If hard drive died, how to recover data from it? If you also confront this issue, don’t worry, in this post, you’ll learn disk data recovery method and how to deal with your disk.
A hard disk won’t fail suddenly, there are always some signs of failing disk you’ve confronted but you may not understand what it does mean.
When the disk is plugged in, it probably produces clicks, grinding sounds, or a screeching sound. It is probable that the platters and read/write heads are grinding against one another. It is merely exacerbating the damage.
Is the disk not being detected or powered on when it is inserted in? Occasionally, the circuit board of a hard drive may malfunction due to component failure or electrical damage, resulting in the drive's inability to operate. Attempt to replace the logic (circuit) board of the hard drive with an identical one from another drive of the same model.
Firmware failure is typically caused by errors in the firmware of the hard drive circuit board, the redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array controller card, or the BIOS or integrated SATA chips. It is advisable to maintain a current firmware version, provided that the updates have been thoroughly tested. It is recommended that you test your disks and backups in a laboratory setting before deploying them to production, if feasible. This should be done both before and after firmware updates.
Software failures fall into three categories: Operating system corruption, application errors, and user-related mistakes.
The system files can be corrupted as a result of a corrupted update file, encroaching physical hard drive failure, overheating, or a malware attack. Certain viruses can overwrite the boot sector of your hard drive, resulting in the disk's inability to operate. However, the majority of the data is still recoverable.
Bad data can be written to disk as a result of programming flaws or other application errors. This can also result in the overwriting of system memory (RAM/swap), which can compromise the integrity of subsequent data writes to disk. It is imperative to maintain backups and test them, particularly when introducing untested or potentially problematic software into production environments.
The majority of data loss occurs at the endpoints prior to backup, which implies that user devices containing individuals' work are being damaged, infected, or stolen. Disk recovery work is significantly influenced by accidental user deletions.
For physical damage, the hard drives with misaligned or scratched platters require professional recovery in a clean way to avoid further harm. Home recovery is only feasible for superficial damage, such as issues with the external casing, as long as the drive can still communicate with a computer.
It’s lucky that data can be recovered from hard drives that have been subjected to logical damage, such as data corruption or the consequences of a malware attack. This is due to the fact that part of data is still extant on the drive and can be retrieved by employing the appropriate method, which is detailed in the subsequent section of this article.
Hard drive died, how to recover data? For most users, this is the biggest problem when they find disk failure causes data loss. After a logical failure, the internal components of the hard drive are not subjected to physical damage. Nevertheless, the data on the malfunctioning hard disk is unable to be located as a result of a variety of factors, such as malware/virus infection, faulty files, and incorrect formatting.
Consequently, it is feasible to recover data from a failing hard disk by employing data recovery software—AOMEI FastRecovery. This is due to the fact that the data is stored on the drive and can be retrieved using the appropriate method.
Data can be easily retrieved in this handy tool from a variety of sources, including external hard drives, HDDs, SSDs, SD devices, and USB drives. It is a versatile solution for a variety of data loss situations, as it is capable of recovering a wide range of file categories, such as pictures, videos, emails, and documents, among over 2000 others.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery, and then choose the external hard drive.
Step 2. Scan your drive to find the deleted files. It offers two modes, Quick Scan and Deep Scan, supporting thoroughly scanning your storage devices for finding lost data.
Step 3. After scanning, all missing files will be displayed. Kindly choose the specific files and then click Recover.
Step 4. Specify a path for these files and wait for the process to complete.
If you’re not in a hurry to recover data from your hard drive, and you’re sure you’ve enabled some automatic backup functions on Windows, you may also recover disk data files from system tool.
Step 1. Launch the Start menu and enter “file history.” Select the File History.
Step 2. Click the Restore personal files option in the File History Control Panel window.
Step 3. Navigate to the folder in which your files were stored and utilize the navigational arrows to access a specific point in time when the files were present. Click the green "restore" icon after selecting the files you wish to recover. The files will be reintroduced to the folder upon their restoration.
After you recover your data from a dead hard drive, let’s see what you can do for your hard drive.
CHKDSK is a file system repair application that may be used to fix logical faults on your hard drive. Using settings, you can instruct CHKDSK to check your drive for faults and automatically correct them. This includes the ability to discover faulty sectors and flag them as unavailable space, ensuring that no data is unintentionally saved there.
Step 1. Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11. Click “Yes” if prompted by UAC.
Step 2. Type chkdsk /f /r D:. Replace D: with the letter of your disk. Press Enter.
After running the command, it will not take long to complete; however, longer drives may require longer wait times.
If any of your Windows files are corrupted or missing, your system may fail to function properly. In such instances, you can run the System File Checker (SFC) utility. The SFC program, like CHKDSK, is a tool bundled with Windows. Instead of resolving file system issues, it may detect and restore missing or damaged Windows system files.
Step 1. Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) in Windows 10 or Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11.
Step 2. Type DISM.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth and press Enter. It will take a few minutes. This command uses Windows Update to get the files required to repair corruptions.
Step 3. Type sfc /scannow and click Enter. This program will scan the system for corrupted files and replace them with working versions.
After you check your hard drive carefully, if you’re sure the dead hard drive has no physical damage, the data loss is only caused by some errors from programs or system files etc. You can wipe the hard disk for secure disposal or sell it out.
Another option is to reformat and use it as an external disk for more storage on your computer, you can learn more details from: What to Do with Old Hard Drives?
Do not give up hope if your hard disk appears to be dead. The phrase "dead" can frequently be misleading, since many seemingly hopeless situations can still be handled with the proper recovery tactics. Logical faults, for example, are frequently resolved with the correct software and a little know-how, as is cosmetic physical damage.
However, if your drive has experienced physical damage and all of the procedures in this article have failed, you may always contact AOMEI FastRecovery to have an expert examine what other possibilities are available.