How to restore a hard drive? Storage device failures (internal or external) can happen at any time. When this occurs, it is necessary to take the appropriate steps to restore any lost data. In most cases, it is recommended to back up your important files on another device, to guard against the risk of loss. If you haven’t made a backup, you can also turn to Chronodisk to recover your important files. What is the procedure? We’ll tell you everything!

Data loss: a common problem

Even though it is secure and robust, a hard drive is a storage medium that is not immune to problems. When these occur, you risk losing your data if you haven’t backed it up beforehand. In that case, the only solution is to restore it. How is this done? Several solutions are available, depending on the nature of the fault that caused the problem.

What are the causes of data loss? Several factors can be behind the problem on your storage device:

  • Formatting: you may have formatted your storage device by accident. In this case, formatting may have deleted your important files.
  • Viruses: viruses on a storage device can also cause data loss. Malware ends up on your device when you use it to browse malicious websites without protection. It can damage files and turn them into inaccessible shortcuts.
  • Accidental deletion: lost information can also result from accidental deletion.
  • More serious failures: more serious failures can also be behind erased files. This includes lightning strikes, physical shocks, short circuits, etc.

Restoring a hard drive: check the recycle bin

How to restore a hard drive? This tutorial walks you through the different steps you can use to recover your deleted files. If the deletion was accidental, you can go to your computer’s recycle bin to recover and restore them. You can simply cut the files and paste them back into their original location on your PC.

We then recommend backing up your files to another storage device. This way, you’ll have a backup file whenever you need it.

Restoring a hard drive: recovery software

How to restore a hard drive? You can also recover deleted data using free recovery software. There are many available for download online, such as:

Recuva

Recuva is free software you can use to recover deleted files. How do you restore data on a hard drive with this tool? First, you need to download and install it on your device. Once that’s done, all you have to do is launch it to get started.

On the interface, you can choose which files you want to recover: photos, videos, Excel documents, music, text files, etc. Once you’ve selected the file types, you need to choose the device on which the software will search.

Recuva then carries out the search. It displays the results once finished, and you choose the files you want to save.

HEXASCAN

Hexascan is a paid data recovery software. How do you restore a hard drive using it? After downloading it to your device, you need to launch it. You’ll then be redirected to the software’s home screen, where you need to choose the recovery mode that suits your needs.

After choosing the recovery mode, you need to scan your storage device to find your files. Once the scan is complete, Hexascan displays the files it found. You can then recover them by clicking on them.

The difficulty with recovery software is that it requires some IT experience to use properly.

Recovery by professionals

How to restore a hard drive? The safest method is to call in a data recovery professional. At Chronodisk, we put our services at your disposal. We work with qualified, skilled technicians who have the know-how to overcome any type of failure.

We carry out recovery according to the nature of the failure. This means we can perform a restoration using specific software for minor issues, or a cleanroom procedure for major issues. Feel free to contact us to learn more about our recovery process.

Now you know how to restore a hard drive for any type of file. Whatever tool you use, always make sure to back up your documents on other storage devices.