Data loss is quite a common issue that people face with their computers quite frequently. Now, this issue might occur in your device due to a wide range of causes. But, hard drive damage is one of the most common ones among them. In any case, you’d want to find a way to retrieve the data that you’ve lost.
But, can you indeed recover the lost data from your damaged hard drive? In many cases, the answer is “Yes”. But, this matter is not as simple as that in general. Whether or not you can retrieve your data depends on various factors. Here, you’ll find all that you need to know regarding this issue.
How do you know that you have a damaged hard drive?
Before you proceed with finding a solution, you must make sure whether your hard drive is damaged. After all, there are other ways you can lose data as well. In any case, you must contact a reputable data recovery Dubai for an effective and long-lasting solution.
Now, here are certain signs which indicate that your device has a damaged hard drive:
1. Missing or corrupted files
Are you unable to find a file that you had in your storage since the previous day? Provided that you haven’t deleted it accidentally, it might indicate damage to the hard drive. Also, in some cases, you might find the file but fail to open it because it’s corrupt. But, these problems don’t always occur due to a damaged hard drive. So, you must lookout for some other signs as well.
2. Frequent crashing and freezing
Your device might crash once in a while due to various issues, including overheating. But, in case it does that too frequently, that might indicate a serious problem. In case you’re wondering, it indicates a damaged hard drive in many cases.
3. Slow performance
A slow functioning device might indicate a wide range of issues. Clear RAM and make enough storage space and see if that fixes the issue. If that doesn’t do the trick, that might indicate you have a damaged hard drive. So, you should take the appropriate measures to deal with it.
4. Taking too much time to open a file
If your hard drive is damaged, that will affect its reading time. As a result, your device will take too long to open certain files. In such cases, the part of the hard drive where they’re located might be damaged.
5. Unusual noises
Do you hear strange sounds coming from your device? In case you’re wondering, it’s one of the clear signs of hard drive damage. In such cases, you might get a clicking, screeching, grinding, or buzzing noise from your device. So, check for a damaged hard drive on your device if you hear them.
What should you do with a damaged hard drive?
The damage in your hard drive isn’t always physical. In many cases, it might suffer from logical damage. Thus, you can try out some methods to fix the issue. But, you might not want to start fixing your hard drive right away. After all, you might lose your files in the process.
Are you still able to access certain files in the drive? If yes, then you must ensure their safety first. For that, you must move them to another location. In the case of an internal hard drive, you can copy the files to an external one. In case it’s the external file that’s damaged, transfer your data to any other drive.
After that, you must ensure the safety of the files that you can’t access. You’ll need to use data recovery software for that. You’ll find many reliable and effective ones out there. So, download and install the best one for your purpose and use it to retrieve the files. Then, you can proceed to fix the logical damage in your hard drive.
What if your hard drive has suffered physical damage?
In many cases, you might find that your hard drive is physically damaged. In such cases, you usually need professional help to fix it. Average users must not try to fix it unless they have the skills required. After all, you’ll only put your data at risk further, if you try to do that.
Also, you must reach out to a professional data recovery service immediately to retrieve the data. The more you cause delays, the lesser the chances you have of successfully recovering the data.
Also, the chances of retrieving the data successfully get comparatively less with each failed attempt. Therefore, you must hire a reliable and reputable data recovery service only.
How to prevent data loss caused by hard drive damage?
As you know, preventing this issue is much easier than dealing with it after it occurs. Also, taking preventive measures will let you keep your mind at peace regarding your data. Here are certain ways in which you can prevent data loss due to hard drive damage:
1. Back up your data regularly
This is the essential step to ensure data safety on your device. So, in case you haven’t backed up your data, you must do so now. Also, you must do that regularly as you keep adding new files to your drive. You can save the backup on your device or an external drive.
Now, local storage is often risky as hard drives may suffer damages anytime. Therefore, you must consider storing the backups in cloud storage. After all, that’ll offer your data more security as compared to storage drives.
2. Use a good antivirus program
Viruses and malware can significantly affect your device’s hard drive. In many cases, they might succeed in corrupting it partially, if not completely. So, you must make sure that your device is well-protected against such threats. Now, the best way to do that is by installing a reputable antivirus program on it. And, that should keep away viruses and malware from your devices quite effectively.
3. Ensure a stable power for your device
Apart from other things, power fluctuations in your device can cause hard drive failure as well. So, to prevent this logical damage, you must make sure your computer receives a stable power supply. Power fluctuations can cause more issues for your device than you might think. So, you must not skip this step as it’s as important as the others listed here.
4. Keep the hard drive away from heat and moisture
This method applies to external storage drives and is quite a crucial one. As you might know, you must keep your laptop away from direct contact with heat. Similarly, you must do the same for your hard drive as well. Now, the reasons are different for these two cases. Regardless of these, heat and moisture can often significantly damage your hard drive.
5. Update your device storage
Your device’s hard drive has a certain period up to which it can function properly. However, this applies only to hard disk drives (HDDs). So, if your device has an HDD, you might want to upgrade to a solid-state drive (SSD).
Conclusion……
You must act quickly if you see signs of hard drive damage. Provided that you do so, you can hope to recover all the data that you’ve lost. For that, you can use recovery software if you prefer to do so. If that doesn’t do the trick, you must reach out to a professional data recovery service.
