Inability to access your data stored on the data storage
device could be caused by many reasons, from those that are
easy to fix to those which are completely impossible to fix.
If the damage is irreversible then data loss will occur. The
causes of the failure of your hard drive or CD-ROM drive could
vary from a bad connection due to a loose wire (which is
easily recoverable) to damage to the media itself, which could
still be recoverable in many cases.
As in the medical profession, the first principle of data
recovery is: "do not harm".
If you are facing a data loss situation, what not to do is
very important!
Do not power up a device that has obvious physical
damage.
Do not power up a device that has shown symptoms of
physical failure. For example, disks that make "obvious
mechanical fault noises" such as ticking or grinding, should
not be repeatedly powered on and tested as it just makes
them worse.
Activate the write-protect switch or tab on any problem
removable media such as tape cartridges and floppies. (Many
good backups are overwritten during a crisis.)
Do not use free software. This is very important. Free
data recovery software can be extremely dangerous and ruin
your chances for a successful data recovery. Many companies
offer free data recovery software -- also called
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) data recovery software -- available for
download on their website.
Even the best programs only work in very specific
situations. While these free tools that are available may
help, they usually only help if you are encountering one of a
very few specific data loss situations.
Some programs may cause further or permanent data loss.
While these programs are provided with good intention, even
when carefully used these utilities may cause recoverable data
to be permanently lost and may cause the loss of additional
data.
Anyway, there is something you CAN do; if you are having
data access problems and your media has no symptoms of
physical failure or damage, try and check some obvious issues
before deciding if you need data recovery:
Are the power and disk cables properly connected?
Is configuration or disk information correct?
Try the defective unit with a different
adapter/controller interface or on a different computer.
Is there an experienced technician at a local store or
the company help desk that you can consult, if these steps
are beyond your capabilities? (Make sure whoever is in
contact with your data loss situation is fully aware that
they should do nothing during their troubleshooting that
will risk hurting your data.)
Doesn’t work? Don’t panic; if the damage occurred to the
drive's electronics, it most likely could be fixed. If the
damage occurred to the, for example, system areas of the disk,
leaving the data zone intact, those data could be
theoretically, and (in some cases) practically, recovered by a
professional.
Look on the Net for data recovery companies, ask them
questions, explain them your situation. In most cases they
will be able to understand your problem and fix it for a fair
price.
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