Freeware Recovery
The modern computer is capable of amazing things, with processing power and storage capacity beyond what almost anyone imagined a mere decade ago. Computers have also become more reliable and friendlier, with standards emerging to make their use less frustrating. To this day, however, the hard drive remains the weak link in the chain of computer components. Despite massive increases in storage capacity, the basic concept of the hard drive remains the same. A mechanical read/write head spins around a magnetic platter, driven by a small motor.
Unlike other parts of the computer, the small moving parts of the hard drive are prone to breaking down. The latest technology in hard drives, known as solid state storage, promises to make the hard disk as reliable and fast as RAM, but this is years away from being affordable. In current market prices, each gigabyte of SSD storage costs about $20. This puts the solid state drive well beyond most practical computer users. This means that we must continue to cope with the unreliability of the mechanical hard drive for some years to come.
Luckily, an entire industry has thrived around providing rescue services for users stuck with a bad hard drive. With common hard drives storing upwards of a terabyte of data, their failure can be a catastrophic event for the user. Although all hard drive failures seem like a calamity, some are more easily recovered from than others. In particular, software failures, such as corrupted drive partitions, are fairly easy to recover from.
Download a free utility such as Undelete or File Recovery Wizard, and you will find that hard drive issues caused by software malfunctions are easily repaired. Accidental deletions, corrupted partitions, and even reformatting problems can be cured by freeware recovery software. Just because the hard drive ceases to function does not mean the problem is hardware related. Corruption in a critical section of storage can cause the operating system to stop working. In cases like this, simply connect the bad drive to another computer and run the freeware recovery software from there.
Mechanical failures can be harder to recover from. In these situations, a part of the hard drive has gone bad, affecting its overall operation.
Most of these problems will require that the drive be shipped off to a service such as DriveSavers. A few repairs, such as faulty logic boards, can be accomplished at home. If a bad logic board is at fault, find an identical board with the same firmware, and replace the bad one.
The only tool required is a Torx screwdriver for the bolts holding the coverplate in place. Be sure to do this on an anti-static surface, such as a sheet of plastic. Be aware, however, that this voids any warranty associated with the drive.
Filed under: Freeware Recovery