What You Need to Know About Data Recovery in this Modern Age of Technology
Data recovery is basically the process of restoring data that has been lost, accidentally deleted, corrupted or made inaccessible. It typically refers to the restoration of data to a desktop, laptop, server or external storage system from a backup. However, over the years, numerous theories and myths have surfaced on hard drive data recovery. Some freeze it, hit it, drop it, drop it again, open it, format it and hope that it will work fine. The exact understanding scenario of data loss is as important as recovering your lost data. The word data loss is often misunderstood by the user and hence, results in unsuccessful recovery or permanent data loss.
Sometimes, simply deleting files from its stored location doesn’t mean that it has been permanently lost. Instead, it can still be found in the recycle bin folder of your system and can be easily restored. Each time something goes wrong with our PC, it’s always our instinct to try and resolve the issue on our own and only when it gets out of hand, would we decide to call an IT professional. However, some of these so-called do it yourself solutions can lead to you really losing your data for good.
Below are some of the common myths which you should take into serious consideration next time you face data recovery issues:
Deep Freeze the Hard Drive and It Will Work Again
Just because the hard drive gets overheated, people think that putting it into a cool spot will resolve the issue. In reality, freezing the hard dish only damages it’s head position and leads to the contraction of mechanical parts. So, do not ever think of deep freezing your hard disk drive.
Will the Screwdriver Do the Job?
Well, this is one way of causing further damage to your hard drive. Not only will you damage the mechanical parts. You could also end up scratching the platters or it’s head. Once your hard drive goes through such damage, your chance of recovering any data is almost zero.
Your House Is Not a Clean Lab
A hard drive is a sensitive object and you need a dust-free lab to dismantle the hard drive and all the necessary tools. Extreme temperature, heat, moisture etc. can really affect the hard drive. Also, you need all the necessary tools.
There Are Special Tools Required for Data Recovery
There are certain things which specialists (manual & software) only can do and recovering data is one of them. You cannot simply use a screwdriver or other workarounds to fix it. You will probably end up causing more damage.
Just Pull Out the Platter and Fix It
Forget about opening the hard drive and analyzing it on your own. In fact, pulling out the platter or header won’t fix anything, instead will further physically damage it. You’re not a hard drive specialist, so just leave the thought of opening the hard drive and trying to figure it out on your own.
Freebies for Data Recovery?
Do not be fooled by this. The market is filled with software which claims to recover data from the hard drive without violating the privacy factor. While recovering data, one needs to ensure that the data stored on it is not at risk of anyone accessing it. Trust only the proven methods and software for efficient data recovery.
My Hard Drive Lasts Forever
Just like everything else, hard drives have their lifespan too. They are a mechanical device so they are prone to failure. The average lifespan of a hard drive is 3-5 years. However, there are some exceptions and your hard drive can get corrupted or damaged anytime. Best is to backup all the data stored on your hard drive.
A Vacuum Inside the Hard Drive
This is among one of the ridiculous myths about hard drive data recovery you’ll ever hear. Hard drive manufacturers keep in mind that there is some space between the hard drive and the head and holes on the top cover to minimise the production cost and to implement new technology and to avoid the read/write heads coming in contact with each other. There is clean dust-free air inside the hard drive and this phenomenon is called floating height or flying height.
Cost of Professional Data Recovery
The cost of a professional data recovery service is pretty expensive. However, it all depends on the extent to which your hard drive is damaged and if it requires out-of-the-box approaches. The cost will end of the day commensurate with the kind of damage caused.
Hitting It or Dropping the Hard Drive Until It Works
This is another very common myth. Hitting or dropping the hard drive won’t fix anything. There is a notion that when the hard drive is not working then some parts might be loose and hitting will make it run again. The platters of the hard drive are connected to the head and the arm and by dropping it you’ll damage it.
Conclusion
Some things should better be left to the experts and when it comes to retrieving lost data from the hard drive, then it is best to get a data recovery specialist to do it. Losing precious data could be a painful and costly experience and instead of trying to take the easy way out, it would be better to get an expert for the job.
