Can I Recover Files From a Broken Hard Drive?

They say that before you (believe) die, your life flashes before your eyes. It was comparable to when I discovered my hard disk was failing. I couldn't stop thinking about the hundreds of photographs I hadn't backed up. I was determined to bring them back, and I think I succeeded in some ways.

Losing data on your computer can be quite annoying, especially if you lose important employment documents or information about your own business. These things are less often, luckily, but when they do occur, we frequently feel a great deal of annoyance until we are able to restore our data, if at all.

My Story of a Dead Hard Drive

I had a hard drive failure several years ago. My laptop was behaving weirdly. When the issues remained even after a reboot, I knew it was more than just overstretched RAM. I instantly began backing up recent files. After about a half-hour, the hard drive failed audibly and the laptop would no longer boot.

I had backups of some things, but not all of them. My backup drive had surpassed capacity just a few weeks before. I had opted to erase my personal images in order to back up crucial work files. Despite having acquired a new external drive, I had not taken the time to build a comprehensive backup. My images were now gone, and I was horrified.

Today, we'll go over some of the most "common" ways people lose data stored on a hard disk, as well as some of the best techniques to recover it. If you'd want to learn more, or if you've lately encountered such a situation, please stick with us to the conclusion. Let's take a closer look.

What Are the Most Common Methods of File Loss?

Deleted data by mistake

This occurs more frequently than most people would want to acknowledge, yet it is usually the easiest scenario to recover from. There are numerous computer tools that can assist you in restoring the items you've destroyed, but the sooner you do this, the better your chances of success.

Virus Attacks

Viruses, believe it or not, are one of the most common causes of data loss. Even well-known corporations can be affected when an employee who isn't computer knowledgeable enough visits a website that carries a virus. Of fact, there are countless additional methods for this to occur, such as a virus downloaded to a computer via a USB or an infected hard disk.

We're not going to go into great detail about this because our major focus should be on a broken HDD, but bear in mind that viruses can cause serious damage if you're not careful. In order to avoid situations like this from happening, most businesses purchase extremely expensive anti-virus licenses.

Breach of Security

This is what occurs when a hacker gang or a computer-skilled individual with malicious intent gains access to your storage. They have the option of deleting the files or "leaking" them to the public.

Famous and successful organizations typically have a whole team of competent IT technicians who regularly check the "defenses" of the company's network in order to prevent a security breach.

Is your hard drive making noises?

Listen to the sound the hard drive makes as you try to get it to work. Is it fully extinct? Is it still turning? What does it sound like exactly? Compare your sound to the Data Cent list of hard drive sounds. This will assist you in determining the sort of damage.

Internal or exterior harm can occur. A clicking sound, for example, indicates that the head is dysfunctional, indicating internal damage. A completely dead drive, on the other hand, could be the result of external damage, such as a damaged printed circuit board (PCB).

A hard-drive Failure
When your hard drive fails, you are likely to lose a large number of vital personal items such as photos, music, documents, and other important information. This is extremely aggravating if you've never created a backup before, because you're practically losing everything you have stored on that device.

Fortunately, services like datasector.hr have spent years improving the many methods of saving people's data in such instances. If you are now in such a circumstance, there is something you should bear in mind.
The initial attempt to save the lost data is usually the one with the best prospects of success. This is why it is far better to quickly see a professional and let them handle things rather than attempting and failing to do so on your own.


Some Best Data Recovery Software for Windows
  • Disk Drill Data Recovery for Windows. (Best Overall)
  • Recuva. (Best free version)
  • EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. (Best for novices).
  • Stellar Data Recovery Professional For Windows. (Best file preview)
  • R-Studio for Windows
  • MiniTool Power Data Recovery
  • DM Disk Editor and Data Recovery Software.

Pick Wisely when Choosing Various data-recovery Software

There are numerous tools available on the internet that are designed expressly for recovering deleted data from your hard drive. The majority of them demand a paid membership, but others are fully free and open-source. It's entirely up to you which one you choose, but before you do, make sure you read at least a number of customer evaluations.

As previously said, the first attempt has the best probability of success, so pay close attention when selecting the program for your recovery process.

Also, keep in mind that it is much better not to power off your computer after losing your data because this causes additional issues. The sooner you try to recover, the better your chances of success.

Most data recovery apps are fairly user-friendly, and you won't need to be very computer-savvy to recover your lost data. The procedure needs you to pick the hard drive on which your data was saved before it was lost, and the rest of the process is mostly automated.


That's pretty much it; it's fairly straightforward to execute, and the most thinking you'll have to do is while looking for the correct program to perform the work with. Again, if you've lost any critical data and can't risk failing the recovery process in any way, it's best to see a specialist.