS Overview
Semi-Final Examination: November 8-9, 2021
Lesson 2: Function of DOS
Chapter 7 DISK IMAGING/CLONING
Lesson 3: DOS boot process
Lesson 1: Disk Cloning Concept
Lesson 4: DOS system files
Lesson 2: Advantages of Disk Cloning
Lesson 5: DOS interface (CLI)
Lesson 3: Issues to consider before Nov. 15-
Lesson 6: Types of DOS commands
Sept. 13- Module 4 cloning a drive Final Dec. 17,
Module 2 Lesson 7: Common DOS commands Midterm Lesson 4: Preparing for Disk Cloning
Oct. 4, 2021 2021
Lesson 8: Common DOS errors
Lesson 5: Disk Cloning Software
Chapter 3 Windows File Systems
Lesson 6: Disk Cloning using GHOST
Lesson 1: FAT (File Allocation Table)
Lesson 7: Common disk cloning errors
Lesson 2: Types of File Systems (FAT16,
FAT32, VFAT, NTFS4, NTFS5 & HPFS)
Final Examination: December 20-22, 2021
Lesson 3: File System Care
Lesson 4: Checking the drive for errors Grading System
Midterm Examination: October 7-9, 2021
Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & The grading system is as follows:
CONFIGURATIONS
Lesson 1: Hard disk configurations
Lesson 2: Hard disk partition
Assessment Period Self-Assessments/Activities Major Exams Total
Lesson 3: Primary Partition
Lesson 4: Extended Partition Prelim & Midterm 60% 40% 100%
Lesson 5: Partitioning a Hard Drive Module 1 50 points
Lesson 6: Formatting a Hard Drive Module 2 50 points
Oct. 11-Nov.
Module 3 Lesson 7: Deleting Hard Disk partitions Semi-Final
5, 2021
Lesson 8: Hard Disk Diagnostic test
Lesson 9: Repairing the Master Boot Semi-Final & Final 60% 40% 100%
Record Module 3 50 points
Lesson 10: Fixing a damaged partition Module 4 50 points
table
Lesson 11: Repairing Hard Disk with Bad
Sectors
(Midterm Grade + Final Grade) / 2 = Final Rating
Lesson 12: Low-level Formatting a drive

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 2

 How Do You Use This Module? Table of Contents

This module is written in a very user-friendly manner. Definitions, Title Page

processes and samples are included as an input knowledge or as a guide.
Instructions are made clear and straight to the point. Your resourcefulness and How Do You Use This Module…………………………………………………………………… 3
creativity are needed to be able to answer or do the task well. Just follow the Module 3 Chapter 1
directions and you will be guided as you move on page after page.

In this module, you are required to go through a series of activities in order

to complete each learning outcome. Each chapter has lessons with Specific
Learning Outcomes, Discussions, Self-Assessments, and Activities. Follow and
perform the activities on your own. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask
for assistance from your instructor.
Remember to:
 Read and understand the Specific Learning Outcome(s). These tell you
what you should know and be able to do at the end of this module.
 Work through all the information and complete the activities in each
section.
Lesson 1: Hard disk configurations……………………………………………………. 4
Lesson 2: Hard disk partition / Lesson 5: Partitioning a Hard Drive………… 4
Lesson 3: Primary Partition …………………………………………………………………8
Lesson 4: Extended Partition page ……………………………………………………10
Lesson 6: Formatting a Hard Drive ……………………………………………………12
Lesson 7: Deleting Hard Disk partitions …………………………………………………14
Lesson 9: Repairing the Master Boot Record ………………………………………15
Lesson 10: Fixing a damaged partition table ………………………………………16
Lesson 11: Repairing Hard Disk with Bad Sectors …………………………………17
Lesson 12: Low-level Formatting a drive ………………………………………19

 Read the discussions very well. Suggested references are included to

supplement the materials provided in this module.

 After reading every discussion, test yourself on how much you learned by References………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
means of the Self-Assessments.

 Demonstrate what you learned by doing the Activities. You must be able
to apply what you have learned in another activity or in real life situation.

 Keep all the outputs in your portfolio as a record of your accomplishments

and submit on the designated period.

