I get calls from individuals that have lost their very important data because the hard drive on their computer crashed, this is unfortunate because it is preventable, or at least the data loss is. Hard drives have a life expectancy, even when cared for properly. I have written about computer crashes and hard drive failure in previous posts and I will save the data backup for another post as well.
Today we will discuss data recovery, what to do in the event your computer crashes and you do not have your data saved somewhere else. Retrieving data from a failed hard drive has been a thriving niche market since the invention of computers or shall I say shortly thereafter when they began to crash with valuable data.
First, how valuable is the data? Often times the cost to recover the information may well outweigh the value of the data. Research will reveal that data recovery services start around $300 and go up. In many cases the data can be recreated at a much lower cost and the owner typically bites the bullet and recreates, but if that’s not an option then the likelihood of recovery is based on the nature of the hard drive involved.
In a “Best Case” scenario, the electronic board can be replaced and reactivate the drive. If the read/write head failed without damaging the platters, the head can be replaced with the data intact.
The first thing is to evaluate the hard drive and determine the cost vs. value aspect. In some cases, the data can’t be recovered and recreation is the only answer.
John McCann
704-662-6845
John McCann & Associates