Has it ever happened to you that the hard drive on which you stored important data failed? Or did you accidentally overwrite existing data when reinstalling the operating system? The restoration process offered by some companies is time-consuming and extremely expensive (prices range around a thousand euros) and in almost every case it is worth trying on your own first, as in many cases we can quite successfully recover lost data ourselves.
When overwriting data with other data or so-called “formatting” the computer, the chances of finding lost files are relatively high, but with damaged disks this is, of course, significantly more difficult, as you will often encounter problems even with recognizing the disk. If it is the only disk in your system and as a result you cannot boot the operating system, you have two options – either connect the disk via SATA or USB connectivity to another computer with a working disk, or use one of the “live” Linux distributions that boot directly from a flash drive or optical drive (CD or DVD) – the procedure for this will be described at the bottom of the article.
Option #1
You still have access to the hard drive
If you can still access the OS and consequently the disk on which the data is lost, the fastest way to complete the task is with the help of one of the dedicated applications:
Recuva is one of the best free tools for Windows for this type of task. It offers an intuitive interface that lets you navigate through the deleted files it finds, which you can then choose to restore. For the less computer-savvy, the tool also offers a wizard that will help you locate and later restore the exact files you’re looking for.
FileSalvage is a slightly more expensive option for iOS systems, but for its price (around €80) it really offers a lot and is considered one of the best tools for this type of task. It shines above all with its exceptional efficiency in recovering files from damaged disks. Easeus is a tool intended for more experienced computer users, as it does not offer a graphical environment, but you execute all commands via the command line. An open-source program that is known for its flexibility (it works on both iOS and Windows and Linux environments) and incredible thoroughness and speed. Undoubtedly an excellent tool, especially considering that the program is free.
Option No. 2
Disk access is no longer possible
If you can’t boot your OS and you don’t have a spare computer system to plug the failed disk into, it’s worth trying one of the “live” Linux distributions. As mentioned earlier, the advantage of these distributions, in addition to being free, is that they can be booted from a USB stick or CD/DVD drive, allowing you to run the OS without having a working hard disk in your computer. Distributions such as Novastart (a Linux distribution with an infinite canvas), Bart PE , and SpinRite offer a number of diagnostic and recovery tools that can either get your disk working again or simply save important data.
But BEWARE!
All of these methods involve additional digging around the damaged disk and can, especially if there is a mechanical failure, completely disable the disk. Also, when using the disk, data is constantly overwritten, and the more you overwrite a specific sector where the data is lost, the less likely it is to be fully or partially restored.
We sincerely advise against using the above-mentioned programs for extremely important data, for which you are willing to pay a thousand euros or more, and we advise you to immediately consult with one of the companies that offer restoration.
Basically, these programs are more intended for saving data with sentimental value (images, videos, etc.), important articles and seminar papers, etc., not extremely valuable data that we would prefer to preserve, but are not willing to pay a huge sum of money to preserve.
For additional information, you can call our computer service FixIT.