Note: You need to complete this module before you can perform the next module.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 3

 Lesson 1: Hard disk configurations
When you add one or more hard disks to a computer system, or replace disks in a system,
you have several options for the configuration of those disks.
 Each disk can appear to the computer as a single disk.
 A single disk may also be partitioned into several volumes with each volume
behaving like an individual physical disk.
 Multiple disks may also be "spanned" so that they appear to be a single disk.Let's
look at these different configurations.
Disk volumes
Every hard disk has a volume structure that lists the size of the available space, and maps
out how the data is broken up and stored on the disk. The volume structure determines
what a computer "sees" when a disk is connected. In most cases, a single device will show
up as a single volume, although that's not always the case. A single device could be
partitioned into multiple volumes, and it's even possible to have multiple devices act as a
single volume through drive spanning.
Lesson 2: Hard disk partition
Partitions
The most common volume structure for a single hard drive is a single partition, where the
drive appears to the computer to be a single drive. It's possible to partition a drive so the
computer sees it as two or more volumes. Partitioning separates sections of the drive from
each other so each has its own volume information and directory. Some use partitions as a
strategy for organizing their media or to create an additional bootable backup of the
operating system.
Should I partition my drive?
While it used to be pretty common for advanced computer users to partition drives for
performance reasons, that's less common now. We generally recommend that there's little
reason to partition a drive, except for certain backup tasks, and those who need to wring
every possible performance advantage out of a drive (and who are willing to spend a lot of
time to achieve this performance.)
Some backup arrangements need to have an entire volume set aside. Apple's Time
Machine, for instance, will not let you use a single volume to backup more than one
computer. If you want to send Time Machine backups from multiple computers to a single
drive, you'll first want to make a partition on the drive for each computer. This is a
reasonably common arrangement for bootable backup software, and it's the most
common reason to partition drives.
How to Partition a Hard Drive
What to Know
The first thing to do after installing a hard drive is to partition it.
To partition a drive, open Disk Management, select the drive, create a volume at
the size you want, and select a drive letter.
You'll want to format the drive next unless you have advanced plans for the
partition but that's not very common.
What Is Partitioning?
To partition a hard drive in Windows means to section off a part of it and make
that part available to the operating system.
In other words, a hard drive isn't useful to your operating system until it's
partitioned. Additionally, it's not available to you to store files on until you format
it (which is another, just as simple process).
Most of the time, this "part" of the hard drive is the entire usable space, but
creating multiple partitions on a hard drive is also possible so that you can store
backup files in one partition, movies in another, etc.
Lesson 2: Hard disk partition / Lesson 5: Partitioning a Hard Drive
How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows
Don't worry if this process sounds a bit more complicated than you thought
because it's not. Partitioning a hard drive in Windows isn't at all hard and usually
only takes a few minutes to do. Here's how to do it:
1. Open Disk Management, the tool included in all versions of Windows
that lets you partition drives, among a number of other things.
Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 4
 In Windows XP, you'll see an Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard screen instead. Follow that wizard,
making sure to not select the option to "convert" the disk, unless you're sure you need to. Skip to Step
4 when done.

Don't worry if this window doesn't appear. There are legitimate reasons you may not see it—we'll
know soon if there's a problem or not. Skip down to Step 4 if you don't see this.

3. On this screen, you're asked to choose a partition style for the new hard drive. Choose GPT if the
new hard drive you installed is 2 TB or larger. Choose MBR if it's smaller than 2 TB.

Choose OK after making your selection.

How Much Disk Space Do You Have Left? Here's How to Tell

4. Locate the hard drive you want to partition from the drive map at the bottom of the Disk
Management window.

You might need to maximize the Disk Management or Computer Management window to see all the
drives on the bottom. An unpartitioned drive will not show up in the drive list at the top of the
window.

In Windows 11/10/8/8.1, the Power User Menu is the easiest way to start Disk Management. You can
Note: If the hard drive is new, it will probably be on a dedicated row labeled Disk 1 (or 2, etc.) and will
also open Disk Management via command prompt in any version of Windows, but the Computer
say Unallocated. If the space you want to partition is part of an existing drive, you'll see Unallocated
Management method is probably best for most people. Check which version of Windows is installed
next to existing partitions on that drive.
on your computer if you're not sure.
Important: If you don't see the drive you want to partition, you may have installed it incorrectly. Turn
2. When Disk Management opens, you should see an Initialize Disk window with the message "You
off your computer and double-check that the hard drive is properly installed.
must initialize a disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it."
5. Once you've found the space you want to partition, tap-and-hold or right-click anywhere on it, and
choose New Simple Volume.

