Recover Hard Drive Files

[Kristeen Cheek]

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Learn how to recover data from a failed hard drive using data recovery software or a data recovery service. This guide covers everything you need to know, including how to predict hard drive failure, types of hard drive failures, and tips for recovering data successfully.

Steps to Recover Data from a Failed Hard Drive Data Recovery Software Data Recovery Service How to Predict Hard Drive Failure Types of Hard Drive Failures Tips for Recovering Data from a Failed Hard Drive FAQ:Can you recover data from a dead hard drive?How to recover data from a hard disk which is not detecting?What to do with a dead hard drive?What to do when your hard drive fails?Can you recover a dead hard drive to working order?

However, data recovery services are also more expensive and time-consuming than the above methods. They may charge you hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the complexity and severity of the failure. They may also take days or weeks to complete the recovery process.

Logical failures are caused by software errors or corruption. Logical failures can usually be repaired using data recovery software. Physical failures are caused by hardware damage. Physical failures can be more difficult to recover from, and may require the use of a data recovery service.

Yes, it is possible to recover data from a dead hard drive, but it is important to note that the chances of success depend on the severity of the damage. If the hard drive is physically damaged, such as from a fire or flood, then it is likely that the data will be unrecoverable. However, if the hard drive is only logically damaged, such as from a virus or software corruption, then there is a good chance that the data can be recovered.

Check the cables. Make sure that the power and data cables are properly connected to the hard drive and the motherboard. Try a different SATA port. If the hard drive is not detecting on one SATA port, try connecting it to a different one. Try connecting the hard drive to another computer. If the hard drive is still not detecting, try connecting it to another computer to see if it is detected there.

If you have tried all of the above and the hard drive is still not detecting, then it is likely that the hard drive is physically damaged and the data is unrecoverable. However, you can take the hard drive to a professional data recovery service to see if they can recover the data.

Recycle it. Hard drives contain hazardous materials, so it is important to recycle them properly. Most electronics stores and recycling centers will accept hard drives for recycling. Donate it. If the hard drive is still in good condition, you can donate it to a charity or organization that can refurbish it and give it to someone in need. Sell it. If the hard drive is still in good condition and contains valuable data, you can try to sell it to a data recovery company or someone who specializes in buying and selling used hard drives.

Once you have backed up your data, you can try to repair the hard drive using a data recovery software program. However, if the hard drive is physically damaged, then it is unlikely that it can be repaired.

If the hard drive cannot be repaired, then you will need to replace it. When choosing a new hard drive, make sure to select one that is compatible with your computer and has enough storage capacity for your needs.

If you are considering having your dead hard drive recovered, be sure to shop around and compare prices from different data recovery companies. Also, make sure to read the reviews of different companies before choosing one.

It is important to note that there is no guarantee that a professional data recovery service will be able to recover your data. However, if the data is important to you, then it is worth having the hard drive recovered by a professional.

Knowing how to recover data from a hard drive is a skill you'll hopefully never have to use. But if you accidentally delete some critical files, or suddenly discover the drive they're on isn't working correctly, you'll be glad you know how.

In this step-by-step guide we'll show you a few reliable ways to try and recover those deleted files from your hard drive, on both Windows and Mac PCs. You have a much better chance of being able to recover missing files on a hard disk drive (HDD) than on a solid-state drive (SSD), since physical HDDs don't automatically overwrite data as soon as you delete it.

If the hard drive recovery methods outlined in this article don't work for you, it's probably time to consider taking your drive to a data recovery expert like DriveSavers. While such third-party assistance can be costly, sometimes it's the only way to recover your data.

Without further ado, here's some hard disk data recovery strategies you can use to try and reclaim your lost or deleted data! We also have a guide on how to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up that you may want to consult if you're trying to pull files off an external drive that your PC can't detect.

Note that you need to make sure your PC's hard drive is selected in the left-hand sidebar. Your hard drive(s) are usually listed under the "This PC" menu, and if you have multiple drives you'll want to run a search on each one!

If your laptop or desktop PC has a hard drive that seems to be having problems, either because you're seeing strange error messages, you're experiencing crashes or Blue Screens of Death in Windows that you think are drive-related, or you can simply no longer boot the machine, there's a chance your hard drive is corrupted or failing. You need to act fast if you want to save or recover data from it.

Importantly, before you start, minimize how much you use the PC or write data to the hard drive. By that I mean stop everything except your data recovery effort, and ideally read this guide on a separate PC or phone. If your PC and/or hard drive is failing, you want to minimize your usage to maximize your odds of getting your critical data off before it dies. Then follow these steps.

1. If you can still boot the laptop/desktop and can access the data you want to preserve, try to copy it over to an external drive or a cloud backup service. If you're not sure which to choose, check out our guide to cloud storage vs external hard disk drives. If using another external drive, make sure to read our guide on how to clone a hard drive. Prioritize the most important data first, as you don't know how long your drive will last if it's on its last legs.

2. If you can't boot your PC or the drive your data is on can't be accessed (say, because of a data corruption error), you still have a chance of recovering the data --but you'll need to remove the drive and place it into either another PC or an external drive enclosure.

If you have a laptop, you may not be able to remove the drive without professional assistance. Consult your laptop's manual or reach out to the manufacturer to see if there's an easy way to remove the drive from the laptop (many of the best Windows laptops are designed to make removing the storage drive or memory relatively straightforward, but not all). If there isn't, you'll need to take it to a qualified repair service or try and get it repaired by the manufacturer.

3. If you're able to successfully remove the drive, place it into another PC and see if you can access the drive to pull the data off that way. If that doesn't work (or you don't have a second PC handy), consider investing in a USB hard drive enclosure. These are external devices designed to let you slot a drive into them and read/extract the data on another PC via USB.

To find the right enclosure for your needs, you need to figure out the physical size of your faulty hard drive (hard disk drives are often 2.5 - 3.5 inches wide, while SSDs are smaller and require special enclosures) and what connector it uses to communicate with your PC. You should be able to get this information either directly off the drive itself (it's often printed somewhere) or from the drive manufacturer. Many modern hard disk drives connect via SATA, and some SSDs do as well, but many also connect via PCIe. You need to make sure the enclosure you buy will both fit your drive and be able to connect to it, so make sure you have the right model before you click buy!

4. If you still can't access the data you're after with the drive hooked up to another PC via an external enclosure, you're running out of reasonable ways to retrieve it. Your next best bet is probably to take the drive to a qualified data recovery specialist and see if they can help. Dedicated data recovery experts often have the tools and experience to recover more data from a dead drive than you might expect, so don't give up hope!

Macs have a fantastic backup utility called Time Machine that makes it easy to regularly back up the files on your hard drive(s). If you've been using Time Machine already, you can likely find the deleted data you're looking for by restoring an older Time Machine backup.

But of course, if you're reading this article, you probably don't have a backup of your deleted data handy. So what can you do? Well, let's start with the simple solutions, which turn out to be effective more often than you might think.

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