How to restore your hard drive

When it is possible to revive the drive independently, and when it is best to contact the experts, so as not to lose important data.

1. Check out the disk device, and Common Problems

Any hard disk consists of several standard components. Bottom attached thereto controller board that controls the operation of the drive. Inside the sealed enclosure are made of glass or metal plates on which information is stored. They rotate on the spindle, and above them is a unit of magnetic heads (BMG), read and write information.

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From the long-term operation of the plate are beginning to crumble, making part of the data inaccessible. Attempts shaking and lead to jamming of MHA or spindle, and the voltage drop and poor power supply controller burns.

In case of failure of any element of the drive stops working. Almost all of the hardware fault can not be removed at home without any special equipment and skills. The only exceptions are broken sector and oxidation of the controller contacts.

2. Stop the

If you have problems with the disk is important as it is possible to stop working soon. Due to the breakdown of mechanical parts with each run drive damage can only get worse. To increase the chances of success data recoveryIf possible, do not use the disc.

Shut down the computer, and in the case of an external hard drive, perform safe removal and disconnect the USB-cable.

3. Check the disc

If during the drive audible clicks, crackle and other extraneous sounds, it is better to take the help of professionals. In any case, do not disassemble the drive! Recover data on their own would be almost impossible.

If anything like this is not observed, check the drive in all three ways.

Make sure the device is determined by the BIOS

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Turn on the computer and immediately after the start, press the Delete or F2 key several times. In some cases, use different keys, what - always written on the screen. After opening the menu, go to Boot → Hard Disk Drives. If the drive is listed, it means that the restoration of a chance.

Connect the drive to another computer

This is necessary to eliminate motherboard failure. External hard drive, simply connect the USB-cable to a computer or laptop, and then test.

Inner drive first remove from the system block previously or disabling the computer removing the battery laptop. To do this, remove the cover and disconnect the power and SATA cables, and then unscrew the fastening screws and carefully remove the disk. In the same way, connect it to another computer and see if the drive is available in the system. You can still use special pocketTo turn the internal drive to the external and connect the USB-cable.

If the other computer it works, then the problem is not with the disc but with the motherboard or other computer equipment.

Check the disk using special tools

For a more detailed inspection perform testing with applications drive manufacturers or universal tools like Victoria and HD Tune. Results show how serious damage.

4. Refer to the experts

If the information on the affected disk is of great value, bring it to qualified data recovery. As a rule, these have cleanrooms and equipment to revive even the most hopeless drive and pull the information out of him.

5. Try to repair the disk by yourself

If the files and documents are not vital, you can try to repair the drive with your hands. The chances of success in this case is not so great, but there.

You first need to restore information that is stored on the drive. To do this, there are many free and paid utilities.

they all work on a similar principle. You need to select the drive, scan it, and then indicate which of the found files to restore. The drive will have to connect the USB-cable or installed in another computer on which to run the software for recovery.

Then you can begin to resuscitate the disc itself.

Method 1: Clear contacts

Like any other electrical contacts, the connection controller board with a hard drive eventually oxidized. This leads to malfunction and errors. To resolve this issue, the contacts must be cleaned stationery eraser or pure ethanol.

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1. Unscrew all the screws around the perimeter of the board and carefully remove it from its place.
2. Thoroughly clean the gold-plated contacts eraser.
3. Wipe with alcohol cotton swab. Vodka and other alcohol-containing liquid is not recommended for this.
4. After cleaning, assemble everything in reverse order, connect the drive and check its performance.

Method 2: remove broken sectors

If the preliminary test showed the presence of Bad-blocks on the disk, you can try to remove them with the help of Victoria utility.

1. Connect the problematic drive to another computer.
2. Download and run the program Victoria.
3. Select the right-hand side of the tab Standard desired disc.
4. Click the Tests tab and select Remap option in the right pane.
5. Click the Start button and wait until the process is finished.

Method 3: freeze disc in a refrigerator

Controversial option that allows you to revive your hard drive for a while. Most often used as a last resort. And even if we can copy the data storage itself is likely to die forever.

1. Place the disc in a sealed plastic bag and place in the freezer. Additionally, you can put inside several packages silica gel.
2. Take out after 5-6 hours and immediately connect to the computer.
3. If the disc will start as soon as possible to copy the data.