What are the Best Tips for Hard Drive Data Recovery?

When a hard drive fails or files are accidentally deleted from it, the consequences can be dire. Often, people lose files that are both important and irreplaceable. Fortunately, there are ways to recover data from a failed hard drive. Among the best tips for hard drive recovery are those involving evaluating the cause of the hard drive problem, seeking a professional’s help, and freezing the hard drive for do-it-yourself data recovery. Additionally, a person may use hard drive data recovery software to recover data when the problem is not mechanical.

One of the first things a person may do in the event of a hard drive failure is attempt to figure out what went wrong. If the hard drive can be heard spinning, the problem may not be mechanical. It may be caused, for example, by a virus or result from accidental reformatting. It could even occur because of malfunctioning software. If the hard drive is not spinning or is making strange noises, however, the problem is likely to be mechanical in nature.

If hard drive files have been lost because of faulty software, computer viruses, directory deletions, and formatting errors, it may still be possible for a person to recover his files. There are some data recovery programs that work in such cases by locating the files and making them accessible or backing them up. These types of programs can be found with a quick Internet search, but checking into reviews of a company's reputation may be wise before choosing a particular program. Unfortunately, however, data recovery programs do not always work. In such a case, the help of a professional computer repair person may be needed.

When a person is dealing with a hard drive failure in which the hard drive has stopped spinning, one of the best tips for hard drive data recovery may involve a freezer and a plastic bag that zips shut. A computer user may place the faulty hard drive in a plastic bag and zip it shut before placing it all in a static-free bag. Finally, the computer user may place the bag containing the hard drive in the freezer for about an hour.

Once the problematic hard drive has been in the freezer for an hour, the computer user can remove it from the freezer and immediately place it back in his computer. He’ll typically need to try to recover his data as quickly as possible, as freezing the hard drive may only give him minutes to accomplish hard drive data recovery. Some people have success with keeping the hard drive in the freezer for a longer period of time. For example, a person may place the hard drive in the freezer for several hours in order to make it function longer. This doesn’t always work, however.

For many people, the easiest method of hard drive data recovery may be contacting a computer professional for help. Often, these professionals have special diagnostic tools as well as the training to evaluate and fix the problem. Some people may prefer to attempt hard drive data recovery themselves, however. This is often the case with those who are handy with computers or hoping to save money, as data recovery services can be expensive. Seeking professional help is a good tip for most people, however, as do-it-yourself data recovery fixes do not always work and can become frustrating.