How To Recover Data From Broken Hard Drive?

Introduction

Whenever you hear about a dead or damaged hard drive, the first image that comes to your mind is that of irrevocably lost data. However, this diagnosis is not correct. Recovering data from a broken hard drive could be challenging but crucial, especially when sensitive and important data files are at stake. And yes, you can also recover data from a dead or damaged hard drive. Here, we will examine in detail the various causes of a broken hard drive and the steps to follow to recover data from a broken hard drive.

Part 1: What are the causes of broken/dead HDD

Before we explore the various ways in which we can recover data from a broken hard drive, let us first examine the various causes of a broken hard disk drive.

Physical damage

If you accidentally drop your hard disk drive and hit it hard, it could be broken and unreadable. Spilling water or any other liquid would also corrupt the hard drive. Any other mechanical issue also falls under physical damage.

Data corruption

Besides physical damage, the hard drive could also suffer logical damage. A corrupt file system, accidental formatting, or a malware attack can cause the hard disk to be broken or inaccessible.

Firmware issues

Even though the hard drive looks mechanically proper, many times, a problem with the firmware can render the hard disk broken.

Part 2: Is a broken HDD data recovery possible?

Broken Hard disk data recovery is difficult but not impossible. A broken HDD data recovery would greatly depend upon the type of damage. We can broadly classify a broken HDD into two parts: logical damage and physical damage. Let us understand in detail what we mean by both the terms and the probability of data recovery in both cases.

Logical damage recovery

Logical damage implies that the hard disk drive is unreadable due to any other cause than physical damage, be it data corruption, malware attack, etc. Recovery of such damage is very much possible because it implies that the data is on the disk and needs to be retrieved using the right technique.

Physical damage recovery

Physical damage to the hard drive implies damage such as misaligned or scratched magnetic platters. Recovery at home is almost impossible for such damages and requires a professional data recovery service. This is because repairing such types of disks requires a professional cleanroom environment to prevent further damage and professional help with the proper tools and knowledge to attempt a safe recovery.

Only those disks with physical damage can be restored at home that have superficial physical damage and doesn’t impact any internal parts. So, the question is how to understand whether the damage is physical or logical. To do this, you need to assess the damage. The following are some of the common signs of physical damage:

• Unusual clicking or grinding noise coming from your system.
• A strong smell, as if something is burning, comes when you turn on your system.
• No sound of the HD comes when you turn on your system.

If your drive shows any of the signs above, you must understand that this cannot be fixed at home and needs a professional environment only. Other than this, the damage might be superficial, and a recovery can be attempted using recovery software.

Part 3: How to restore data from a broken hard drive using Recoverit

When it comes to recovering a broken hard drive using recovery software, the first name that comes to mind is Recoverit. Wondershare Recoverit is robust and user-friendly data recovery software that aids in retrieving data from internal hard drive discs and external storage devices. Millions around the world trust it. This tool can extract data from crashed computers and even repair corrupted files. The following are the steps to use Wondershare Recoverit.

Step 1: Download and Install Recoverit

Select a location on your PC, download, and Install the Recoverit software, and then go to the official website from the link mentioned above.

Step 2: Connect your dead Hard Drive to your PC

Connect your dead HDD to your PC and make sure it is recognized.

Step 3: Select your HDD in Recoverit

Open the Wondershare Recoverit and select the HDD you want to recover from the Hard Drives and Locations.

Recoverit will automatically begin scanning the hard disk drive and display the files found on it. You can review the files and select the ones you wish to keep.

Step 4: Click on Recover

Once you select the files you wish to keep, click Recover and assign a path where you want to save them. The files will be recovered and saved on the designated path.

Part 4: Other methods to recover deleted files from dead HDD

There are various other methods that you can try to restore data from a dead HDD. Let us explore them here under:

Method 1: Checking the recycle bin

If your hard disk drive is dead or has crashed, it performs actions without authorization. This means there is a high probability that it will automatically delete the data saved on the hard drive without your permission. Therefore, if you notice that files are missing from your hard drive, don’t be surprised if you find them in the recycle bin.

Following are the steps to recover documents from the recycle bin:

• Open the recycle bin.
• Find the files that you wanted to access and had gone missing.
• Right-click on the same and click on restore.

If you wish to restore the files to a different location, you can drag and drop them to the location of your choice.

Method 2: Restore from backup

Using Wondershare Recoverit, you can recover files that haven’t been backed up. If, however, you have already taken a backup and have a copy of it, then there is nothing better than restoring that backup. You can use File History to recover the data from the backup.

File History keeps a backup of every small change you make to your file. The following are the steps to recover files from File History.

• Open Settings under the Strat Menu of your computer.
• Go to Update Security > Backup and click on More Options.

• In the pop-up menu, click on Restore from current backup.
• Select the files you want to restore from the dead or damaged hard disk.
• Once you have selected all the files, click on Restore and give the new path where you want these files to be restored.

Conclusion

A broken hard disk may lead to data loss. Be very cautious if you hear some weird noise from your hard disk. Overheating, booting problems, etc, are signs that your hard disk might crash and need attention. However, it's not impossible to recover data from a broken hard drive. For logical damages, software like Recoverit can save you from loss. However, if your HDD is physically damaged, it is advised to take it to an excellent professional to avoid further damage and recover as much as possible.