How To Recover Data From a Dead Hard Drive?

How To Recover Data From a Dead Hard Drive

One regarding the most dreadful feelings that you can have is having a pc computer or laptop die that had not been backed up recently; especially if you have valuable pictures, music, videos, documents or other files at it.

Where toward start?

Computers are complex machines furthermore when they work right, they are fun toward use – but when something goes drastically wrong, it can feel as if your world crashed down around you. If your hard drive is still in working order, there is a very good chance that you’ll be able toward recover your pictures, music, videos furthermore valuable documents (and other data) simply with another computer; a specialized cable, a screwdriver; furthermore a little time.

To start off, your best bet it toward get a specialized USB cable that can plug directly into your hard drive that you’ll recover from the dead computer. There are several types, furthermore I’d recommend getting one that can handle both PATA (IDE) furthermore SATA hard drives (the two most common used in consumer computers) as well as 2.5” (laptop) furthermore 3.5” (desktop) hard drives. You can also use a hard drive dock or external drive cases as well - but personally I find the specialized USB cable toward be the easiest furthermore most flexible option.

Next, remove the hard drive from the dead computer. On desktops it is usually held in with four Philips screwdrivers furthermore at laptops it is usually under an access panel at the bottom regarding the computer. Remove any cables furthermore caddies that the drive may have – all you need is the bare drive. Then plug in the USB cable into the hard drive (and a power cable if it is a desktop drive – also provided with the USB cable kit) furthermore then plug the other end regarding the USB cable into a working computer. The computer will then set up the drive ad an external storage device furthermore voilà! you’ll now have access toward the files at that drive (provided that the drive is not encrypted or using some type regarding security feature).

Where toward look?

OK, so the drive is now plugged into your computer furthermore seen as an external drive, now what? You have several options. One option is toward simply look beneficial to the files at the drive from the dead computer that you plugged into the USB port furthermore copy them onto the working computer. This is my preferred method personally. I like toward “brute force” my way through the drive with Windows Explorer (or a similar file browsing tool) furthermore manually copy/paste the data from one computer toward the other. Another option is toward follow a Windows dialog box (that usually pops up when you plug in an external drive) furthermore have it help you copy your data from one computer toward the other. If you are manually choosing toward “brute force it” personal data is usually stored by default in the computers operating systems “home directory” beneficial to users. Common Locations

for home directories (where takes the place regarding the drive letter):

Microsoft Windows 95-Me \My Documents

Microsoft Windows2000/XP/2003\Documents furthermore Settings\

Microsoft Windows Vista / Windows 7 \Users\

Other “What ifs”

What if the files at the drives are erased? If they are, you can use a free recovery program such as Piriform’s Recuva toward look beneficial to furthermore (hopefully) restore the files. This simple, easy-to-use tool is terrific beneficial to recovering pictures from a camera’s memory card that have accidentally been erased as well!

What if the hard drive is the reason that the computer died (actual hardware failure)? If the hard drive is the part that caused the computer failure, then you may be out regarding luck. Yes, there are specialty recovery services that will pull apart the drives data platters furthermore attempt toward recover data (and they are usually successful - such services were used, beneficial to example, toward recover data from the hard drives that were used at computers from the space shuttle Columbia after it broke apart in 2003) but such services are usually very expensive.A word toward the wise

Backup, backup, backup! Whether using one regarding the Internet based cloud services or a separate external hard drive – if you make it a habit regarding backing up regularly, chances are good that you’ll keep the loss regarding such a failure toward a minimum if a computer fails. Of course one regarding the benefits regarding using cloud-based backup services is that you can have access toward your pictures anywhere you have Internet access.Summing it up

A computer that dies can be a loss – but don’t lose hope that your valuable pictures (and other stuff) are gone forever. With a little work, you can retrieve your data off the hard drives from a dead computer!

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