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Hard Drive Recovery
Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples Hard Drive Repair & Data Recovery
WHY HARD DRIVES FAIL?
Hard disk drive problems generally fall into two categories:
- Logical failure: The hard drive is in good physical condition - it spins up correctly, is recognized by the operating system, and all the internal moving parts are functioning correctly. However, the integrity of the data is flawed - the actual bits and bytes stored on the drive are incorrect in some way.
- Some common examples of logical failures include accidental deletion or formatting of the data on the drive, corruption, lost partitions, or software errors.
- Mechanical failure: There is a physical problem with the hard drive - one of the many internal mechanisms of the drive are broken. The drive may not spin correctly, or may not spin up at all, and may make clicking noises or exhibit other abnormal behavior when operating.
- Some common mechanical problems include head crashes and faulty motors.
Some problems, such as bad sectors and faulty firmware, fall into both categories.
HOW HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY WORKS?
Whether the problem is due to a logical failure or a mechanical one, there is a good chance that the data can be recovered successfully.
In case of a logical failure, the lost drive data may still reside on the disk, but simply can't be accessed. For example, when a file is deleted, the data is not actually erased from the hard drive; rather, the spot where the file was stored is allocated for reuse. Until that spot is actually used for storing new information, the data that was deleted is still recoverable.
In a mechanical failure, it is possible that all of the data is present and intact on the hard drive, but because the actual mechanism inside the drive is physically damaged, the data simply can't be accessed. Physical hard drive repair is a very delicate operation, much like a surgery, and if proper precautions are not taken, the operation could become a disaster. That's the reason why it's so crucially important to find a data recovery specialist you can trust.
- It is important to stop using the computer or hard drive on which the data was lost -- further use may jeopardize the chances of successfully recovering the lost data.
SYMPTOMS OF DATA LOSS
You may have encountered a problem with data loss if you observe any of the following:
- Water or another liquid was spilled on the hard drive or computer
- Water or another liquid was spilled on the HDD or computer
- The computer or hard drive was physically damaged by dropping, hitting against the wall, etc.
- The computer or hard disk drive overheated for any reason or was damaged by fire
- The computer or hard drive was damaged as a result of an electrical power surge or outage
- The computer or hard drive was damaged as a result of an earthquake, storm, or natural disaster
- Some or all of the partitions have been formatted (e.g., using fdisk)
- You hear grinding or clicking noises coming from the computer or hard drive
- A file or folder on your hard drive becomes inaccessible due for no apparent reason, or due to virus attack or virus infection
- A file or folder was accidentally deleted
- The hard drive is no longer recognized by the BIOS after rebooting
- The system BIOS displays the message "Primary hard disk failure" or "Secondary hard disk failure"
- The system displays the error message "boot disk error, insert boot disk press any key to continue"
- The system displays the message "NTLDR is missing, Press any key to restart"
- The partition table is corrupt or damaged for any reason.
- The system displays the message "Operating system not found" or "missing operating system"
- The BIOS recognizes the hard drive but with incorrect parameters
- The BIOS recognizes the hard drive but the data is inaccessible
- The hard drive reports bad sectors
The full list of all the different causes of data loss is very long. We listed some of the more common causes we've seen here on this list. But remember, we can perform hard drive data recovery regardless of the cause of data loss. Our engineers have successfully performed some highly exceptional recovery operations in the past before, and regularly write custom software, build new tools, and develop custom solutions to new data recovery challenges.
- We handle all causes of data loss, as well as any degree of severity - from minor to catastrophic.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER DATA LOSS?
Immediately turn off and stop using your computer or hard drive - any further use can endanger your data beyond anybody's ability to recover. If the hard drive is connected to the computer, do not power on or restart your computer. Disconnect the computer or hard drive from power. This is especially important in the case of water damage.
- Stopping all use of the damaged equipment or medium is the single most important step in any data loss scenario.
Attempting to perform data recovery on your own is very dangerous - if you are not absolutely sure of what you are doing, you might jeopardize the safety of your data. Do not attempt to use hard disk data recovery software, and never try to disassemble the hard drive on your own. Continuing to use your hard drive while it is in a degraded state can endanger your data and make the data recovery process more difficult.
