All hardware eventually fails, and this leads to many people scrambling to try to recover their data. Unfortunately, the information many have is at best incomplete and at worst wrong in most cases. Here are the four most common myths about data recovery. We’ll also discuss the correct steps to take instead of putting your data at risk by trying out these myths on your own hardware.
The Deep Freeze
One myth about data recovery suggests putting your hard drive in the freezer. After it has been in the freezer for several hours, you’re supposed to put it in the computer and boot it up. The theory behind this myth is that it will make the hard drive shrink from the cold, allowing the stuck spindle to spin properly. The theory is that it will let you get the data off the drive before it totally dies.
This is actually one of the worst things you can do. Hard drives have data densities of 150 gigabits per inch or more. Any offset in the components can prevent it from finding the right information. Freezing the drive causes things to shrink alright, but they do so inconsistently.
When they re-thaw, they won’t necessarily return to their original location, much less a slightly better one. Now you’ve caused permanent calibration issues that require specialized equipment to resolve if it can be at all. That is aside from the fact frost will destroy hard drive components, something you won’t entirely eliminate by using desiccant or wrapping the drive in a bag before putting it in the freezer. And, ironically, the root cause you’re trying to treat
– spindle failure – is rarely the reason why most modern hard drives fail anymore.
If you have a hard drive failure, take it to professionals for recovery instead of trying to stick it in the freezer.
Hard Drives Last Forever
This myth causes many to think that they’ll never need to backup their data, much less recover it. In reality, hard drives are mechanical devices. Their average life span is several years. They can be corrupted or damaged at any point over their lifetime. The solution is to back up all the data on your hard drive regularly.
I Can Just Use Cheap Software Off the Internet to Fix This
There are a lot of people who sell cheap software with the promise it will recover your data. However, not all these options are efficient, and some might be outright dangerous. Only trust professional data recovery experts or tried and tested software. A good data recovery service will have the tools to handle almost any situation. Just avoid making things worse with do-it-yourself solutions like taking out the platter or header and trying to fix something yourself.
Just Hit It, and It Will Work
Some people think that if you hit your hard drive, loose parts will fall back into place and it will start to run again. Even worse is the myth that you need to drop it, in essence hitting it really hard, in order to fix it. In reality, the platters of the hard drive are connected to the arm and the head that read it. Drop the hard drive, and you’ll damage at least one of these.
Software sometimes works, but the best tools are rarely available to the general user and you can’t afford to make a mistake. And no software is going to repair hardware problems, though professionals can deal with this.
Wrapping Up
So, these were some common myth about data recovery which you should avoid while recovering your data, you can use several data recovery tools available online or you can take help from data recovery experts to retrieve your vital data.
