Losing data from your hard drive is one of the darkest moments in life that can come true. Some users regularly make backups, but even in this situation, the loss of the last files that have not yet been saved to another medium occurs. The question arises: is it possible to recover the lost data from the hard drive?
How to recognize a damaged hard drive
Disk damage does not occur suddenly. Most often, a breakdown makes itself felt in advance. The best way not to lose the files you need is to monitor the health of your hard drive and conduct regular backups. Signals indicating media failure:
- Slow work of the explorer and programs.
- Corrupted files.
- Problems with starting the operating system.
As soon as the first suspicions appear that something is wrong with the hard drive, you need to urgently take action. While the computer is starting up and the drive is still somehow working, it will be easier to copy the data than after it breaks down.
How to recover data from a damaged hard drive
Special programs will help you recover data from a hard disk after a breakdown:
- Recuva is a program that works only on a working drive. Equipped with an intuitive interface in which you need to select the location of the lost data and its type (for example, graphic files). The software scans the media for lost data. You should mark the necessary files, select the location for saving them and confirm the restore operation.
- TOKIWA Data Recovery is a program that runs directly from a USB flash drive, without installing it on a computer's hard drive. Just like Recuva, TOKIWA Data Recovery searches for lost files and saves them in the selected location.
- Disk Drill is a simple program for recovering files less than 100 MB. Suitable for recovering text documents or a small amount of photos up to 100 MB.
- Ontrack EasyRecovery is a free program (in basic version) that provides data recovery from a damaged or formatted device. The intuitive interface makes it easy to use. The free version can be used to recover files up to 1 GB in total.
You can use the above programs yourself to recover data from the hard disk after formatting. Or contact the services of a company specializing in recovering lost data from HDD.
What to remember
Regardless of whether you will restore data yourself or use the services of a specialist, it is worth remembering the following important issues:
- If data has been lost due to hard disk formatting, it is not recommended to download new programs or files to it. They can replace the major sectors of a broken device and make it difficult or even impossible to recover lost materials.
- If the disk is damaged or formatted by mistake, turn off your computer. File recovery must be carried out on another device, connecting your drive as an additional one. Make sure disk defragmentation and automatic system recovery are disabled on your computer.
- If you manage to find the lost data, you need to restore it to a new medium, where you can check the integrity of the files.
When it comes to data that is of little value, you can try to recover the contents of the hard drive on your own. But when it comes to work files, it would be wiser to contact a specialist.
