Hard drives are very sensitive, so assessing and fixing them can be a very delicate process, and it can only be done by highly trained professionals. According to a study done by Carnegie Mellon University, about 5% of all hard disks will fail within the first year-and-a-half. Surprised? Whether you are or not, you want to be ready if your hard drive calls it quits. When a hard drive fails, there are one or two things that could be the problem. The first is a logical failure, and the second is a physical failure.