What to do when my drive fails - Don't panic!

So you have just realised that you have suddenly lost data. Maybe your computer didn't start up like it was supposed to do or when you plugged your drive in your immediately noticed that its not behaving the way its usually does. Oh no you have just experienced data loss. Your attention now starts to focus on getting it working again. You try to restart your computer or drive. Unplug it and try connecting it again only to find you get the same error or problem. You try connecting your drive to another pc but it still fails to work or detect. More panic starts to creep in, now you start to search online for solutions.

What to do first

Once you realise your drive has failed and no matter what basic tricks you try such as plugging it into different machines then its time to just leave it unplugged. Leaving a drive unplugged will prevent further deterioration. Once a drive has failed there is little chance it will get better. This means data recovery is a must and the drive will no longer be useable ever again. Just leave it turned off or disconnected as to prevent further damage.

What caused data loss?

Drives have different physical and logical properties. Mechanical drives can physically fail from the read write heads or the platters can deteriorate from being read. Its common for portable drives to get knocked around causing internal mechanical damage. Internal drives can fail by wear and tear. Cheaper drives are constantly hitting the market making them very more appealing for consumers to buy. Cheaper drives use far less quality components and have a far higher failure rate. The cheap drives come in regularly with far more complicated problems. Logical problems can occur when a drive was interrupted during a read or write cycle. This means that the data writing sequence was not completed properly leaving corruption. 

Should I open my hard drive?

Do not open your hard drive! Opening a hard drive is the last thing even a professional should do. Professionals can diagnose what is wrong with a hard drive without opening it. All drives have diagnostic ports which read our all errors. Opening a drive is very risky and needs highly specialised equipment and experience. But I saw a youtube video telling me I should open it... Leave experimenting with youtube videos to unimportant drives. If its got data thats important then do not open it.

My data is important and I need it back!

Its time to keep calm and call us for advice. We were the first data recovery company in Australia to be officially certified in data recovery. Our lab is equipped with highly specialised tools and equipment. Experience matters! We know how to recover your data from experience! We can recover your data, giving you the best chance of success.