Hard Drive Maintenance

Your hard drive is a vulnerable thing, and so it’s something that you’ll need to protect at all costs. Think of your hard drive as the soul of your computer, without it your computer is nothing but an empty shell. Hard drive maintenance is vital. Lose your hard drive and you lose your personal files, records, photos, programs and a whole lot of other things.

In order to avoid this happening, you need to keep your hard drive well maintained, and to do that well, you need to know exactly what needs to be done.

The first thing you do before any hard drive maintenance check. You can do this by going to the Start menu, clicking on Programs, then Accessories, System Tools then Scandisk. This takes a while so you might want to do it at night or when you are sure nobody will be using the computer for a while.

Performing this action regularly will keep your program files organized, resulting in your computer running as efficiently as possible. Again, you can access this tool under the System Tools function, and ideally you should do this once a week, certainly at least once a month. More information on Defragging Your Hard Drive.

The Disk Cleanup tool will search your hard drive and then it will show you all of the temporary files, cached internet files and any other unnecessary files that you have on your drive. All of these files can be safely deleted, and it is advisable to do so.

Disk Cleanup can be accessed via the System Tools menu, and once again it should be performed on a weekly basis for best hard drive maintenance practices.

You can also get rid of lots of other garbage and clutter on your computer system, older temporary files and cache files etc. There are also other kinds of files that can be left dotted around all over your hard drive that you will want to get rid of. For instance, one of the biggest pieces of clutter you’ll find during hard drive maintenance is known as “mscreate.dir”, and then there are dozens of files that end with the “gid.” extension. Mscreate files are usually created as a program is being installed on your hard drive, and once the installation is done these files have served their purpose and are no longer needed. The .gid files are actually help files, which you really don’t need because they can be created at any time when you hit the “Help” button.

If you want to perform a manual clean up of your hard drive, you can select Start, then Find, then click on Files or Folders and look for these clutter files.

In order to locate and delete these folders, once again you need to select the Start menu, then click Find, Files or Folders and then enter *.tmp and this should find them all, allowing you to delete them.

If you are experiencing errors with Windows shut down, you can possibly fix these by searching for *.chk instead and deleting them as well.

You should try to make sure that your temporary folders directory is cleaned out once a week. While this folder does create various things that are needed by your system, deleting any of these will not cause a big problem as Windows can simply recreate anything it needs. The worst that will happen is that you might need to reboot your computer, but that is a small price to pay for a healthy hard drive.

It’s very important to clear out your temporary files during hard drive maintenance because if you never do this, the file will grow to a massive size and can slow down your computer significantly.

The only two files that you should leave well alone are the Windows System Folder, which should be obvious, and the Sysbackup folder. Both of these files are vital to keep Windows working properly.

Do you actually use these programs or are they just there? If you don’t, then it might be beneficial for you to delete the online services from both the desktop and your program files, and delete MSN from your desktop. Hard drive maintenance is often about deciding what programs you need and what you can live without. Deleting the unnecessary ones will save you a lot of space on your hard drive.

If you decide later on that you would like to use them, they are still on your Windows CD or you can easily download them again, so it’s no big deal. The point is, it’s senseless to keep them if they are never being used, and they can slow your system down a lot just by being there.

Another thing that you can wave goodbye to is the Internet Connection Wizard, once you are online. It really isn’t necessary to connect to the internet at all, and if you want to you can always use the internet Dial Up Connection Panel. Once again, if you need it later on it’s still there on your Windows disk, or you can receive it via Windows Updates too.

While you are probably going to want to use the full version of Microsoft Word on your computer, if you don’t use any of the other programs, for example Excel, Infopath and Powerpoint, then you really don’t need to install the whole Microsoft Office program. The full version takes up over 2.5 GB of your hard drive space, and will slow you down quite significantly.

Meanwhile, if people are constantly sending you files in different formats, it’s worthwhile to invest in a piece of software called the Jasc Quickview Plus Program. This program is great as it lets you open, read, write and even edit more than 200 different types of file, meaning that you won’t need to have dozens of different programs installed to read each of the different file types.

Just remember that the more programs and files that you have stored on your hard drive, the more prone it will be too errors and the less effective your hard drive maintenance will be.

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Data Recovery from Crashed External Hard Drive

When your external hard drive crashes then what you need to do in order to retrieve your date will depend on whether it is still mechanically working or not. Data recovery from crashed external hard drive is tricky, yet with luck, the drive will be working, but the data index may still be lost.

You’ll have to check this first of all by attaching it to your PC and seeing if the computer recognizes the hard drive or not. If your PC does recognize the external hard drive, but doesn’t show any data on it then follow the advice under Software Data recovery from crashed external hard drive section.

