Data Recovery

HDD

Major Problem symptoms

1. Logical Symptoms

Deleted files

Depending on the file system, the internal processing of deleting data such as files or folders differs. In NTFS, the file management record is marked as ‘deleted,’ and the cluster is marked as ‘disabled.’ Any new input data that comes after deletion may be directed to and stored in the area marked ‘disabled.’ As a result, the deleted data area will be overwritten with new data and could be permanently damaged. Therefore, it’s best to immediately stop all operations when you accidentally delete data and contact a recovery specialist.

Format

When computer gets slow or malfunctioning, people often format it or reinstall the operating system (OS). Before formatting or reinstalling the OS, make sure you back up all the data to other media and thoroughly confirm that no data is remained un-backup. If Format or OS installation was mistakenly run without backing-up necessary data, please stop the system and contact recovery specialist immediately.

Virus Infection

Never run a virus program if the media has data to recover. In the event of logical corruption, the data in the medium can be altered. In the case of physical damage, the bad sector area can spread over the entire area. If you want to recover data from a virus-infected medium, turn off the power and contact recovery company .

Partition damaged

Even if Partition is deleted for some reasons, user data area normally remains intact but just 'not accessible'. In this case, the user data can be recovered relatively easily by using general recovery tools that supports the partition recovery function.

2. Physical Symptoms

Identification failure

Identification Failure can be caused by various physical reasons. In addition to mishandling, it may be caused by reliability problems of a component itself. It is critical to find the real cause through precise diagnose to take proper recovery process accordingly.

Shock, Drop

Any external shock occurred while the drive is in operation (Power on) may cause physical damages to critical components such as Head, Disk, Motor, and etc. In non-operation condition, the impact is often limited to Head damage. If you acknowledge any abnormal operation after a shock occurred, never turn power on. Data recovery works for shock damage case should go through complicate and sophisticated processes which may include multiple component replacements under highly clean environment, so you should consult a specialist.

Flooded

Two situations may happen when a drive is flooded. The PCB only is flooded, or both PCB and inside of hard disk are wet. If PCB only is wet, it may work normally after drying, but in the other case, it is necessary to dry the inside of the hard disk and wash the disk if necessary. In any case, the disk condition needs to be checked by opening the cover. These processes should be done in a clean environment, so you should find a properly-equipped company for the recovery.

Fire-burnt

In the case of fire, the PCB and internal parts may be deformed by heat. In particular, the degree of disk damage is important because it is the data storage location. Depending on the severity, disks need to be cleaned ahead of further recovery steps, and it may still not be recoverable if the exposure to heat was too long and severe. All this verification and recovery process must also be done under a clean environment, so be sure to contact a proper recovery company.

Noise

Hard disk noise is often observed due to either abnormal contact of head-disk or damaged Spindle Motor, that is, clicking or metallic scratching noise, or the rotation noise. In all of these cases, the damage of the components becomes severer quickly if the power is turned on further. Please turn off the power immediately and contact the recovery specialist.

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