We store a large amount of important data on the hard drives of our computers. And data loss can cause huge financial loss, especially if the data consists of business reports. Fortunately, it’s easy to recover lost data, but you only get one shot at it. In this article, we have shared some tips that will help you improve the chances of recovery and avoid accidental damage. Keep reading to know more.
1. Physical damage
If you hear strange noises from the drive, turn off the power immediately. You should take the same action if you encounter slow system performance, confusing file names, or missing files. Failure to remove power will physically damage the spindle, platters, or read/write heads.
2. logical damage
Disconnect the power supply if you have accidentally deleted important files or formatted a drive. If you perform a proper shutdown process, it will help to overwrite some data and prevent further damage.
3. Hardware/software installation
If you can’t access your data after installing new hardware or software, all you need to do is undo the new installation. Some examples of new hardware include USB-powered accessories, sound cards, and PCI cards, to name a few.
4. Electronic failures
Take the drive out and install it on another computer. If it doesn’t show up in the BIOS or doesn’t make any noise, take it to a professional for repair.
5. Firmware corruption
If the drive does not load the operating system, shut down the PC immediately. You should do the same if the drive is displaying incorrect information such as incorrect filenames, unreadable files, incorrect model number, or incorrect size.
6. Remove the drive
If you want to remove the drive from your PC, unplug it before unplugging the cables. Also, it’s important to ground yourself so your components don’t get static damage.
7. DIY Data Recovery
If your hard drive was not physically damaged, you can install it on another PC to verify the integrity of the file system. But if you come to know that the operating system is corrupted or the host PC has hardware issues, you can recover your data without any hassle.
8.RAID
Shut down the server and get help from a professional if the data is really important to you.
9.SQL server
Copy your data to another drive before attempting any repairs. Additionally, you can open a support ticket to get help from Microsoft or take the drive to a data recovery service. Do not forget to provide the professional with the priority list tables and the structure of the database.
10. MS Exchange
Before attempting any repair, make sure to back up your important files, including .LOG, .STM, and .EDB.
11. Call a professional
If none of these tricks work for you, we suggest you contact a professional. They will help you recover your data in a professional manner.
In short, we suggest that you follow these tips if you want to improve your chances of recovering your lost data. I hope this helps.