However, if your hard drive is not recognized by the computer, then you can try taking it out of its case and manually attaching it to your PC. Now you can check again to see if the hard drive is recognized or not. If it is, and you see all of you data still intact, then the likely problem is with the power supply for your external drive. However, if the drive appears to be dead, then you will need to read further in the Lab Data recovery from crashed external hard drive section.

In the case of a logical failure, for instance when the data has been corrupted by the Master File Table, or MFT, your data is still saved somewhere on the hard drive, but the index for it is not there. In this case, the data is usually quite easily retrieved.

You will need to get yourself another hard drive that has the same capacity or more as the damaged hard drive, plus you will need some data recovery software. Data Recovery Pro, GetBackData and ParetoLogic are all good ones you can try, costing between $49.99 and $199. Alternatively, you can try a free data recovery tool downloaded from the internet, such as Recuva.

If you’re not too sure about doing it yourself, then you should outsource this job to someone who has a bit more experience with computers. The actual data recovery process may take several days to complete, depending on the size of your hard drive, and so the recovering computer needs to be left on during this time. There is a good chance that you will be able to recover all of your data, or at least a big part of it. If the MFT index is not reconstructed, you will still recover your data, however it will be in individual files with no folder structure.

If your external hard drive is not working at all, then you shouldn’t attempt to fix it yourself. Never open up a hard drive unless you know what you are doing, or you will risk losing your date forever. You will need to contact a specialized data recovery from crashed external hard drive lab in order to get them to do it for you.

Of course the easiest option is to prevent the need for data recovery in the first place! You can do this by regularly backing up all of your data on another drive, as the chances of both of them breaking down at exactly the same time are very remote.

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Hard Drive Data Partition Recovery

When one of the partitions in your hard disc packs up, there are two main methods of hard drive data partition recovery available.

Firstly, it’s possible to run special data recovery software in order to retrieve your most vital data files from that partition. Usually, in most cases you will be able to retrieve the data that you need without too much difficulty, with either free software or buy purchasing fully supported data recovery software.

If the problem with your hard drive data partition recovery is due to faulty components like the head arm breaking or simply due to aging, then using software might not work. In this case, your only real option is to call up an expert technician to take a look at things and see if they can gain access to any of your precious data, but this can be expensive.

There are no limitations regarding the size of your hard drive partition where hard drive data partition recovery is concerned. No matter if you are trying to retrieve data from a 1 MB flash drive or a 1 TB Ultra-SCAI hard drive, it should still be possible to recover data from it.

In addition, there aren’t any limitations regarding the kind of operating system you are attempting to extract the data from. Whether you are using Microsoft Windows or Linux, it should still be possible. This also extends to the different file formatting systems that are used, including NTFS and FAT32, both very common Windows systems, or the OS file system that is used by Mac computers.

Data can be recovered from any part of your damaged hard drive, and this even includes files that you may have previously deleted and have ended up in your recycle bin. All of these files are recoverable.

Secondly, hard drive data partition recovery by an expert should ensure that all your lost data is able to be recovered. It’s hardly a surprise that by far the most common damage seen is attributed to dropping or spillages, especially with regard to laptop computers.

At a corporate level, many companies employ the RAID configuration as a way of protecting their data, thus negating the impact of single hard drive failure. In a RAID 5 disk set for example, there would be no data loss should just one of the hard drives fail, as it would be possible to reconstruct the lost data from the failed member using the remaining disks. If the entire RAID 5 set happened to fail though, then this would be a major problem for the company.

Should the entire RAID volume fail, then there would be no alternative for the company but to call in the help of data recovery experts to try and restore both the RAID configuration and the data itself. Should your disk partition fail, and you were left unable to gain access to the data that is stored on that part of the hard drive then again, you would to call in an expert for hard drive data partition recovery.

So you can see what the different situations call for. If your personal hard drive fails, it should be possible to use data recovery software to extract your data. However, if your hard drive is damaged beyond repair, or if your RAID volume set fails and if one of your drive’s partitions fails, then the best option is to get professional assistance from a data recovery expert.

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How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive

The hard drive on your computer has one of the shortest life expectancies out of your PC’s components, and at some point, it will inevitably fail you.

It is inevitable, and always seems to happen at the worst possible time – When your data isn’t backed up! So what can you do now? How to recover data from a hard drive? Is it still possible?

This will depend on exactly what it is that happened to your hard drive, however in most cases it is possible to recover at least some of your lost data.

