Dead Hard Disk?
So you have a dead hard disk? Step one, count to ten. Step two, move away from the computer and strenuously resist the urge to smash it to pieces. Step 3, read this article.
Luckily all is not lost! Actually in 99% of cases nothing is lost - all the data is still there! You just need to find a way to get at it.
A good analogy for a Hard Disk is that of an old vinyl record player. The data is written onto platters which are the equivalent of the record (except there is more than one). A data reading head shoots across the platter reading the data just like the needle of the record player but much faster. When the Hard Disk crashes one of two things usually happens. Either the head crashes or the magnetic data becomes corrupt. If the head has crashed the needle has analogously hit the record and damaged it. You can usually tell if the head has crashed as the drive will make some fairly odd noises. Often if you shake the drive gently you can hear things moving around. If this is the case it's time to find a good data recovery lab where the platters can be removed and placed in a new drive. This must be done in a "clean room" which is essentially a sealed room with no dust. It must be done by professionals who know how delicate the operation is. Unfortunately, all this costs money and you should expect to pay upwards of 300 bucks for a reputable company. Annoyingly, quite often it's a five minute job for them but they will still sting you for 300 bucks.
However, in the majority of cases there is little physically wrong with the drive. It has just become slightly corrupt in some way. If this is the case all you need to do is have someone read the nonsense from the drive then re-format the drive and put your operating system back on. Or you could try doing it yourself.
I run a computer repair company in Vancouver BC. It alarms me the number of people who are about to pay $500 to a data recovery company (and wait a week) when I can get their data back in 10 minutes at their house for $25. I have to be careful and ensure that the head has not crashed as the process I use to get the data back could easily damage the platters further. I also ask people to evaluate the risk. If they have some data that their life depends on then I refer them to a reputable data recovery company.
At the end of the day it's all a question of what your data is worth. If it's just some recent family photos are they really worth 500 bucks. If it's your PHD thesis and there is no backup then yes, send it to a data recovery company.
I mentioned earlier that you could do the process I do yourself. In this case you will need another hard disk to put a new operating system on. Next make the dud disk a slave (move the jumpers on the disk). Now in 'My Computer' you should see both disks. If the problem was data corruption affecting your operating system then you should be able to see all your old data. If not then you need to use a program such as Filescavanger. Filescavenger is great but currently costs around 50 bucks. A free option that I am told is reliable is PC Inspector.
These data recovery programs cleverly put your files back together and even recover files deleted long ago.
In summary if your hard disk has crashed you have 3 options:
1) Get a data recovery company to sort it at great cost
2) Get a roving PC repair person round to sort it at reasonable cost
3) Get a new/spare hard drive and fix the problem yourself at little cost
Whatever you choose think positive and good luck!
Luckily all is not lost! Actually in 99% of cases nothing is lost - all the data is still there! You just need to find a way to get at it.
A good analogy for a Hard Disk is that of an old vinyl record player. The data is written onto platters which are the equivalent of the record (except there is more than one). A data reading head shoots across the platter reading the data just like the needle of the record player but much faster. When the Hard Disk crashes one of two things usually happens. Either the head crashes or the magnetic data becomes corrupt. If the head has crashed the needle has analogously hit the record and damaged it. You can usually tell if the head has crashed as the drive will make some fairly odd noises. Often if you shake the drive gently you can hear things moving around. If this is the case it's time to find a good data recovery lab where the platters can be removed and placed in a new drive. This must be done in a "clean room" which is essentially a sealed room with no dust. It must be done by professionals who know how delicate the operation is. Unfortunately, all this costs money and you should expect to pay upwards of 300 bucks for a reputable company. Annoyingly, quite often it's a five minute job for them but they will still sting you for 300 bucks.
However, in the majority of cases there is little physically wrong with the drive. It has just become slightly corrupt in some way. If this is the case all you need to do is have someone read the nonsense from the drive then re-format the drive and put your operating system back on. Or you could try doing it yourself.
I run a computer repair company in Vancouver BC. It alarms me the number of people who are about to pay $500 to a data recovery company (and wait a week) when I can get their data back in 10 minutes at their house for $25. I have to be careful and ensure that the head has not crashed as the process I use to get the data back could easily damage the platters further. I also ask people to evaluate the risk. If they have some data that their life depends on then I refer them to a reputable data recovery company.
At the end of the day it's all a question of what your data is worth. If it's just some recent family photos are they really worth 500 bucks. If it's your PHD thesis and there is no backup then yes, send it to a data recovery company.
I mentioned earlier that you could do the process I do yourself. In this case you will need another hard disk to put a new operating system on. Next make the dud disk a slave (move the jumpers on the disk). Now in 'My Computer' you should see both disks. If the problem was data corruption affecting your operating system then you should be able to see all your old data. If not then you need to use a program such as Filescavanger. Filescavenger is great but currently costs around 50 bucks. A free option that I am told is reliable is PC Inspector.
These data recovery programs cleverly put your files back together and even recover files deleted long ago.
In summary if your hard disk has crashed you have 3 options:
1) Get a data recovery company to sort it at great cost
2) Get a roving PC repair person round to sort it at reasonable cost
3) Get a new/spare hard drive and fix the problem yourself at little cost
Whatever you choose think positive and good luck!
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