In Windows XP, the option is called New Partition.

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5. Choose Next > on the New Simple Volume Wizard window that appeared The default size that you see in the Simple volume size in MB: field should equal
the amount shown in the Maximum disk space in MB: field. This means that you're
creating a partition that equals the total available space on the physical hard
drive.

TIP: You're welcome to create multiple partitions, that will eventually become
multiple, independent drives in Windows. To do so, calculate how many and how
large you want those drives to be and repeat these steps to create those
partitions. For example, if the drive is 61437 MB and you want to partitions,
specify an initial size of 30718 to partition only half the drive, and then repeat the
partitioning again for the rest of the Unallocated space.

8.Select Next > on the Assign Drive Letter or Path step, assuming the default drive
letter you see is OK with you.

In Windows XP, a Select Partition Type screen appears next, where you should choose Primary
partition. The Extended partition option is useful only if you're creating five or more partitions on a
single physical hard drive. Select Next > after making the selection.

7.

Windows automatically assigns the first available drive letter, skipping A & B,
which on most computers will be D or E. You're welcome to set the Assign the
following drive letter option to anything that's available.

Tip : You're also welcome to change the hard drive letter later on if you want.
Choose Next > on the Specify Volume Size step to confirm the size of the drive you're creating. Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 6
9. Choose Do not format this volume on the Format Partition step, and then select
Next >.
Note: If you know what you're doing, feel free to format the drive as part of this process. However,
since this tutorial focuses on partitioning a hard drive in Windows, we've left the formatting to another
tutorial, linked in the last step below.
10. Verify your choices on the Completing the New Simple Volume Wizard screen, which should look
something like this:
 Volume Type: Simple Volume
 Disk selected: Disk 1
 Volume size: 61437 MB
 Drive letter or path: F:
 File system: None
 Allocation unit size: Default
Because your computer and hard drive are unlikely exactly like mine, expect your Disk selected,
Volume size, and Drive letter or path values to be different than what you see here. File system: None
just means that you've decided not to also format the drive right now.
11. Choose Finish and Windows will partition the drive, a process that will only take a few seconds on
most computers.
TIP: You might notice that your cursor is busy during this time. Once you see the new drive letter (F: in
our example) appear in the listing at the top of Disk Management, then you know the partitioning
process is complete.
12. Next, Windows will try to open the new drive automatically. However, since it's not yet formatted
and can't be used, you'll see this message instead: "You need to format the disk in drive F: before you
can use it. Do you want to format it?"
This only happens in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. You won't see this in Windows Vista or Windows XP
and that's perfectly fine. Just skip to the last step below if you're using one of those versions of
Windows.
13. Select Cancel. Or, if you know how to format a hard drive in Windows, feel free to choose Format
disk instead. If you don't, consult a tutorial first before attempting it.
Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 7
 Lesson 3: Primary Partition
Before realize how to change the logic partition into primary, have a basic understanding
about primary partition and logical partition. A basic MBR disk can own 4 primary partitions
or three partitions plus one extended partition that can hold multiple logical partitions.
Windows OS can be installed on primary partition or logical partition, but the boot files
should be located on a primary partition. Thus, when you need to use a partition for boot,
setting it as primary.

If you don’t care about the data on the logical partition, you can choose way 1 or way 2. If
you don’t want to suffer from data loss, please turn to Way 3.

Way 1. Change partition to primary using Disk Management [DATA LOSS]

1. Enter Disk Management, right-click the logical partition, and choose Delete
Volume.

4. Click Yes and space will be labeled as Unallocated.

5. Right-click the Unallocated space and follow the wizard to create a primary partition.

2. You’ll be prompted that all data on this partition will be erased, click Yes to continue.

3. As mentioned above, logical partition is on extended partition. Thus, you need to right-
click the extended partition and choose Delete Partition.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 8

PS.: If there are multiple logical partitions on the extended partition, you need to delete all logical
partitions one by one, delete the extended partition and then you can create a primary partition. You
should realize that this way will cause all data on these logical partitions loss.

