Device for Data Recovery

ICit2lol said:

Hello and welcome mahmoud mate depends on the amount of "damage" if it is not completely shot then I would suggest replacing it ASAP.

I suppose you could try Recuva but again depends on how damaged it is.

Recuva - Download < from piriform but however this s more of a recover deleted data app.


I have tried an old trick of putting the HDD into a freezer for 24 hours and then powering it up again but hasn't worked for me so far.

The only real and sensible solution is to back up regularly.

Hello my friend, :)

apologize for answer late because of work load these days, i did what you said but still the same.

Thanks for your help.

jumanji said:

Hi,

There is absolutely no point in trying to retrieve data from a damaged HDD in your situation. Redundancy is the best solution.

If you consider that the data on your computers are very critical and you wouldn't like to lose it due a HDD failure and cost is no consideration, you may consider RAID 1 at the least, where you will have an exact copy on the other drive.

A simple starting point on RAID: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 Explained with Diagrams

You may google further on RAID for more detailed information.

Hello my friend, :)

This method is very important especially with the servers. but what happened with me is in a single PC.

Thanks for your help.

Mark Phelps said:

If a hard drive is actually damaged, the ONLY way to retrieve data is to disassemble it, replace the damaged parts, and reassemble it -- ALL done in a cleanroom environment. This is not an IT function; it is a hard drive repair facility function. As you can guess, it requires a special environment and specialized equipment -- and can NOT be done with any of the software solutions out there.

There ARE data recovery apps, some of the best being those sold by Runtime Software, but they generally only recover data from corrupted filesystems -- NOT where physical damage is involved.

So basically, the answer to your question is NO -- if the drives are truly damaged, you will not be able to recover them.

Hello my friend, :)

I asked about it, it could be repair from the manufacturer service provider but ooh my goodness it is very costly.

Thanks for your help.

Patrick4215 said:

It depends how important your damaged HDD is. In australia, the hard drive repair fee is roughly $1000.So up to you

Hello my friend, :)

Same way as here, and they charge for each 1GB around $100.

Thanks for your help.

ICit2lol said:

Patrick4215 said:

It depends how important your damaged HDD is. In australia, the hard drive repair fee is roughly $1000.So up to you

Absolutely agree I watched a video on one being disassembled and rebuilt and yes even things you wouldn't give a thought to like the exact torque required to fix the "lid" down is just something else.

Now I agree with everyone so far but what isn't clear though is what sort of damage has been created physical to the drive by say dropping - or that the filing / data has been corrupted by reckless use of the drive - just for a couple of examples. You say you work in IT and deal with a lot of them so you must have a rough idea of what is happening to the drives that you are asking about.

So mahmoud could you clarify a bit mate on what that damage actually is? as I think most of us are thinking the drive is maybe worn out or has been tampered with or at least I am.

As Patrick said data can be retrieved but at great expense and I would be looking at how those computers are used or abused for that matter.

That's correct.

essenbe said:

As everyone else has said, it is almost impossible to recover data from a dead hard drive, except by companies who do that, but it requires a lot of expertise and equipment. Not to mention, costs several thousand dollars. But, a company with several hundred computers, I would think would be running a server which, at the least, backs up the data daily. That way there would be no major loss of data, as the server would have copies of it.

Hello my friend, :)

you are correct, only the specialist companies can solve that complex problem and costly as well.
And yeah as you said the backup is the only painkiller

Thanks for your help.

LMiller7 said:

The best way to safeguard your important data is to maintain adequate backups, not recover data from a damaged hard drive. All files of any importance need at least one backup copy, those of particular importance need 2 or more backup copies. If you wish to safeguard your data (and your job) this is a necessity.

RAID 1, RAID 5, etc, isn't a bad idea but you must understand it's purpose. That is to maintain access to your data even in the event of a drive failure. It is not to safeguard your data. That is what backups are for.

There is hardware available that may recover data when software methods fail. But these are sophisticated and very expensive tools intended for use by data recovery professionals. They are by no means easy to use.

Data recovery should be considered an emergency measure when IT has failed in it's mandate. In the event that recovery is necessary and software methods fail it is best to have it done by a data recovery professional. Yes, this will be expensive, but not as expensive as the results of a failed attempt by an amateur.

When data recovery is necessary you need to make an early decision whether the data is worth the cost of professional services and the risks of DIY recovery. If the drive has physical problems repeated attempts to recover data may cause sufficient damage that even professional data recovery will fail. A professional will first try to determine the nature of the problem and what recovery method is most likely to succeed. Make the wrong guess and the data may be gone forever.

Hello my friend, :)

I've tried some data recovery programs, in fact many factors, how strong the program is, the size of damage, portion on HDD which either could be read by that program or not.

Thanks for your help.

ICit2lol said:

essenbe said:

As everyone else has said, it is almost impossible to recover data from a dead hard drive, except by companies who do that, but it requires a lot of expertise and equipment. Not to mention, costs several thousand dollars. But, a company with several hundred computers, I would think would be running a server which, at the least, backs up the data daily. That way there would be no major loss of data, as the server would have copies of it.

Well I was wondering that or whether the OP was actually a roving IT fix person as he says he looks after or manages computers for different companies or that he is the IT fellow charge of one company.
I sorta find it a tad confusing that if mahmoud is indeed the IT fellow for either of the above that he wouldn't know about this issue.

So Mahmoud do you work for a) one company or b) a company that sorts others out?

Hello my friend, :)

i am working as Desktop and PC support and we are group of companies around (18) moreover, i am working in the main company and recently joined.

That's why i liked Windows 7 Professional with it is new features because it gives a lot of challenge on how to manage the OS.

Nevertheless, i will apply for Microsoft Windows 7 Desktop Support and Administration.

thanks for your help.

BTW: i liked your question.

Britton30 said:

I think what the OP is asking "What device to I buy to make backups?"
In answer I would recommend a NAS (Network Attached Storage) of several terabytes size An some professional type back up software to manage a daily back up of all the drives in your system.
Nope, I was wrong.

you might give Spinrite a try, it is software to run on a damaged drive to allegedly recover data.

Hello my friend, :)

i like this software and in some cases it helped me a lot.

Thanks for your help.