HDD Recovery Tips

The bulk of hard disk drive (HDD) issues you can experience can be put down to software issues. This article steps through a standard HDD recovery process.

The worst scenario you can encounter is a mechanical fault. If there are odd noises coming from the HDD the it can mean the spindles/bearings are seizing up or there is some motor damage. Close down the PC and seek professional assistance as making these type of hardware repairs yourself could only damage the disk further.

If the failure blocks you from starting the computer then there are some ways to get back in and view the contents of the hard disk to start your HDD recovery:

• Try starting in safe-mode as Windows is booting up.


• Boot from the emergency boot disk and run the various scans it offers.


• Use the last known good configuration/System Restore utility. This will revert the Windows registry file and system program files back to earlier snapshots.


• In severe cases where the OS is irretrievably damaged you could use a Linux Live CD to boot the computer using a CD (you would change the BIOS boot sequence). The computer will startup in Linux and you could backup the HDD contents.

Once your PC is up and running you need to try the following:

1. Run an anti-virus scan.


2. Backup all personal data.


3. Run PC repair software to fix any file system, OS or registry problems that caused the fault.


4. Use data recovery freeware (e.g. Recuva) to find lost files.


5. Check the disk for errors. This is done by opening Windows Explorer and select the faulty drive. Open its properties window on Tools tab and click the ‘Check Now’ button to scan for bad sector/file system damage.

Doing a HDD recovery is not something that happens that often but if it should go wrong (e.g. component failures) then you could try data recovery services to read the disk sectors directly to recover lost data. This can however be expensive so it is a wise move to keep backup copies of data as a safeguard.