External hard drives are extremely useful these days for backing up hard drives, and certainly come at a far cheaper price than they used to . Compared with other data storage methods, like say a flash drive or compact disk, external hard drives are much more dynamic, useful and portable. These devices can store exponentially more files and data that other storage options can and are a much more robust device that can last for years. Unfortunately, external hard drives don’t last forever. In some instances, particularly those that involve improper maintenance and care, a hard drive can suffer a crash that leads to an unintended retirement. Regardless of the brand, design and specs of the hard drive you use, there is a fair chance you could also end up losing valuable data from just such an unfortunate turn of events. And if you experience this situation, how exactly can you recover hard drive data from the dead hard disk?
The Hard Drive Recovery Process
A disassembled external hard drive.
The process of recovering data from a faulty or crashing hard drive may take various shapes depending on exactly what the fault is with the drive or file system. Using a of variety of techniques available, one can easily recover hard drive data that has been lost from a software malfunction, but not usually when a hardware failure occurs.
If you have a failed hard disk drive, one question that will pop into mind is: why is my hard drive malfunctioning? First, you should understand that there are numerous variables that can cause a hard drive to fail. A completely crashed hard drive is basically caused by an issue with its hardware components. The hard drive comprises of a magnetic disc (or platter) that rotates at extremely high speed and has an expanded arm that accesses the data using what is called a “head” of the hard drive. If this expanded arm is unable to function appropriately or if the motor overheats or is unable to rotate, the hard drive really can only do one thing: fatally crash.
Nevertheless, crashes and failures due to software or file system issues are also possible. Software issues sometimes occur when the system writes data to the wrong area of the drive. Problems that are a result from software issues are often much more complex to fix than you may think, and may call for more expert help from a data recovery engineer.
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A simple way to recover hard drive data is to download trustworthy and secure data recovery software on your computer. By using data recovery software, you may be able to recover files that can still be recoverable from the hard drive.
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Do It Yourself Methods For Hard Disk Failure Recovery?
Old Windows startup disks can make for happy users!
Hard disk crash, theft or loss are like taxes and death – all are virtually inevitable. You may be fortunate enough and never encounter such a stressful and frustrating situation, yet chances are if you are reading this article, you may have already faced this. If you have valuable files and records stored inside the device, and wish to recover them as soon as possible, there are ways in which you can try to recover it without the need for data recovery specialist like Hard Drive Recovery Associates. Of course, the outcomes vary immensely from one case to another, so doing this is always risky, even if you consider yourself computer-oriented.
The first critical step when recovering your data from hard disk failure is to identify the type of hard drive failure you have encountered. It is absolutely critical that you do not panic or get frustrated right away and begin executing commands and hitting keys on your computer. You should always thoroughly think through the hard disk failure symptoms and perform some fundamental diagnostics first.
If your computer does not boot from the hard drive, even when it is set up in safe mode, your best bet is to use your emergency boot and recovery disks, which either came with the computer or were made by you. (Yes, we know. Most users do not bother to make recovery disks when they first buy their computer. If you haven’t yet for one of your systems, try it now!) Otherwise, try using your operating system disk to boot (this won’t work if you need Mac data recovery, however) .
The next step is to identify whether the crash is rooted in physical damage, or simply file system damage. If the former is the case, and your data is replaceable, consider purchasing a new drive as trying to salvage the drive yourself or hire a specialist will prove to be a much more expensive endeavor.
It is also possible that the external surface of the hard disk may have been damaged in several areas, yet may still be accessible if your computer has ample space for data relocation. To look for this option, execute CHKDSK from the DOS prompt (you’ll need an old Windows 98 startup disk) or through the Windows defragmentation/disk optimization application, which can be found in the Analysis Mode on startup. Reboot your system and let the auto disk checker work until it doesn’t need to anymore.
Typically, hard disk failures are the outcomes of file corruption or division by viral attacks, failure to defragment the disk on a frequent basis, or the registry being randomized. Often you may able to operate a drive clean-up program, disk optimization registry solution or virus program (we recommend Microsoft Security Essentials), be it in a safe mode or not.