When your hard drive has crashed, it is wiser to leave the recovery to an expert for example
MjM Data Recovery Ltd in the UK.
Hard disks can fail for a range of reasons and the symptoms for the failure are few.
The broken hard disk drive will .
- Spin as normal but your data is inaccessible - Logical Problem
- Not Spinning - Most likely an Electronics Problem or seized motor.
- Spinning but makes ticking noises - Possibly a Head Failure
- Spinning but make other noises - Possible head crash or motor failure.
When the hard drive is running as normal but you cant see your data, then the liklihood is that there is a logical problem. Did scan-disk run during start up?, or did you recently remove some old files? Has your computer become infected with a virus?
When the hard disk drive is not rotating, then your hard disk will need either electronics work it or will need opening in a clean room. MjM Data Recovery Ltd have the facility to recover from either of these problems.
If the hard disk is making clicking sounds then this points to a more significat problem and will most likely need opening up in a clean room to find out exactly what has happened. Never open a hard disk yourself, especially if the data has any value.
When the hard disk is making other noises then this is indicitive of a major failure. More than likely a head crash or spindle failure.
Whatever the problem is, there is still a possiblity of recovering the data if the drive is sent to data recovery specialists.