This is the simplest method of recovering lost data, yet it won’t always work. So, how to recover data from a hard drive using an external case? Remove the damaged hard drive from your PC and then insert it carefully into the external hard drive case, then plug it into another PC and see if you can open the drive. If you’re lucky, you will be able to navigate through the damaged hard drive and open your old documents up, and you’ll be able to copy them onto another hard drive.

If the above solution doesn’t work, or seems a little too complex, then you could try using some data recovery software. There are many different free data recovery programs that you can download that will show you how to recover data from a hard drive, or there are some that you can buy, and if you’re lucky you may actually have some success with it.

One of the most reliable data recovery programs is Data Disc Recovery, which is simple to use and more importantly, totally free. It can recover data from crashed drives, while it can also retrieve any deleted files you want to save.

For this method, you’ll need to use another computer and download a program called Linux Live CD, and burn it onto a blank CD. There are different types of programs, though the best ones are Puppy Linux and Damn Small Linux.

Once you have burned the disc, insert it into your damaged computer, and then restart it. When the computer begins to boot, press F2 so you enter BIOS. Set the boot sequence to CD, then save this setting and exit. The Live CD should start, and all you have to do now is follow the on screen instructions on how to recover data from a hard drive. Once the OS starts, you should be able to see your hard drive on the desktop; it should appear as something like “80GB”, etc. Now all you need to do is hook up an external drive to the computer and copy and paste your files to this new drive.

You may find this method somewhat surprising, but it’s possible to freeze your hard drive and recover your data. The idea behind this is that by freezing the hard drive, some of the loose parts in it will constrict, making the drive work again for a short time.

But how to recover data from a hard drive by freezing it exactly? It’s quite simple, but you’’ll need to work fast! First, place the damaged hard drive into a sealable bag and freeze it overnight, then in the morning take it out and place it straight into an external hard drive case, plug it in and see if you can transfer the data to a new hard drive before it defrosts and crashes again.

I hope this article on “How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive” has been beneficial to you and that the various methods above might help you to recover that precious data to your computer! Whether using an External case, Data Recovery Software, a Live CD or even Freezing a Hard Drive, there are various methods to prevent the loss of valuable Data!

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How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive

The hard drive on your computer has one of the shortest life expectancies out of your PC’s components, and at some point, it will inevitably fail you.

It is inevitable, and always seems to happen at the worst possible time – When your data isn’t backed up! So what can you do now? How to recover data from a hard drive? Is it still possible?

This will depend on exactly what it is that happened to your hard drive, however in most cases it is possible to recover at least some of your lost data.

This is the simplest method of recovering lost data, yet it won’t always work. So, how to recover data from a hard drive using an external case? Remove the damaged hard drive from your PC and then insert it carefully into the external hard drive case, then plug it into another PC and see if you can open the drive. If you’re lucky, you will be able to navigate through the damaged hard drive and open your old documents up, and you’ll be able to copy them onto another hard drive.

If the above solution doesn’t work, or seems a little too complex, then you could try using some data recovery software. There are many different free data recovery programs that you can download that will show you how to recover data from a hard drive, or there are some that you can buy, and if you’re lucky you may actually have some success with it.

One of the most reliable data recovery programs is Data Disc Recovery, which is simple to use and more importantly, totally free. It can recover data from crashed drives, while it can also retrieve any deleted files you want to save.

For this method, you’ll need to use another computer and download a program called Linux Live CD, and burn it onto a blank CD. There are different types of programs, though the best ones are Puppy Linux and Damn Small Linux.

Once you have burned the disc, insert it into your damaged computer, and then restart it. When the computer begins to boot, press F2 so you enter BIOS. Set the boot sequence to CD, then save this setting and exit. The Live CD should start, and all you have to do now is follow the on screen instructions on how to recover data from a hard drive. Once the OS starts, you should be able to see your hard drive on the desktop; it should appear as something like “80GB”, etc. Now all you need to do is hook up an external drive to the computer and copy and paste your files to this new drive.

You may find this method somewhat surprising, but it’s possible to freeze your hard drive and recover your data. The idea behind this is that by freezing the hard drive, some of the loose parts in it will constrict, making the drive work again for a short time.

But how to recover data from a hard drive by freezing it exactly? It’s quite simple, but you’’ll need to work fast! First, place the damaged hard drive into a sealable bag and freeze it overnight, then in the morning take it out and place it straight into an external hard drive case, plug it in and see if you can transfer the data to a new hard drive before it defrosts and crashes again.

I hope this article on “How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive” has been beneficial to you and that the various methods above might help you to recover that precious data to your computer! Whether using an External case, Data Recovery Software, a Live CD or even Freezing a Hard Drive, there are various methods to prevent the loss of valuable Data!

