Can i recover files from dead hard drive

The hard drive simply slides in and the cradle itself connects to your laptop via a regular USB cable. With the malfunctioning disk connected to a working computer, you have everything you need to evaluate the scope of the damage. In some cases, the hard drive will show up as another storage device, and you will be able to transfer all files from it.

Unfortunately, most data recovery cases are not that simple. The content of the hard drive is often visible, but Windows or Mac OS X is unable to transfer data from it. Even worse, the disk might appear to be empty.

What you need, then, is a data recovery software solution designed to deal with scenarios like this. When everything else fails, Disk Drill comes to the rescue. In the large sea of file recovery programs and apps, Disk Drill stands out with its polished user interface that allows anyone to recover files from external hard drives or SD cards or just about any other storage device in just a few minutes. First, you need to determine if the hard drive is recognized at all.

If you can see it in BIOS, it usually means that the hard drive is recognized, and you can use a utility like TestDisk to scan it and rebuilt the master boot record MBR or fix any other issues that make it impossible to boot from the drive. That depends on what you mean by dead. But if you mean a corrupted or formatted hard drive, then you can use data recovery software to get back your data. Sometimes, all you need to do to fix this problem is connect your hard disk to a different port or computer.

Personal use data recovery software can also be used when native methods fail. The recovery software repairs the logical damage and makes the lost files accessible again. To recover from logical disk damage, the device must be recognized by your operating system.

Physical damage that results in data loss presents a more difficult recovery scenario. Very often, your operating system will not be able to access a physically damaged drive, making it impossible to use the same recovery option used for logical damage.

In these cases, you will need to use a professional data recovery service to try and recover your files. We have put together a list of common hard drive issues and the types of damage they cause. You can use this list to determine if you can attempt to recover lost data yourself or if you need to engage a recovery service.

In all cases of data loss, you should stop using the device that experienced the lost files immediately to avoid overwriting the information you want to recover. Accidental file deletion — This type of logical damage usually does not result in a dead hard drive. Data can usually be recovered with operating system features or data recovery software if you act quickly.

Formatted or reformatted drives — If you inadvertently format your Western Digital or Samsung external hard drive, you have essentially caused logical damage to the files it contained. Fortunately, data recovery software can undo this damage and get back the data from the formatted drive or partition.

The key is to stop using the drive until after you have performed the recovery. Corrupted files systems — A corrupted filesystem is a form of logical damage that can cause your external hard drive to stop operating. You may be faced with an unexplained RAW filesystem that needs to be recovered.

Filesystem corruption can lead to a crashed drive that does not allow you to boot your computer. Data recovery software can often resolve this type of logical damage. Mechanical damage — The mechanical components of an external hard drive can be damaged through mishandling or due to the effects of wear and tear.

Before the drive fails you may hear some strange clicking or grinding sounds indicating that there is platter damage. This type of damage will often result in the inability of your system to recognize the device.

If you cannot get the drive recognized by your system, you will need to use a recovery service to restore your data. Environmental issues — A dead external hard drive can be caused by leaving the device in the wrong place.

Exposing the drive to excessive heat or moisture can result in a broken device and a large loss of data. There are several methods that you can use on a Windows machine to attempt to recover data from a dead external hard drive that has experienced some kind of logical damage. The essential first step is to get the drive recognized by your operating system. Once this is accomplished, you can try these methods to recover data from a logically damaged external hard drive.

If the problem was simply deleted files, you may find them here. If you can manage to get your external hard drive recognized by your Mac, you can try these methods of recovering lost data from the device.

Data recovery software is your best bet for restoring your lost files from an external hard drive with your Mac or MacBook. In cases where the drive is physically damaged and cannot be accessed by your operating system, your options are much more limited.

One thing that will indicate a rarely maintained computer is slow processing speed and lengthy boot sessions. It is imperative to run a disk defragmentation program once or twice a month to boost your computer. If you always do this and your computer is getting slower every day, your hard drive may die any day. You can tell that your disk has a mechanical fault by listening to the noises it makes when running.

A dead hard drive can be worrying, as some of the lost data may be extremely important. However, you should not worry unless the lost files were corrupt. You can recover data from the dead hard drive in full. These files can be retrieved in full. But if you are currently not facing a dead hard disk drive, back up your data to be on the safer place. Generally rated 4. Great information to a common problem. In this post, we will show you the best solution about how to recover data from crashed, dead and damaged hard disk.

Download Win Download Mac. Theo Lucia. Yesterday, my computer hard disk stopped working and had a clicking noise. My friend told me the hard drive had been dead.

But lots of important data stored on it and now I can't access them. Is there any approach to retrieving data from a damaged hard drive?