10 Tips to Recover your Data from a Dead Hard Drive

There is absolutely nothing worse than the sinking feeling caused by a dead hard drive. All of your work was on there. Possibly years and years’ worth of work…

If you didn’t have a backup already then it is far too late for us to tell you to get one. Instead, try these 10 industry-leading tricks for recovering your lost data from storage.

Tips and Tricks for Dead Hard Drive Data Recovery

1 – Retrieve Data from a Second Device

If you have another PC to hand, you can remove the crashed drive from that first PC, plug it into the second, and retrieve the data that way. This relies on you having two computers and is a fiddly process for someone who isn’t an IT geek though…

2 – Copy to the Second Device

Once your hard drive is in your second device you should be able to copy everything you need over. It may be that the hard drive is just too done though, in which case a new device will be needed. We recommend you browse for used SUN computer servers for reliable products.

3 – Data Recovery Software

This is a branch of software that has been specifically designed to meet your current needs. Some data recovery software is free and can retrieve that information for you.

It is important that you don’t mess too much with the broken hard drive before you use this software. Don’t uninstall or reinstall Windows for example, in an effort to fix it.

3 – Don’t Reinstall

A fact we should perhaps have put first. Don’t try to reinstall applications, like Windows, to see if you can fix the hard drive. This will only make your documents more difficult to recover.

4 – Try a System Restore

If possible, try to restore your system to its last known usable point. This can be done when the PC is booting up the PC and tapping F1 or F2, depending on your model. Some types of the computer have different BIOS entry keys.

5 – Navigating BIOS

The BIOS on Windows 10 might be able to help you recover your data. Once entered, you will be presented with a white screen, on a blue background, with black lettering. Navigate using the left, right, up and down keys, as well as the enter and escape buttons.

6 – Setting BIOS to Recover Data

Try moving the page along until you are at the ‘start-up’ option along with the top tabs of the screen. Scroll down until you see the message “select last known good configuration”.

Press enter when you highlight this option, then escape your way out of the BIOS. You will be asked to save your changes. Respond and exit the program.

7 – Restore Points

Restore points can be used for certain programs as well as for overall data storage. If you are using some big, expansive programs such as Final Cut, you should be able to restore that program to a point a few days ago.

This failsafe ensures data you are working on can be recalled from the previous day if needed.

8 – Windows Backup

Windows actually do automatic backups for you, as you work. If this doesn’t happen for you then they will have a previous restore point that should.

9 – Shadow Copies

…And when Windows don’t have a copy to restore to, they often have shadow copies. These are sort of virtual imprints of where your files have been in cyberspace. They are sometimes retrievable, but it is a complex process.

10 – Outside Help

If you try all of this and it all fails – you need outside help. Don’t be ashamed of outsourcing your data storage retrieval needs.

There are hundreds of firms that do it every day and not everyone is an IT specialist… Hire in help, swallow your pride, and for goodness sake… save an online copy from now on.