Astronauts need to store a lot of data. Do they use hard drives, solid-state drives (SSD), or some other technology?  The answer: Hard drives can function in outer space, although solid-state storage may be a more appropriate choice for modern...

An I/O Device Error is a potentially serious symptom that occurs when a computer cannot interface (trade data) with a storage device. It’s commonly associated with Windows, though input/output errors can occur on any operating system. You might encounter an...

In our industry, “data recovery” refers to the process of restoring data that has been corrupted, deleted, or made inaccessible for another reason (such as a media failure).  “Computer forensics” is related, but different: Forensics attempts to determine what happened...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...