Data supports the operations of a business, and when lost it takes a lot of work to restore it. This can be expensive, putting pressure on finances and drawing down reserves.
The bigger a hard drive is, physically and logically, the longer it could take to recover files. This is because larger drives require cloning before recovery can be done effectively.
Damaged Hard Drives
The first step in data recovery is determining whether your hard drive can be saved. If it is physically damaged or has a serious firmware problem, this can significantly extend the duration of the process. A common reason for this is a failed read/write head, a bad platter or a stuck motor. These issues are usually diagnosable by clicking sounds, but they can often be fixed with stopgap measures in the lab.
It can take longer to recover data from a damaged hard drive than a functioning one because the process involves image*ing the entire disk in the lab. This can be time consuming because the experts have to rebuild the OS file system and find files, folders and other data to extract to external storage. We advise that you avoid trying any do-it-yourself quick fixes, as these are likely to make the situation worse and may render your data unrecoverable. If you have any doubts about the status of your hard drive, let an expert diagnose it and give you a quote.
Virus Attacks
The majority of data loss is caused by human error, but viruses and malware are also common causes. Virus attacks can cause significant downtime and damage systems, so it’s important to have a backup strategy in place.
Fortunately, most viruses can be recovered with a good data recovery BD program. However, it’s best to install the software on a separate hard drive or USB drive to avoid any data overwriting. Then, select the infected drive and run a quick scan. This will find deleted or hidden files. You can use file type filters or type grouping to quickly locate the desired files.
Another common type of virus is EXE (executable) viruses, which can hide important files, disable parts of the operating system or cause widespread data corruption. These viruses are often found on file-sharing websites or bundled with shady software. Using a reliable EXE virus recovery tool, you can recover most of these files. This can be a long process, but the results are usually worth it.
Corrupted Files
Every file has a structure to it and when this is disrupted it can cause the file to become corrupted. The file will then be inoperable and the operating system won’t understand what to do with it.
Corrupted files are a common occurrence and can happen for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, they are caused by a software bug that will either temporarily disrupt the operation of the program or permanently damage it.
This is why it’s so important to keep regular backups. Backups can easily restore the previous version of a file that has been corrupted. In the event that your files aren’t backed up, you should enlist the services of a data recovery specialist who can perform a raw image scan to create an accurate representation of the damaged drive. This can take a few days as engineers read through the low-level data sectors on the drive to rebuild a new image of the data.
Formatting
Formatting is a necessary step for hardware to work with software. However, if the wrong format is chosen it can lead to data loss. Thankfully, even formatting errors can be recovered with the help of a professional.
Full formatting is a good idea if you’re donating or selling equipment because it wipes the drive clean. However, it’s important to note that the process also makes it harder for data recovery software to access any files stored on the hard drive.
Conclusion:
It’s also worth noting that solid-state drives (SSDs) overwrite data differently than HDDs. This means that even if you performed a full format on an SSD, there’s a chance your data could be recoverable as long as the TRIM command hasn’t been disabled, the drive was stopped before performing a full format, and it wasn’t re-used. If these conditions apply, a data recovery engineer can use a special program to read the physical cells or firmware of an SSD in order to extract and reconstruct your lost files.