10 Myths About Hard Drive Data Recovery

Updated on

Freeze it, hit it, drop it, drop it again, open it, format it and it will work fine. These are some of the common workarounds or some misguided advice to be precise people implement to fix their hard drive and retrieve data from it. There are some common myths about hard drive data recovery which have become apparent with time. Having said, the blog highlights top 10 common myths about data recovery.

Know more about Russia than your friends:

Get our free ebook on how the Soviet Union became Putin's Russia.

Check out our H2 hedge fund letters here.

While you go through the post, you’d think is that even a myth or your reaction will be “Oh my god!! That’s what I do each time”, or you’d also wish that some of them were true, it’s a wakeup call, and if you follow these myths, then it’s time to think for a moment.

Common myths about hard drive data recovery: Debunked

We have that trouble shooter instinct that no matter what happens, we’ll first try to resolve that issue on our own and when the matter gets worse, then only we seek professional help. Instead of successful hard drive data recovery, these common myths about data recovery further aggravates the situation and there comes the point when you end up losing your data for real.

MYTH 1: If the hard drive stops functioning, put in in a freezer

This myth has to top the list of common myths about data recovery as usually, people think that putting the hard drive in a freezer will resolve the issue. The reason being, hard drives get overheated and people think that freezing it will fix the issue. On a contrary, freezing the hard drive will damage its head position and will result in contraction of mechanical parts. So, don’t ever put the hard drive in a freezer.

MYTH 2: Here’s come the screwdriver to open the hard drive

Another “feasible” option is to use a screwdriver and open it. The only thing it does is damage the hard drive further. There is a probability that you may damage the mechanical parts, scratch the platters or its head and once the hard drive is damaged, then the chances are bleak to recover data from it. Refrain from opening the hard drive on your own.

MYTH 3: My house is no less than a Clean Lab

You definitely need a controlled environment to open your hard drive as there are certain things that can further damage it. Extreme temperature, heat, moisture etc. can really affect the hard drive. To recover data from the hard drive, you need a dust-free lab to dismantle the hard drive and all the necessary tools.

MYTH 4: There’s no special machine for data recovery

Data is recovered by leveraging software and tools to minimize the errors and to maximize the data recovery. One cannot simply use a screwdriver or other workarounds to fix it, there are certain things which specialists (manual & software) only can do and recovering data is one of them.

MYTH 5: To make it work again, just pull out the platter and fix it

Pulling out the platter or header won’t fix anything, instead will further physically damage it. The catch is you’re not a hard drive specialist, so just leave the thought of opening the hard drive and analyzing it on your own.

MYTH 6: I can freely trust freebies and no need to require data specialists

The market is inundated with lots of software which claims to recover data from the hard drive without violating the privacy factor. While recovering data, one needs to ensure that the data stored on it at risk as anyone can access it. Trust only the proven methodologies and software for an efficient data recovery.

MYTH 7: Lifetime validity of hard drive and is immune to failure

Hard drives have their lifespan too. At the end of the day, they are a mechanical device so they are prone to failure. The average lifespan of hard drive is 3-5 years although, there are some exceptions still your hard drive can get corrupt or damage anytime. Better backup all the data stored on your hard drive.

MYTH 8: Apart from platters, there is a vacuum inside the hard drive

This is one of the ridiculous myths about hard drive data recovery you’ll ever hear. Hard drive manufacturers keep in mind that there is some space between the hard drive and the head and holes on the top cover to minimize the production cost and to implement new technology and to avoid the read/write heads I coming in contact with each other. There is clean dust-free air inside the hard drive and this phenomenon is called floating height or flying height.

MYTH 9: Professional data recovery service is inexpensive

Professional data recovery service is pretty expensive,  but there are some assumptions that have prompted people to think that data recovery is indeed an inexpensive process. Well, it is not as it depends on the extent to which your hard drive is damaged and if it requires out-of-the-box approaches. Nonetheless, the price is in proportion with what actually happened to the hard drive and on the damage level.

MYTH 10: Hitting it or dropping the hard drive till it starts working

Hitting or dropping the hard drive won’t fix the issue. There is a notion that when the hard drive is not working then some parts might be loose and hitting will make it run again. The platters of the hard drive are connected to the head and the arm and by dropping it you’ll damage it.

To Sum Up

Some things should better be left to specialists and when it comes to recovering data from the hard drive failure, then leveraging a professional hard drive data recovery software .You can easily download it online and recover data through it but always remember the software is useful if there is no physical damage to your hard drive and it’s not working because of corruption, virus and other Human Errors. Download Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery-Professional and recover your lost data. In case of the data loss due to hard drive break down, the first choice should always be Data Recovery Services So, here we have debunked some of the common myths about data recovery, better not implement any of that.

Leave a Comment