Way 2. Convert partition to primary via Diskpart [DATA LOSS]

1. Press Windows + R, input diskpart, and hit Enter to access Diskpart interface.

2. Input commands as follows and hit Enter after every command.

Notes:

▪To access the created primary partition from File Explorer, you can assign a drive letter to it. STEP 2. CLICK OK TO CONTINUE.

▪When the extended partition holds multiple logical partitions, you need to delete all logical partitions
at first.

Way 3. Convert logical partition to primary [WITHOUT LOSING DATA]

If you want to change logical partition to primary without data loss, you can employ a great and
reliable third-party GUI partition tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It works well under
Windows 11/10/8.1./8/7, XP and Vista. If you are using Windows Server, check out AOMEI Partition
Assistant Server.

Download its demo version to have a try! Then refer to the following steps about how to set a partition
as primary without data loss.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, right-click the logical partition that
needs converting, go to Advanced and Convert to Primary.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 9

Step 3. Back to the main interface, click Apply and Proceed to commit the pending operation.

Step 1. Install and run the software. On the home interface, right-click the partition that has enough
space and choose “Allocate Free Space”.

Notices:

◆If you choose a wrong partition, you can click Discard to abandon the operation.

◆Due to the limitation of partition layout, when the extended partition owns more than one logical
partition, this software only allows you to convert the side logical partitions to primary.

Lesson 4: Extended Partition

There are two easy and reliable ways about how to increase system partition C capacity presented.
Pick up one according to your own need.

Way 1. Allocate free space from one partition to system partition on Windows 10/11

In many cases, the disk has no unallocated space existing for extending system partition. Even you get
unallocated space after shrinking partition D (the partition behind system), Windows 10 Disk
Management Extend Volume option is still greyed out, as the following screenshot:

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 10

Step 2. In the pop-up window, determine the size of free space that you want to reallocate from
partition D and this free space will be added to the target partition. Here I choose C: as the destination
partition.
Step 3. Go back to the main interface where you can preview the operation result. In the following
screenshot, you can realize that C drive will be extended and D drive will be shrunk. Then, click “Apply”
and “Proceed” to commit the operation.
Notes:
The operation needs to be performed under PreOS mode as it involves system partition. You can add
non-contiguous unallocated space into system partition via AOMEI Partition Assistant. To manage hard
drives partition under Windows Server 2019/2016/2012 (R2)/2008 (R2), AOMEI Partition Assistant
Server is helpful!
Way 2. Windows 10 merge partition into system C drive
If your goal is to extend system partition and don’t care about data stored on partition D (the partition
behind partition C), you can use Windows 10 Disk Management to merge partition D into partition C.
Have a look at the step-by-step guide.
Warning: After the operation, partition D (the partition you delete) will disappear and all data saved on
it will be removed. If you don’t want to lose data, you can back up them in advance.
The first stage: Delete partition D (the partition adjacently behind C drive)
Step 1. In Windows 10, press Windows + X and choose Disk Management.
Step 2. In Disk Management, right-click partition D and choose “Delete Volume”.
Step 3. You’ll be prompted that the operation will erase all data. Click “Yes” to confirm it.
Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 11
 Step 5. Extend Volume Wizard is running, click “Next” to continue.

The second stage: Extend partition C with the unallocated space after deleting partition D

Step 4. After that, you’ll get unallocated space contiguously behind system partition C. Right-click C Step 6. Then, specify how much free space that you want to add into or leave it alone. (The whole
dive and choose “Extend Volume”. Now, you can see the option is enabled. unallocated space shall be merged into the target drive by default.)

Lesson 6: Formatting a Hard Drive

How to Format a Hard Drive

This lesson teaches you how to format your computer's built-in hard drive, which is different than
formatting an external or secondary hard drive. To completely erase and format the hard drive on
which Windows or macOS is installed, you'll need to do so from outside of the operating system. If
you're using Windows, you'll need to create a recovery drive to do this. If you have a Mac, the tools to
format your system drive are built in. But if you'd prefer not to erase your operating system, you can
simply create and format a new partition on the same drive without losing any data.

Erasing and Reformatting in Windows

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 12

Why do you need to format a hard drive on Windows 11, Windows 10, or other systems? The main Another two ways to open Windows 11 Settings app are: pressing Windows + I, pressing Windows +
benefits of Windows 11 disk formatting include: S & typing Settings. (How to fix Windows 11 Settings not working?)

