Tech Stuff 202

Monday, 16 March 2009

When Hard Drive Data Recovery Doesn't Work

By Jason Donovan

We all know by now that all computers may crash from time to time, making us lose our important data. This is why backups are key to data safety. Not all of us are so wise and detailed when it comes to such routine operations. Hard drive data recovery services can bring your data back, but they aren't always successful.

There are various reasons why the files on a hard disk can be lost or corrupted. The hard drive crash is only one of these possible causes. Other frequent ones are: accidental deletion, accidental format, operating system failure, or physical damage of the disk such as floods, fire or dropping from a big height.

In case disk data appears to be corrupt or missing, it is crucial that you shut down immediately that computer and call the data recovery service specialists. They can assess the damage and give you advice on the next steps you need to do in order to see your data back again. If not, you risk a permanent loss.

The best way to find out if data recovery is still possible is to seek for data specialists advice. Data recovery companies can tell you how big your chances are to retrieve your information.

Generally speaking, many types of data retrieval are possible: NTFS, FAT, Novell data recovery, Macintosh data recovery, Linux data recovery or logical data error recovery. Each of them requires special software tools to get the job done. There are no success guarantees, but usually the success rate is pretty high.

A hard disk crash can be diagnosed in very early stage by the computer user. All you have to do is pay attention to the sound of your computer when in use. Any strange noises such as cracks should trigger your fast reaction of switching the computer off.

Crashed RAID disks can be retrieved, but no service would guarantee you complete success. In order for a RAID recovery to succeed, it is necessary that all the servers in the array are accessible.

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