Acting To Recover Hard Drive Data

What does it take to recover hard drive files that look like they have disappeared forever? There is actually no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to hard drive recovery, but realizing where to start is critical. Whether you've accidentally deleted files, mistakenly partitioned or formatted your hard drive or simply had a run of the mill hard drive failure,

the first 15 minutes to 60 minutes is a crucial time for you. Your actions during this period should be the difference between retrieved data and happiness, and a pricey data recovery nightmare.

Experiencing a data loss problem is something no one wants to go through, but inevitably will. Preparing now will save you a lot of stress in the future. Consider these few tips:

1. Panic Is Your Biggest Enemy - Basic fact in the data recovery industry: panic, do something rash(which naturally panicked people tend to do), and you can say goodbye to your data. Whether you've lost a key report your boss is requesting, or have experienced a emergency hard disk drive crash, the best thing you can do is to take a "time out". In almost all physical hard drive failure scenarios, the only thing a layman PC user can do is make things worse. With lost files, data recovery software may be a solution, but contacting a professional first is always the easiest way to preserve your data.

2. Don't Bother With Utilities, Data Recovery Software - Repeat this softly in your mind: "popular utility software are not made for recovering hard drive files or data". Feel better? Now shut down any of the utility programs you are running right now and take a deep breath. These programs typically overwrite the files you're wanting to recover, and are remarkably inaccurate when some really important data is at risk. Why attempt to use a Swiss Army Knife when you need a precision tool constructed for the job? And as for data recovery software, buyer beware. It's a known fact that data recovery software vendors prey on inexperienced users with lost or accidentally deleted files, and the exorbitant prices they charge attest to this. Ask yourself who this shop is, and be very cautious with your money in this situation. Remember also that if the software corrupts your data further, you're probably still on the hook for the cost. No guarantees? Yep!

3. Call On An Expert - Yes, it's difficult. This is the age of the Internet, after all, and the idea of making use of old technology like a telephone to call an actual human being seems a little strange (I'm only half joking). But on a serious note, how is calling a professional data recovery company, staffed by people who recover hard drive data every day of the week, going to injure you? It won't, put simply. Any data recovery shop with any credibility will have a toll-free support number, and talking to a technician is usually always free. If your data is crucial, remember that an expert is the best person to assist you.

Don't be subject to the same mistake that the majority of people commit when they've lost a file or a whole drive. So much of whether you can recover hard drive data has to do with the things you do when it happens, so sit back, take a breath and call an expert.

About the Author

Maureen Davies is an instructor, data recovery technician and the current editor ofhttp://www.harddriverecovery.org/. Read more about how you can benefit from professional data recovery service here.