External hard drives are prone to all sorts of data loss scenarios, from impact to coffee spills. So if your hard drive is not working, follow these simple steps.
Check the power supply. Does the unit spin and sound normal? Clicking or scratching indicates a catastrophic failure. Do not try to eject the media and turn it off, just disconnect the power and seek a specialist. Portable external drives are particularly prone to power supply issues, and often the USB connector simply doesn’t provide enough power. A new connector usually fixes these problems.
Are the USB connectors ok? Try a different cable. If the female connection is damaged or looks particularly worn, the external carriage may need to be replaced. Assuming the external enclosure does not use hardware encryption, proprietary authentication, or logical sector size manipulation, a replacement hard drive enclosure will often make the drive repairable. These are inexpensive and available online or at most computer stores. When you replace the cabinet, be sure to handle the indoor unit correctly.
Does the operating system ask you to format or initialize the drive? If so, don’t allow it. This will create a new file system that will potentially destroy your data. The overwritten files are lost forever.
If the drive is mounting but the files are missing or corrupted, you may have a problem with your file system. Data recovery software is usually the answer, but do your research. They are not all the same. Determine what file formats you are trying to recover and make sure you get the right software.
The easiest way to recover lost data is to use a quality data recovery software program. You have to search for the best program online. There are many of them for sale. You should never try to use the free types without license keys, as they lack vital features. Your computer can even be attacked when you use free recovery software. It may be infected with viruses. You should only use go for a quality data recovery program that requires a valid license key. You can easily locate the best type by doing the right queries. You can consult a reliable computer repairman when looking for the right program.
When you manage to get the best data recovery software, you have to do everything you are doing on your system. It will then go ahead to download the program and also install it according to the given instructions. It is important that you study how to use the program after installing it. In most cases, the software comes with good features that will help you locate your lost data.
Actually, when you delete data from your system by mistake, it goes to recycle bin. You can easily recover the data by opening the recycle bin and then right-clicking on the deleted file. Just hit the “restore” button to get it back. However, you may run into problems when you suddenly empty the recycle bin. You may no longer be able to see the deleted data in the recycle bin. You don’t need to panic as you can still recover the data. All you need is to use the data recovery software that you have installed on your system.
Data recovery software has a way to search for lost data on your system hard drive. All you need is to give the correct command. It will take a bit of time to scan your system for missing files. After the scanning process, the software will display the list of deleted data. Just click on the file you want to restore.
To be successful in using data recovery software, you need to make sure that you get it from a trusted source. You should also take the time to study how the software works. If you are confused, you can consult a data recovery expert to help you.