Sunday 20 November 2011

How to Recover Hard Drive Data

Hard drive data recovery is the process of recovering lost data from a hard drive when the data cannot be readily accessed through normal retrieval methods. Whether the hard drive has locked up or has completely crashed, there is a good chance the data can be recovered with a variety of hard drive data recovering techniques.

Reasons for Hard Drive Crashes

There could be multiple causes for hard drive failures. A full blown hard drive crash is generally attributed to a hardware issue. The hard drive is a magnetic disc that spins and has an extended arm that collects data from any area of the hard drive. If the arm fails to function or the motor overheats or stops spinning, there is a chance that the hard drive will crash, rendering data seemingly inaccessible from all hard drive areas. Corrupted registry files or system files can also cause hard drive crashes. Viruses, Spyware, adware, and Trojan horses can also cause system file corruption, resulting in a hard drive crash.

Determining a Hard Drive Crash’s Actual Causehow to recover hard drive data How to Recover Hard Drive Data

To determine whether a hard drive has crashed due to mechanical failure or a software related problem is relatively simple. Check whether the flashing light in front of the computer case is blinking or not. If the light is flashing but the computer is not booting up, then the problem may be software related. In most cases, the cause is either virus related or due to a corrupted system file. These types of hard drive crashes can generally be recovered by reinstalling the operating system.
If the flashing light in the front of the computer case is not blinking, there is no hard drive activity and this is generally attributed to a mechanical problem. In this scenario, a qualified computer technician may have to fix the hard drive issues.

The Role of Hard Drive Data Recovery Software Programs

Hard drive data recovery software programs play a major role in recovering hard drive data. Several vendors offer these types of programs. Most automatically create backup copies of their files and folders, reducing data loss potential. A good hard drive data recovery program can recover all the important files or folders that vanish after partition loss, accidental format, file or directory deletion, software malfunction, or even a virus attack. Whether someone accidentally deletes files or their computer crashes, data recovery software can locate the lost files and recover them from the hard drive.
The main contexts where hard drive data recovery software is found useful include:
  • Missing file or directory
  • Formatted hard drive
  • Deleted file or directory
  • Unbootable hard drive
  • Inaccessible hard drive
  • Recovery of deleted files and folders on FAT and NTFS hard drives or partitions
  • Data recovery on damaged FAT and NTFS partitions
  • Damaged or corrupted partition table
Most hard drive data recovery software programs currently available are easy to install, user friendly, and are virtually self maintaining. However, it is a good idea to purchase these programs from a trusted software supplier.
Most software companies understand the consumer’s need to be assured of value and ease of use, so if the data recovery software selected has a trail offer, it may be a good idea to give it a test drive before purchasing it.

Physical Damage

Typical computer users cannot repair most physical damage to a hard drive, such as failed motors or head crashes. Physical hard drive damage often results in some data loss and in most cases users may not be able to recover all the lost data. However, the physical damage can also result in the damage of the logical structures of the file system that prevents file system structures from being completely written to the hard drive.
If the hard drive has any physical damage, seek a technical expert to assist in recovery or choose a data recovery company to recover as much data as possible. Most hard drive data recovery firms utilize the latest tools like magnetometers to retrieve the lost bits from the magnetic media. The recovered raw bits from the damaged hard drive are used to construct a new disk image and the logical damage can be repaired.

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