 Format a new drive before using it. Step 2: Format with Storage
 Change a file system.
 Clear disk data. How to format a drive using Storage:
 Delete partitions.
1. Locate the Storage management section.
 Improve computer performance.
2. Click Advanced storage settings.
 Fix disk errors.
3. Many additional settings options will be shown to you.
 Increase disk speed.
4. Find Disks & volumes and click on it.
 And so on.
5. All the disks connected to your computer and all the volumes (drives) you have will be
listed.
However, the question is some users don’t know the exact ways and steps to format hard drive
6. Please browse the drives and find the one you want to format on Windows 11.
Windows 11. Noticing this, I decided to introduce different options of Windows 11 format tools and
7. Click on the Properties button after selecting the target drive.
formatting processes.
8. The drive properties will appear on the screen and you should scroll down to locate the
2 popular flash drive formatting issues: Format section.
9. Click on the Format button to bring up the Format Volume dialog box.
How To Deal With Micro SD Card Not Formatted Error? 10. Give it a Label, select a File System, and change the Allocation Unit Size according to your
actual needs.
Unable To Format USB Drive, Here’s How To Fix. 11. Click Format to start the formatting process.
12. Wait until the disk formatting is completed.
The following sections focus on high-level disk formatting methods and the exact steps, which work for
Windows 11 format disk, Windows 11 format USB drive, Windows 11 format SSD, Windows 11 format
external hard drive, and Windows 11 format SD card.

Step 1: Access Windows 11 Storage Settings

How to access the Storage settings on Windows 11:

1. Click on the Start icon in Windows 11 taskbar or press Start on the keyboard.
2. Select Settings from the Start menu (under the Pinned section).
3. Make sure the System option is selected in the left panel.
4. Scroll down in the right panel to find Storage from the list. Then, click it.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 13

 Lesson 7: Deleting Hard Disk partitions

To delete a partition (or volume) with Disk Management, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Disk Management.
3. Select the drive with the partition you want to remove.
4. Right-click (only) the partition you want to remove and select the Delete
Volume option.

What We Like
 Works from both inside and outside of Windows
 Completely free
 SeaTools for DOS works on any operating system
 SeaTools for Windows lets you test a hard drive from any manufacturer
What We Don't Like
 SeaTools for DOS can be hard to use and install
 SeaTools for Windows runs on Windows only
 SeaTools for DOS can deal with only 100 errors before restarting
 SeaTools for DOS might not work well with RAID controllers
Seagate SeaTools is free hard drive testing software that comes in two forms for home users:

5. Click the Yes button to confirm all the data will be erased.
Once you complete the steps, the partition and its contents will no longer be available on
the drive making space available to expand another partition or format the drive with a
new scheme.
SeaTools Bootable and SeaTools for DOS support Seagate or Maxtor drives and run independent of
your operating system on their own USB drive or CD, respectively.
SeaTools for Windows installs on your Windows system. Use it to perform basic and advanced testing
of any kind of drive—internal or external—from any manufacturer.
For those looking for SeaTools Desktop, SeaTools Online, or Maxtor's PowerMax software, please note
that the two tools above have replaced all three. Seagate now owns the Maxtor brand.

Seagate's SeaTools programs are excellent programs. They are used to test hard drives by professional
computer services, but are easy enough for anyone to use.

The Windows version of SeaTools should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 14

 Lesson 9: Repairing the Master Boot Record 4] We need to use the Bootrec.exe tool. Click on command prompt and type in the following
commands, one after the other:
One of the effective troubleshooting steps, to fix boot issues is to repair Master Boot
Record or MBR. One of the common reasons why an MBR can get corrupted is due to
malware infections. Improper shutdowns can also lead to MBR corruption. Sometimes we
may find issues where Linux Grub is installed, and Windows is not able to detect it. On
some occasions, you may get the Bootmgr is missing error. In such cases, you can run the
rebuild or repair MBR to fix these issues.

Repair Master Boot Record MBR

The process is almost the same for Windows 11/10/8/7. First and foremost, you need a
Windows installation DVD. Without that, it will be hard to proceed.

1] Press F8 while booting the system to go into the Windows Recovery Menu.

2] Click on Troubleshoot.  bootrec /RebuildBcd

 bootrec /fixMbr
 bootrec /fixboot

Exit and now go ahead and reboot your system. In some cases, you may need to run some additional
commands.

