If you turn the computer on, and you see the usual “splash” screen – a Dell, HP, Apple logo or the like – but then the computer doesn’t load, hard drive failure is a likely culprit. A hard drive failure can be accompanied by sound. In case of a laptop, it can be a high pitched clink or ping; in case of a desktop, it can be a grinding noise. Either way, it’s bad… When this occurs, you might be tempted to grab a drink. Instead, grab your backup drive and hope that it’s been working. If you don’t have one, then you better have everything backed up to the cloud somewhere. Sometimes the hard drive fails gradually and you can experience unpredictable shutdowns prior to its complete collapse. The possibility of any kind of complete computer failure raises the need for a good backup solution, both local (external hard drive) and cloud (i.e. anything outside the house). “Backup whatever you’re not willing to lose!”