Hard drives store data in magnetic disks.

Quite often, data recovery software can detect and retrieve files from malfunctioning drives that cannot be detected by the operating system and refuse to be installed. This can be the first step to follow when you are trying to recover data.

In this post, we will explain what you should do in order to retrieve data from a hard drive by using data recovery software. However, if the information stored in the drive is highly valuable, it would be best to phone a computer repair technician, such as 911-computer.com, that will go to your house to diagnose the problem and help you improve your chances in retrieving the data.

You will need

• Data recovery software
• A computer that works independently
• USB hard drive adapter

Steps

Data recovery

1. Turn off the computer that has the damaged hard drive immediately after you notice it has problems.
2. Purchase a data recovery software and install it in your working computer. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery y EaseUs Recovery Wizard are good options.
3. Buy a USB hard drive adapter and connect it to an available USB port in the computer. Install the necessary controls for the adapter.
4. Connect the adapter to the damaged hard drive and to a power supply. Cancel any automatic messages that the unit tries to start or that ask what to do with the unit.
5. Run the data recovery software and scan the external units that are connected to the computer’s USB ports.
6. Run a full exploration of the malfunctioning unit’s surface to retrieve the data in the unit.
7. Store the recovered data in an external hard drive, or in the computer, or connect any other storage device to store the recovered data.

Advice and warnings

• Contact a data recovery expert, such as 911-computer.com, for units that cannot be detected when using data recovery software. Often, the data can be retrieved online, or you can send them your unit. Sometimes, a unit that is connected as a computer’s secondary unit can be repaired by running one of the drive’s utilities included in Windows, such as Error-Checking, which allows the disk to be used normally when the original system is reinstalled.
• Repeatedly trying to make the unit work will only worsen the situation and minimize your chances of success when trying to recover data. Important or vital files in the hard drive run the risk of being permanently lost when you try to retrieve data with the software. If the files are very important, it is preferred that data recovery professionals try to recover the information.