![]() As Kroll Ontrack's Adrian Briscoe notes:įreezing hard drives previously worked if there was capacitor overheating on the external PCB of the drive. While you'll find multiple accounts online about sticking hard drives in freezers to recover files, this covers only a very specific set of circumstances. What if the hard drive has failed at the hardware level? Regardless of what method you try, once you're done, it's time to restart your computer, and format and reinstall Windows, safe in the knowledge that your memories are protected. If you fear for deleted or lost data, though, you're going to have to do a bit-by-bit image, which will take up every bit of space that your hard drive has, file compression aside. The first leaves out "free" space, and as a consequence results in a much smaller image file than the size of your disk - which is fine, if you're not trying to recover deleted data, and just trying to back it up. There are usually two ways to make an image. Instead of Ubuntu and manually copying, you could also go to the extreme of imaging your entire hard drive using something like an Acronis True Image bootable DVD, meaning that if you've forgotten to copy a file across in the backup, that image is there for you to extract it from. There are quite a few differences, but, as an emergency file-recovery desktop, it shouldn't take too long for Windows users to adjust and find what they need.Īlso positive is Ubuntu's ability to write to NTFS partitions, not just read them - important to be able to copy files larger than 4GB - and mounting a USB hard drive to back things up to is as easy as plugging the drive in, and waiting for the icon to appear on the desktop. Once your computer is sent to boot from DVD (or USB), instead of Windows as your operating system, you'll get Ubuntu, which should operate free of the defects that have suddenly crept into your main operating system. Still, there's one preventative measure that you should employ right now if you're running on a Windows system.īurning an Ubuntu disk (or, indeed, creating a bootable USB drive) can make life a whole lot easier. Needless to say, this wouldn't be an issue if you backed up regularly, but, if you're reading this article, it means that you haven't. It should be said that there's an element of prevention here - if you perform some steps before the disaster ever occurs, then you'll be in a much better place. That said, if it's a simple file loss, rather than a hardware failure, then there are things that the user can do if they decide not to opt for professional recovery. If the data is really important to you, then the highest chance of a successful recovery is with a professional data-recovery company. Don't use the device or let "the IT-savvy friend" try to recover data. If you suspect data loss or a serious mechanical problem with a hard drive, the first thing to do is to turn the computer or device off. ![]() The first step of data recovery is really with the client.
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