3] Click on Advanced options to get into the Automatic Repair menu.

bootsect /nt60 SYS or bootsect /nt60 ALL

It’s wise to backup MBR or create a System Recovery Disk so that in case something like this happens
you don’t have to run for the Windows Recovery Disk. To create a system recovery drive in Windows,
follow these steps:

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 15

  Press Win + R and type in RecoveryDrive.exe c. On the ‘Recover From’ screen, select ‘Can’t Find Drives’ under ‘Connected Drives’ and
 Click Next click Scan.
 Once you insert the USB drive, it will start creating the Recovery for your USB
drive.

Lesson 10: Fixing a damaged partition table

Partition table helps your system identify the existing hard drive and allows users to perform several
actions, such as create, extend, shrink, or delete partition to manage data better. However, a partition
table can get logically corrupted or damaged for several reasons, such as virus attacks, bad sectors, and
more. But not most people are aware of the process to identify the corrupted or damaged hard drive
partition table and how to repair the partition table. In this blog, we’ve mentioned all the basics of the
Partition Table, including the causes behind the partition table being damaged or corrupted, methods to
repair it, and processes to recover data from inaccessible partitions.

Steps to Perform Partition Recovery

a. Download, launch, and run Stellar Data Recovery Professional.

b. Choose the type of data you want to recover from the ‘Select What to Recover’ screen and click
‘Next.’ (See Image 5)

Module 3| Chapter 4 HARD DISK MANAGEMENT & CONFIGURATIONS 16

d. Select the hard drive with lost or deleted partition(s) from the ‘Select Hard Drive to
Search Lost Partition’ window and click Search
Image 7: Select the hard drive with lost or deleted partition(s) and click ‘Search.’
e. The software displays all lost/deleted partitions after the search.
NOTE: If the desired partitions don’t show on the screen, click the ‘Click Here’ link at the
bottom-left beside ‘Extension Partition Search’ to perform a comprehensive scan of the
selected drive for missing/deleted partition.
f. Once done, the partitions found will be listed in Select Partition to Recover
Data window; click ‘Scan.’
g. Once the scanning process is completed, select data you want to restore and click ‘Recover.’
h. Click Browse > Start-Saving to store the recovered data.
EndNote
You can try out the DIY (Do-it-yourself) methods to repair the partition table, including Initializing Disk in
Disk Management and rebuilding MBR. However, if you want to recover data from a damaged partition,
try using advanced partition recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional. This easy-to-
use software can efficiently restore data from lost/deleted/corrupted Windows-based drive partition.
Lesson 11: Repairing Hard Disk with Bad Sectors
When you done a disk check for hard drive errors, because I got a bad hard drive error message said
that bad sectors need to be fixed immediately, I want to know how to fix bad sectors on hard drive,
please help.” A bad sector on a disk is simply a tiny cluster of storage space. It won’t respond to read or
write requests. And bad sectors may occur on both traditional HDD and modern SSD. Generally
speaking, when writing data, operating system will ignore the bad sectors. But if there is data on a bad
sector, you cannot use it anymore. Fortunately, there are ways to repair drive Windows 10/8/7/XP.
Check and fix bad sectors on hard drive with chkdsk
If you discover that there are bad sectors, the first thing you can try to repair Bad Sectors on hard drive
Windows 10 is chkdsk. It is the built-in hard drive repair tool on Windows operating system.
Step 1: Hold down "Win + X" to go to the power users menu, and then click "A" on your keyboard. That
will run a command prompt window as administrator.
Step 2: Type "chkdsk [hard drive letter] /F /X /R", you can press the "Enter" key to trigger the process.
Step 3: When it finished, restart your computer and the hard drive should be accessible.
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Check drive status in Security and Maintenance

Windows 10 uses the Security and Maintenance screen to tell you the issues that pertain to your
hard drive’s health. So, you can figure out the problems with hardware and software, like bad
sectors.

Step 1: Go to your Control Panel and choose "Security and Maintenance" to open it.

Step 2: Click on the "Maintenance" option and then locate to the "Drive status" area. You can check
the current health status of your drives.

Step 3: If any issue were found, such as bad sector, it would be listed with an option to scan the
drive. And you can fix bad sectors on hard drive with it.

