There's plenty of data recovery software available to both consumers and businesses. Much of this software is effective, with the caveat that you understand the most appropriate time and place to use it. Like any other complex problem, there's no one-size-fits-all solution for digital data recovery. Instead, using the appropriate tools and techniques to manage specific drive failures is necessary.

Unfortunately, it's challenging for non-experts to understand when do-it-yourself approaches are appropriate and when more sophisticated techniques are needed. While a comprehensive guide on data recovery could fill an entire four-year college program, this article will provide a quick overview of when and why you may need professional data recovery.

Why Do Hard Drives Fail?

While there are plenty of ways that you can lose data on a hard drive, there are typically two broad classes of hardware failure: mechanical and electronic. Hard drives are fairly unique in the computer world since they can contain moving mechanical parts, a quality they typically only share with the fans in your system.

Mechanical failures can occur in many parts of your drive, although failures related to the head (the device that physically reads and writes data from the platters) are the most common. These failures may not immediately cause problems with read or write access, but you'll typically hear a clicking or other sounds from the drive.

On the other hand, electronic failures are usually more dramatic. These occur when a component on the drive's PCB fails or suffers damage. These components tend to be sensitive to power issues, so building supply issues or faulty PC power supplies can affect them. Electronics failures typically cause erratic drive behavior or, in severe cases, cause your computer to fail to recognize the drive.

When Should You Contact a Professional?

As a general rule, both mechanical and electronic failures can be recoverable. However, the quality and amount of data recovered will vary based on the condition of the drive. The good news is that electronic failures often don't damage data, so a qualified data recovery and repair shop may be able to swap in a new PCB or replace damaged modules on the PCB to restore your data.

Mechanical failures can be trickier since they can damage the platters, making it physically impossible to access portions of the platters. If you notice a mission-critical drive making unusual sounds, it's a good idea to shut the system down (if possible) and disconnect the drive immediately. Stopping the drive from running will prevent any additional damage and potentially help to save your data.

In both cases, you will want to contact a professional data recovery service when dealing with drives that contain critical data. For electronic failures, experts will be able to source the appropriate PCB and electronic components to restore the data. For mechanical failures, professional data recovery shops will have a clean room and appropriate equipment to help ensure a successful repair.

For more information, contact a company like Wholesale Computers & Technology.