Data Recovery

One of the first things that happens after a catastrophic hard drive or operating system failure is that you realize that you, like most people, have not made any backups of your data. Well, all hope is not lost, there are still a few more things that you can try.

Before removing any drives or working on any electronic devices, be sure to shut down the computer or device, and unplug it from any power source. In order to prevent damage due to static electricity you will also need to make sure to touch a metal part of the frame of the inside of the computer or electronic device before touching any internal components.

USB to IDE Connector Kit
One of the easiest ways to recover your data from your hard drive is to use a usb to ide connector to try to pull the data from the hard drive. With this cable, you will remove your hard from from your computer, then you will plug the usb to ide connector kit into your hard drive. Next you will plug the usb to ide connector into the usb port of your computer. The last step is to plug the usb to ide connector into a power outlet. At this point, your computer should recognize the device and setup a drive letter where you will be able to access the drive through windows explorer. If you can access the drive then you are all set. Copy your files to another drive or device.

External Hard Drive
Another option that is available is to install the drive into an existing external hard drive that you may have available. Inside of an external hard drive is a connector with a converter that connects to a normal hard drive. To use this option, first shut down the computer and the external hard drive. Unplug the power source from all devices that you are working with. Remove the hard drive from the computer. Take apart the enclosure of the external hard drive kit, and remove the existing drive. Insert your damaged drive into the kit and re-install the cables. Connect the external drive back to your computer, and plug the drive into a power source. At this point, your computer should recognize the device and setup a drive letter where you will be able to access the drive through windows explorer. If you can access the drive then you are all set. Copy your files to another drive or device.

Slave The Drive
A more technical option would be to set the drive up as a slave on another computer. In order to do this you may have to change a jumper on the drive. You will need to shut down both computers and remove the power cords. Remove the drive from the computer that is not working, and install it as a second drive on a working computer. Then plug in the second computer and boot it up, and it should recognize the drive and setup a drive letter where you will be able to access the drive through windows explorer. If you can access the drive then you are all set. Copy your files to another drive or device.

Data Recovery Services
If the hard drive is not spinning up or is making clicking noises, then the drive is probably shot. You might be able to access the drive after letting it cool down for a while. If that doesn't work, you can put the hard drive in the freezer, and this may buy you some time to access the drive. If this doesn't work, and the data is very important, you may have to send the drive to a data recovery specialist to get the data restored. Contact us today if you would like for us to try to recover your data for you.