Information security is very important in today’s modern world. We store more than 80% of our lives – the photos we take, the videos we capture, documents related to our business or work, and many other files – digitally. Data protection alone is not enough.
While having a backup routine is ideal, there are still times when your files are at risk due to problems with your hard drives. A corrupt drive, a broken file system, and hardware failure can still wipe out your valuable files in no time. What can you do when your drives suddenly fail? Here are some hard drive recovery options you can consider.
DIY Recovery
One of the first things you need to do when one of your hard drives fails is to understand the extent of the issue. You need to know if it is a hardware failure or a mere file system issue. Corrupt headers can also cause your drive to be rendered unreadable by the computer.
Check if there are clicking and other weird noises coming from the drive itself when powered up. If such noises are apparent, safely turn off your computer and disconnect the damaged drive. Chances are you have a hardware problem and you need to look at some other solutions.
If the drive itself is still readable, however, DIY recovery options are worth trying. You can turn to file repair or data recovery software from Secure Data Recovery as your first line of defense, especially when the files in the damaged drive are not backed up properly.
Partitions
Aside from the actual files and file system being damaged, hard drive problems can also materialize in the form of broken partitions. This too will render the drive unreadable by your computer, but you will not notice signs of possible hardware failure at this point.
Once again, you have a number of options to try. You can use a partition manager to identify the damaged partition. Depending on the extent of the damage, the issue can either be solved with a quick system repair or an extensive recovery process.
The one thing you need to avoid in this situation is formatting or repartitioning your drive. If the software or operating system asks you to format the drive, simply say no and turn to professionals for some help.
Professional Recovery Services
Even when you think your files are lost, there are still ways to recover them with the help of professionals. Service providers like Secure Data Recovery go beyond the conventional recovery methods and are more likely to salvage the files inside your hard drive, even in worse situations.
When the actual reader is damaged, for example, professionals can safely remove the disc inside your drive and install it to a working reader to access the data. You need a fresh hard drive to copy the files, but recovering them is definitely possible.
If your hard drive suddenly stops working, there is no need to panic. There are a lot of options that are available to you now. Be gentle with the drive to improve your chances of getting your important files back.