You only realize how valuable some files are when they’re gone.
Hard drives can fail at any time, whether through physical breakdown or damage. When that happens, recovering your data is sure to be your highest priority.
Here are best hard drive data recovery solutions.
Initial Steps
Hard drive failure can strike without warning, but there are a few things you can do to help offset or avoid data loss. Such as:
Watch for Signs
You can pre-empt data loss and avoid hard drive recovery if you can identify the signs of a failing hard drive. Clicking sounds, slow loading, and blue screens of death are some of the common signs. Prevention is better than the cure, so take these as a sign you should back up your data and replace the drive.
Stop Using the Device
If you can still start the hard drive but encounter data corruption, stop using it immediately. Saving new data will risk overwriting the data you’re trying to recover. Overwriting data is the surest way to erase it forever.
Consult Your Backups
It’s far easier to restore data from back-ups than a failed hard drive. If you have thorough data back-ups, consider writing the hard drive off and simply restoring your data from another source.
Use Recovery Software
As your first step to recovering a drive, you’ll want to download some recovery software. Both free and paid options exist, and these will help you identify and recover files on your corrupted drive.
Of course, these have limits. They’re more likely to be successful if no further alterations have been made to the drive. Most recovery software will walk you through the process. Recovery can take a long time and may not be a complete success, however.
Find a Professional
If you aren’t comfortable with the tech knowledge required to recover your files or haven’t had any success, it’s time to speak to the professionals.
There are many data recovery companies out there, ready for when you need data recovery. They’ll have the advanced tools and know-how to recover anything that can be recovered.
Don’t panic about your private information. Any professional data company will have privacy guidelines in place to keep your data secure, and you’ll be able to look over these before handing your hard drive over.
Accept the Loss and Learn
Sadly, recovering data isn’t always possible. When that happens, you might need to make peace with your data loss.
Still, there’s a silver lining. This is a learning opportunity that you can use to get into better data habits next time. Regular, well-planned back-ups can save you so much pain and lost data, and are far more effective at preserving data if the worst should happen.
Hard Drive Data Recovery Made Simple
Hard drive data recovery isn’t guaranteed, but it is possible and, surprisingly, often easier than it sounds. Still, prevention is always better than the cure, so be sure to back up your data.
Looking for more tech tips? Make sure to check back often.