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Hard Drive Data Recovery

Okay, so we can cut out all the I told you so nonsense, that isn’t going to get us anywhere.

Chances are that if you find yourself needing to perform hard drive data recovery, then it is almost certainly because you forgot computing cardinal rule: Always backup your data. Learn “How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive” here…

Hard drives are not indestructible, and they will all fail eventually. So really, the choice is yours – Do you want to learn the hard way or the easy way?

But then of course, you already have your data backed up don’t you? Right???

But what to do if, lo and behold, you never did back up your files and now your files are gone and lost? The first thing you mustn’t do is panic! There’s really no need, there are many options that you can resort to as you attempt hard drive data recovery.

First of all, you need to find out if the hard drive really has failed, or if the error is just one of the many computer or equipment glitches that can lead to a boot failure. If you can get access to a second computer, then it’s possible for you to take out the broken hard drive and connect it to the alternate PC as a secondary drive. You can do this quite easily by using a USB adapter, they only cost around $30 and they are very useful to have around for all kinds of diagnostics involving hard drives.

If you are using an Apple Mac, then the process is even easier. You can hook up your broken Mac to a Mac that is working by using a FireWire cable. Then, all you have to do is the target boot tool on the broken machine, simply by pressing and holding the T-key when you power on the machine.

Whatever method you use, there is a good chance that your hard drive will actually appear on the healthy computer, and you will be able to access all of the files on it. If so, then your hard drive probably hasn’t failed, and the problem is with your operating system (it will need to be reinstalled). However, before fixing the operating system, now might be a very good time to back up all of those files!

If the files do not appear after hooking up your hard drive to a healthy computer, then you are at a pivotal moment in your life! You’re going to need to decide how much value all of that lost work, photos and other treasure memories you have saved really have.

While it will depend very much on the scale of damage that the drive has suffered, the chances are that recovering your data could cost anything from $100 to $1000 or even more! And not only is it expensive, the whole hard drive data recovery process can take many days to complete, and even then there is absolutely no guarantee that you are going to get your files back. I can guarantee it will cost you money though!

Okay, so now the depressing task of setting your expectations has been done, now’s the time to share some good news. In most cases, the data that you think you have lost can be recovered.

In fact, you will probably be surprised at just how resilient information stored on hard drives can be, and if you don’t believe me you can ask any jailed corporate embezzler that tried deleting the evidence from their computer if this is true or not! This is actually a very apt comparison, because the tools that are used by police to uncover digital misdeeds are also used by hard drive data recovery specialists to find your lost data too.

The only safe way to recover your data if you’re not a computer geek is to seek professional help, and this is going to cost you money. How much money does hard drive data recovery cost?

Well, to get an idea of that, we’ll need to understand the two ways in which a hard drive can crash. They can suffer either logical failure or, much worse, mechanical failure.

Logical failure is what happens when something happens, usually a file corruption or some kind of accidental formatting that stops the drive being able to navigate and find the data stored on itself. The components of the drive itself are not actually damaged in any way, and so your data is almost certainly still on the drive and easily retrievable (for the experts!) so long as you haven’t overwritten it. You may be lucky and only be charge a couple of hundred dollars for this service.Mechanical failure is much worse. This is when you hard drive has damaged some of its components and this is what prevents it from working normally. Often, a busted hard drive will make a tell-tale clicking noise in its futile efforts to access the files inside it. If you can hear this sound, then chances are good that your data is still there somewhere, but unless you call in some specialist hard drive data recovery help, you are not going to get it back very easily.

Unfortunately for you, if you have indeed suffered mechanical damage to your drive, these data recovery experts charge an awful lot of money for their services. For example, top hard drive data recovery firms like Seagate i365, Iomega and Kroll Ontrack all charge a fee ranging from $500 to as much as $2500 for their efforts in attempting to recover your lost data. The exact cost will depend on how severe the situation is.

So quite rightly, having found out about the huge costs involved when you get the experts involved, you are going to ask about data recovery software that you can buy. Does it work? Well, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t!

What you have to realize about data recovery software is that no program will recover your files in their original condition. So things might be very messy. What these programs do is perform a data jump, transferring the files from the old drive to the new one. All of your files will be organized according to file type, with word docs in one folder, JPEG’s in another and so on.

Meanwhile the program will also change the name of each of your files, replacing them with random numbers and letters, making it even more confusing for you! And of course, there is always the chance that the program simply won’t work, and the crucial files you wanted most of all simply didn’t turn up. Perhaps now is a good time to back up your files, if you haven’t already done so..

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