Here’s a list of what can happen to a hard drive if it’s dropped or sustains some other form of shock damage:
- The mechanical components within its spindle motor jam.
- Its read/write heads become stuck to its platters, which prevent it from spinning up.
- Its read/write heads sustain obvious physical damage (e.g., they bend or break).
- Its read/write heads briefly make contact with its platters, which results in damage to the platters commonly referred to as “rotational scoring.”
Generally speaking, recovering data from a hard drive with any of the above problems is very possible, with the exception of a drive that has severe rotational scoring on its platters.
Two important components of a successful recovery are having access to a wide assortment of donor drives and, of course, a trustworthy data recovery engineer. The technique involved in replacing a hard drive’s malfunctioning read/write heads is comparable to that of a surgeon operating on the heart: one moment of clumsiness can result in very costly, sometimes permanent, damage.
Above is a picture of a read/write head assembly where one of the heads’ “sliders” flew off after the drive was dropped. Turning on a hard drive while one of the sliders is missing can result in very serious platter damage, but the client was wise enough to bring his hard drive over to us immediately. It was only thanks to his prudence and our expertise and experience that his data was successfully recovered and transferred over to a new hard drive.
Thus ends an example of what we go through on a daily basis.
Dropping a hard drive can be a heart-stopping moment, especially when it contains precious data. The immediate aftermath often brings panic and a rush to find solutions. While many might attempt DIY fixes, it’s crucial to approach such situations with caution. In the bustling City of Angels, those who’ve experienced this mishap have found solace in our expert data recovery in Los Angeles services at ASAP Data Recovery. Our seasoned technicians understand the delicacies of a dropped hard drive and employ state-of-the-art techniques to retrieve your invaluable data, ensuring peace of mind in distressing times.
Remember to back up your data!