Hard Drive Blues

No matter what you do, it’s going to happen.

“Even the best hard drives crash,” says Ben Carmitchel, president of ESS Data Recovery, Inc. “Usually, during the most inopportune time. If your drive hasn’t crashed yet, it will.”

Every year, thousands of cases pour in to data recovery companies like ESS from people with crashed or physically damaged hard drives. In a world increasingly more dependant on information technology, a hard drive crash can be fatal for a small business. Luckily, in most cases the information is not necessarily lost.There’s no need to crawl up in the fetal position in a corner sucking your thumb,” said Carmitchel. “Over 90% of the cases we get are completely recoverable.”

Chances of Recovery

What influences whether a case is recoverable? Sometimes, user error is the obvious culprit; unintentional deletions and formats are very common at data recovery centers such as ESS, and most of the time a full recovery is probable. Deleting a file doesn’t entirely destroy it, and even after it’s been written over, a deleted file can often be restored. The United States Department of Defense claims that a file can only be truly deleted if it has been written over in binary code seven or more times.

Though deleting files is common, it rarely causes a complete hard drive failure. Most hard drive crashes are caused by a physical error in the drive itself. Modern drives consist of “heads,” small mechanisms that read and write data, and “platters,” silver, thick disks that store the data. In a normal hard drive, the heads float only about a micron above the platters. If the drive is contaminated by dirt or the heads become misaligned, the heads can scrape against the platters, causing data loss and hard times for the drive’s owner. If the platters are scoured too much, however, data recovery becomes impossible.

This type of damage is rare, and companies that specialize in data recovery can get lost data back in most cases, but often frustrated users make the drive worse by acting irrationally. If you fear your computer’s hard drive may have crashed, follow these steps:

Decide if the problem is a physical one. If you deleted a file, many programs such as R-studio can help. Make sure the program you choose is getting good feedback from its users. If you see smoke coming out of the drive, well, chances are you've got bigger problems.

Listen. If the drive is making a clicking, whirring, or grinding noise, turn it off. This sound is usually caused by the heads impacting the platters, and drives that continue to run in such a condition are less likely to be recovered. Those that are still recoverable after suffering this abuse are likely to cost more, sometimes in thousands of dollars.

Don’t panic. It’s understandable to be distressed after a hard drive crash, but acting irrationally can make the problem worse. Some people even physically abuse their computers after a crash. “We’ve seen drives come in that have been thrown through windows and into pools,” says Carmitchel. “These types of frustrated actions can make the bill pretty frustrating, too.”

Write down all of the information about the drive that you can. If you have a model number, that’s great. Otherwise, try to remember the brand of the drive. Many data recovery companies are familiar with the problems of specific hard drive brands, and this information can help them diagnose the problem over the phone.

If your information is important, call a data recovery company right away. Many companies, such as ESS, offer low cost evaluation services that will tell you exactly what’s wrong with your drive and give you a not to exceed estimate. Some even estimate the chances of recovery, and ESS applies the price of the evaluation towards the cost of the recovery. The important thing is to be timely; neglected hard drives may take on additional damage, especially in cases of floods and electrical shocks. Just remember that the longer you wait, the more the drive will cost you.

When removing the hard drive, ground yourself. Touch the power supply of the computer while it’s plugged in to remove any static charge you might have. Hard drives are extremely sensitive to static shock, and a single jolt can make your recovery a lot more costly. Be careful not to jar the hard drive at all, and unplug the power to the computer before unplugging the drive itself. After removing it, put the drive in a static-free bag.

If you send the drive away to a recovery service, use at least two to three inches of packing material. You don’t want the drive to get damaged by the shipping companies. Most data recovery companies recommend static free bubble wrap, but if you’ve got a static free bag on the drive already, normal bubble wrap can be okay. Make sure that the drive isn’t going to move around at all inside the box.

Finally, make sure your data recovery company is respected in the field. If the company offers a flat rate for its service, avoid it. These companies treat logical problems on the drive and typically aren’t prepared to deal with crashes. Some of them can ruin your hard drive by running programs on it while the heads are in contact with the platters, physically grinding the data away. Make sure the company you choose has plenty of experience with physical damage. A good data recovery company should also have a clean room, which is a place where the drive can be disassembled without potentially being damaged by dust or other airborne particles.

Down But Not Out

Losing data can be tough, and it always seems to happen at an inopportune time. With a little bit of forethought, you can avoid data loss by backing up your important files regularly using CDs, DVDs, external hard drives, or even internet backup services.

If you do experience a crash, all is not lost. If you’re prepared to pay from $700-1500 for your data, chances are good that it can be recovered, provided you think things through and don’t act irrationally. The important thing is to take a step back and breathe; curling into the fetal position, however, is usually unnecessary.