What are the best tools and methods to diagnose a PC that won't boot due to a hard drive failure?

1 Bootable USB drive

One of the first things you should do when your PC won't boot is to create a bootable USB drive with another computer. A bootable USB drive is a portable device that contains an operating system and some utilities that can help you access your PC and perform various tasks. You can use a free software like Rufus or UNetbootin to create a bootable USB drive with Windows, Linux, or other operating systems. Once you have the bootable USB drive ready, you can plug it into your PC and try to boot from it.

3 Data recovery software

If the hard drive diagnostic tool shows that your hard drive is failing or has some problems, you might want to recover your data before it's too late. Data recovery software is a software that can help you retrieve your files, folders, and partitions from a damaged or inaccessible hard drive. Some examples of data recovery software are Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and Stellar Data Recovery. You can also run these software from the bootable USB drive or install them on the USB drive itself. They can scan your hard drive for lost or deleted data and let you preview and recover them to another location.

4 Backup and replace

If you manage to recover your data, you should back it up to another device or cloud service as soon as possible. Backup is a process of copying your data to a safe and secure location so that you can restore it in case of a disaster. You can use a software like Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image to create a full or incremental backup of your hard drive or specific files and folders. You can also use a service like Google Drive or Dropbox to sync your data to the cloud. Backup is essential to prevent data loss and save you time and money.

If your hard drive is beyond repair, you should replace it with a new one. Replace is a process of removing your old hard drive and installing a new one in your PC. You can use a software like Clonezilla or AOMEI Backupper to clone your old hard drive to the new one, or you can reinstall your operating system and applications on the new one. You can also upgrade your hard drive to a faster or larger one, such as an SSD or a HDD with more capacity. Replace is necessary to restore your PC's performance and functionality.

5 Prevent and protect

If you want to avoid hard drive failure in the future, you should take some preventive and protective measures. Prevent is a process of maintaining your hard drive's health and performance by doing regular scans, defragmentation, and cleanup. You can use a software like CCleaner or Glary Utilities to remove junk files, fix registry errors, and optimize your system. You can also use a software like Smart Defrag or Auslogics Disk Defrag to rearrange your files and improve your hard drive's speed and efficiency.

Protect is a process of safeguarding your hard drive from physical and logical damage by using proper hardware and software. You can use a surge protector or a UPS to protect your PC from power surges, spikes, and outages. You can also use a cooling fan or a heat sink to prevent your hard drive from overheating. You can also use a software like BitLocker or VeraCrypt to encrypt your hard drive and protect your data from unauthorized access. You can also use a software like Malwarebytes or Avast to scan your PC for viruses, malware, and other threats.