I shut down my PC earlier, and when I returned I saw a warning indicating that the hard drive may fail soon. The computer is a 2017 prebuilt with a GTX 1070. I'm not very experienced with PC upgrades, but I don't want to spend around $2,000 on a completely new system since I barely game anymore. Can I simply replace the failing hard drive, and would an SSD be a better choice for an older PC? I'd also appreciate advice on moving my files and reinstalling the operating system.
3 Answers
An SSD is the best upgrade here. It’s much faster, quieter, and generally more resistant to mechanical failure than a traditional spinning hard drive. A SATA 2.5-inch SSD should work in most 2017 prebuilts, and you can use the old drive with a USB-to-SATA adapter afterward to try recovering files—assuming it remains readable.
You have two main options: clone the old drive onto the new SSD, or perform a clean operating-system installation and restore your files from a backup. Cloning is convenient if the old drive is still stable, but a clean install is safer if it has errors. The physical replacement is usually just disconnecting the old drive, connecting the SSD with the same power and data cables, and installing the operating system.
Check the SSD manufacturer’s site to see whether it provides cloning software. Otherwise, a clean install is often less troublesome than trying to clone a drive that is already reporting imminent failure.
That warning usually means the drive hasn’t completely failed yet, but it’s reporting a serious SMART health problem. Stop relying on it and back up anything important immediately. You can replace it without replacing the entire PC.
If the data is especially important, don’t keep retrying the failing drive. Make a backup or use professional recovery before it gets worse.