Hard Drive Recovery Associates

Fixing A Corrupted Hard Drive Without Tools

Fixing A Corrupted Hard Drive Without Tools

The computer needs the hard drive in order to store and retrieve data needed by its user. It is a non-volatile memory hardware that also goes by the name HD, HDD, or hard disk drive. These devices are set up so that they work even when the computer is off.  It is comprised of one or several platters within an air-sealed casing where you write data through a magnetic head. A data cable connects the hard drive to the computer and a separate power cable leading to the power supply. Hard drives contain all sorts of created or downloaded files as well as support software programs and the operating system used. Because these hard drives are mechanical devices, their parts can wear out after a while, which can cause catastrophic hard drive crash issues.

Hard drives contain movable parts making it prone to mechanical hard drive failure. It can easily sustain corrupted areas on some parts because of overexposure to static electricity as data is written on spinning platters. You can still see it as a disk but are unable to access it once the hard drive becomes corrupted. And because it contains precious data more often than not, you are probably wondering how you can recover this lost data if ever it is possible at all.

If the hard drive you’re trying fix contains your important data, then you should use a data recovery software to extract the photos, music, videos and other files before they’re gone forever. Here are some great data recovery tools you can use.

Now, in order to fix a hard disk drive that’s gone rogue, we should start with the basics because we have to make sure that the hard drive is corrupt or not in the first place.

It might be possible the problem was nothing but a loose screw, and we repaired the whole bicycle. Here are some ways which might help you repair corrupted hard drive.

Check the power supply

If you’re using an external hard drive, then it’s possible that the storage media is taking the power from the USB port itself. Try to unplug the hard drive and connect it again in the process of hard drive fix. You can also try another USB port on your computer, maybe the one you’re using isn’t working properly. Make sure haven’t disabled your USB ports.

(Via: https://fossbytes.com/repair-corrupted-hard-drive-fix-disk/)

Unknown to many, hard drives actually have a hardware monitoring system known as S.M.A.R.T. that is built-in in computer desktops although you can’t easily check its status in Windows. Fortunately, you can see it through the WMIC or the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line) in CMD or the utility CrystalDiskInfo as an alternate option that gives you an idea how well your hard drive is doing.

To keep it simple, there are two different ways to retrieve corrupted data: using a data recovery software tool and getting help from a professional data recovery service provider.

In some cases the damage is not that severe and data recovery software can successfully find fragmented parts of the file on other sectors of the disk and rebuild it.

Be warned, though, as DIY data recovery is always a risky business. Using data recovery software (as well as trying other DIY methods) can be hazardous when used incorrectly. As a rule, these tools shouldn’t be used on the original drive – instead they should be used with an image or copy of the drive. By doing so, there is still a chance for data recovery experts to forge a successful recovery if DIY attempts fail. What’s more, it prevents more damage to the drive and eliminates the chance of destroying the files for good. Files recovered by software tools should also not be written back to the original volume until they have been fully tested and verified.

(Via: https://www.krollontrack.co.uk/blog/making-data-simple/find-out-how-data-gets-corrupted-and-how-it-can-be-recovered/)

Losing precious data can get on your nerves and bring out the worst in you but try to keep calm and stay level-headed or risk inflicting more damage to your already failing hard drive. Aside from the use of certain software, a sure-fire way to fix a corrupted hard drive is by hiring professional data recovery engineers that won’t only help you recover lost data and rebuild corrupted files but even repair the damage to make your hard drive usable again using highly specialized tools and their extensive understanding of hard drives and computer systems.

If ever you see a hard drive error popping on your screen, we hope this can help so it doesn’t get worse over time. While there is a possibility you can get your lost data back, there is also a likelihood that you won’t, so be cautious when using it and also be wary of signs that indicate it may fail you sooner rather than later.