Restore lost data from bad sectors in Windows 10/8/7 hard drive

Compared to fix repair hard drive Windows 10/8/7, people may care more about recovering data from
the bad sectors. From this point, we recommend Apeaksoft Data Recovery. Its main features include:

1. Data recovery in various situations, like bad sector, hard drive corruption, virus attack and more.

2. Easy to use. This hard drive recovery tool is able to get back lost data from bad sectors on a hard drive
in one click.

Check drive for errors using drive tools in Properties
Microsoft has introduced a Drive Check tool into Windows for fixing bad sectors on hard drive.
Step 1: Open a Windows File Explorer by clicking "Win + E". Right-click on the local disk that
contains bad sectors and choose "Properties".
Step 2: Go to the "Tools" tab on Properties window and click on "Check" under Error checking
section. Then click "Scan drive" to trigger scanning process.
Step 3: When it is done, select "Scan and repair drive" on the popup dialog. Then follow the
onscreen instructions to complete the rest steps.
3. Support a variety of data types and formats, including all image, video, audio, document, email and
other data.
4. Lossless recovery. With the best hard drive recovery application, people can restore lost data in
original conditions, format and quality.
5. Preview for selectively recovery. After scanning, users are allowed to view all lost files organized by
types and formats and recover all of them or specific items.
6. Quicker and safer. This hard drive recovery tool is lightweight and could restore lost files quickly and
safely.
7. Moreover, Data Recovery is available to Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP and various file systems, like NTFS,
FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, EXT, etc.

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 Lesson 12: Low-level Formatting a drive
Formatting a hard drive has many levels. Many people doesn’t know this about hard
drives because we are mostly acquainted with only one type of hard disk formatting. We
typically use it to erase all data from a hard drive, however, there are lesser known hard
drive format options like Low level format that deserves the attention of users.
What Is A LLF Or Low Level Format Or Physical Format Of A Hard Drive
Low Level Format or LLF is the first type of format that is done on a hard disk. It divides
the hard disk into sectors and tracks. This is why they are called as known as Physical
formatting. Tracks and sectors make up the blocks which is used to store data. Without
Low Level Formatting, the hard drive will not be able to write or store data.
A typical user cannot low level format their hard drive because operating systems like
windows and Mac does not provide any inbuilt tools for the same. And there is a very
good reason for it because low level formatting is quite risky if you don’t know that you
are doing, it may result in the whole drive getting damaged.
One of common application of low level formatting is to erase data from the hard drive
permanently. Low level formatting achieves this by formatting the drive and then filling
up the storage spaces with the value zero.
Low level formatting was a common procedure that was done on MFM drives of the
past. The modern standard which is SATA that we use are preformatted from the
factory. You will not be able to perform a low level format on newer devices.
HDD Low Level Format Tool: Hard Disk Low Level Formatting
As we discussed, Low level formatting cannot be natively done from your operating system.
Normal formatting is possible by right clicking a drive and then choosing the format option,
but LLF is different.
You will require a software to perform low level formatting of HDDs and this is where low level format
tools come in. These are software that are specifically designed to perform low level formatting.
The HDD Low level formatting tool has two purposes, to erase all data and to fill all the storage space on
the hard drive with zeros. Low level formatting is often called Zero Fill for this very reason. There are
many Low level format tools available but choosing one should be based on the features that you
require.
How Does Low Level Format Erase All Data
Low level formatting performs initial format of drives and then complete data deletion.
Normally, when a hard drive is formatted, the data is deleted from the surface level. In other words, the
operating system will not be able to see that data, but it is still there. This data will only be remov ed
when new data overwrites it.
However, we see a very stark difference when we use low level formatting. The data is first erased, and
then all the available space of the hard drive is filled with null value, zero. This way, any data that had
been hidden on the hard drive is rewritten which makes data recovery impossible.
How To Easily Recover Data From Formatted Hard Drive In Simple Steps
Low level formatting is not something you would want to do to a modern SATA hard drives. As we
discussed before, such a process could damage your storage drive to a state where you can’t use it
anymore.
Data recovery after normal formatting tells a different story. If you have formatted your drive and
realized that you had very important files within it, then you have a much better chance at getting that
file back after a normal format rather than an LLF. In such cases, we always recommend Recoverit (IS)
software. It is powerful yet lightweight software that is developed for one thing only – Lost data
recovery. The features of Recoverit (IS) Tool are:
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Reference

www.tesda.gov.ph

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