Physical Damage:
Physical damage to hard disk can evident itself in many forms including grinding, spinning, clicking or other strange noises. If you suspect physical damage has occurred these tips can help reduce further damage:
- Be aware of strange noises or grinding
- Do not shake, attempt or disassemble to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged. Improper handling can make data recovery operations more difficult and can lead to valuable information being lost
- Never attempt to operate any visibly damaged devices. It may lead data loss forever or make data recovery operations difficult.
- Turn off computer immediately - further operation may damage data beyond repair
Many people are ignorant that data recovery software could restore data from computers damaged in a fire. Important tips to share with customers suffering from this specific damage include:
- Do not attempt to clean fire damaged media
- Do not place in refrigerator or freezer to cool media
- Do not try to remove hard drive - ship entire computer for recovery
Water Damage:
Water damage may also cause data loss, because if water damage occurs it may cause short circuit in your system.
- Do not attempt to clean or dry water-logged drives or other media
- Never attempt to dry water-damaged media by opening it or exposing it to heat - such as that from a hairdryer
- Before storing or shipping wet media, place in a container that will keep it damp and protect shipping material from getting wet
- Do not attempt to operate visibly damaged devices
These are some tips that you should follow after data loss due to any of the above reasons. It will keep your system from further damage and lead simple data recovery.