Can Smoke Damage a Hard Drive?

Smoke can damage a hard drive, but only in extreme circumstances.  Hard drives have pouch filters that prevent most contaminants from reaching the platters (discs coated in a thin layer of magnetic material, which store the user’s data).  Nearly all...
August 11, 2023

4 Questions to Ask Before Using Data Recovery Software

Data recovery software providers often make unsubstantiated claims about their products — and for some consumers, those claims lead to permanent data loss.  In other articles, we’ve discussed the potential dangers of using software to treat file corruption, restore...
August 9, 2023

Does the “Blue Screen of Death” Mean Lost Data?

The infamous “blue screen of death” (or BSOD) occurs when the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) must shut down or restart unexpectedly.  Contrary to its name, a BSOD doesn’t mean the “death” of your computer (or your data). It simply...
August 7, 2023

What Is the Master Boot Record on a Hard Drive?

The master boot record (MBR) is a boot sector on a storage device that contains information about how the device is partitioned.  The MBR also contains instructions for locating the operating system (OS). The computer accesses the MBR, then follows...
July 13, 2023

Can a Magnet Destroy Data on a Hard Drive?

Hard drives store data magnetically — the read/write heads float above platters, which are disks coated with a thin layer of magnetic material.  The actuator heads rely on magnetism, so it’s logical to wonder whether another magnet could interfere with...
July 12, 2023

The Hard Drive Freezer Trick: Debunking the Oldest Data Recovery Myth

Can you freeze a broken hard drive to restore it to a functional condition and recover the data?  No, you cannot — at least, not anymore. The “freezer trick” was one of the first data recovery methods to hit the...
July 10, 2023

Is Data Recovery Possible After a “Quick Format?”

If you’ve accidentally formatted your hard drive before backing up important data, the data may be recoverable — provided that you turn the drive off immediately. Don’t install software (including an operating system) and keep the drive powered off until...
July 5, 2023

What Is a “Stuck Head” on a Hard Drive?

Stuck heads occur when a hard drive’s read/write heads are locked into place on (or over) the hard drive’s platters. They’re unable to move back to their original position, and the hard drive’s spindle may be unable to rotate the...
June 21, 2023

Using Data Recovery Software? Start with a Clone

If you absolutely need data from a failed hard drive, solid-state drive, or other device, the safest course of action is to contact a professional data recovery provider. Each attempt to recover the files could exacerbate corruption or permanently erase...
June 20, 2023

How to Fix: External Hard Drive Causes Computer to Freeze

If your external hard drive causes your computer to freeze, operate slowly, or fail to boot, there’s a good chance that you’re dealing with corruption of the filesystem or a physical hard drive issue. Other issues can also cause these...
June 19, 2023