Is your computer breaking down? Is your internal hard drive — or drives — damaged?
Nothing lasts forever, and your internal hard drives are certainly no exception! That’s why it’s always best to be prepared for the worst. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than watching your personal data disappear. So what should you do? If you care about your files and don’t want to lose them, you’ve come to the right place.
How to recover data from an internal hard drive?
Your computer breaks down, it won’t turn back on, and there’s no way to get your hands on your files: they’re lost! Don’t worry, we’ll help you find a solution by showing you how to get them back.
How to recover your data using a recovery drive?
If a drive fails, you can download and install data recovery software for free on your computer.
This gives you access to a non-bootable Windows operating system.
You can use a USB flash drive or a blank CD/DVD.
To start your PC using a USB flash drive:
- Identify the boot menu key for your PC model
- Turn off your PC and restart it
- The boot menu appears
- Select USB device to start the PC from the USB flash drive
If you don’t have one, you can download Linux for free and burn it to a CD or put it on your USB flash drive. This will let you access a new operating system so you can use an interface.
With this interface, you’ll be able to recover all or part of your data and copy your personal files. For a damaged PC that no longer starts up, this method is one of the best ways to recover your files.
However, it can happen that, in addition to a PC breaking down, one of its components (keyboard, screen, motherboard) is also damaged. In that case, it’s a different scenario.
How to recover your personal data by removing your internal hard drive from your PC?
If one of your components is faulty and you can no longer access your interface, all you need to do is remove the drive from your laptop or desktop PC.
You’ll then need a number of tools to get inside your computer and disconnect your internal hard drive so you can carefully remove it.
All that’s left to do is connect your drive to another device such as a PC tower or a docking station. You can also place your internal hard drive in an external enclosure.
However, if you have no computer knowledge, we don’t recommend this solution, as it could cause further damage to your drive.
How to recover your files using software or an expert?
What should you do when the first two solutions haven’t worked? If you still haven’t managed to access the interface, or if it’s impossible to copy your files after placing your drive in an external enclosure, it means your internal hard drive is damaged. You can still use software (data recovery) or call in an expert.
Software lets you recover your data without causing damage to your system, by restoring lost or inaccessible files.
If your drive is severely damaged, using software won’t allow you to recover all of your lost data. Indeed, once a hard drive fails, the data stored on it becomes very difficult to recover. If all your files seem lost and you really need to recover as many as possible, you can ask an expert for help.
In the case of a damaged hard drive, this remains the only solution for recovering your lost data and files. Even so, you’ll need to dig into your wallet, as this is a complex recovery service carried out by experienced professionals and requires time.
To conclude, if you lose your data, to recover your files from an internal hard drive you can use a USB flash drive or CD to access the interface, take apart your computer to remove the drive, use recovery software, or call an expert.
By showing you how to recover data from an internal hard drive, we hope we’ve helped you recover your personal data and/or lost files.