Introduciton Drives come in all different shapes and sizes. Hard drives have been around since 1954 since they were invented by IBM and are decreasing in price and increasing in storage year upon year. This makes them the most popular choice for computer users when it comes to storing your data. The following articles have been designed to assist you in buying a hard drive and how to go about getting your data back if things go wrong. Hopefully the latter never happens, but the truth is that hard drives are the most likely component of your computer to fail. And since it’s a mechanical device, eventually it will conk out, meaning that all that valuable data will go with it.

	As such, it’s important to know what the expected life span of your hard drive is and what your warranty covers you for. When hunting for a new drive you’ll want to get the best quality that you can afford. You’ll also find that there are two different options of drives for you to choose from: a solid state drive or a hard disk drive. The former is technically the better option as it is far less likely to have a mechanical failure, but there are factors to weigh up when it comes to choosing which one to go for. If you do end up in a spot of trouble you’ll want to know how you can make data recovery easier for yourself. It can be a stressful time, so anything that’ll make the process easier will be much appreciated. Be sure to pay attention to the tips that follow so that you have the best chance of getting your files back. There are various ways that your drive can fail. Understanding what caused your hard drive failure will help you choose the best course of action while repairing your disk or recovering your data. If the worse comes to worst then your only option might be to send your drive to a data recovery company. Deciding what company to choose is an important decision and one that you should consider carefully. Factors like reviews, price and response time should all be taken into account. You should also be aware of common misperceptions of things that apparently fix your broken hard drive, but in fact will only make the situation worse. You should find the information useful and easy to understand. It has been specifically written in a way that even the most basic computer user can understand. A hard drive can crash on you at any time, sometimes without warning, so it’s good to brush up on your knowledge. By better understanding the problems you will be more on top of the problem and able to handle it. Use what you learn to educate yourself and others, since a hard drive failure can affect anyone. Obviously, simply backing up your data often can prevent a lot of problems, but even that is not a fail-safe answer.

			4 Ways To Make Data Recovery Easier Data recovery is a tricky beast for sure. It’s certainly no easy task and a lot of things can go wrong along the way. You’re going to want to make it as stress-free as possible for yourself. Of course, it’s worth prefacing the article with the simple fact that it’ll be easiest if you’ve been making regular backups of your data. We’ll assume that if you’re reading this that isn’t the case though, so make sure to remain calm as you go about attempting to recover your data – there’s nothing worse than making a hasty decision that can make things a whole load worse for yourself.

	How To Choose A Data Recovery Company Sometimes it may be necessary to send your drive off to a data recovery company. This is usually when your drive has been physically damaged, meaning that the actual components are failing. A common sign of this is a clicking sound being heard from inside the case. This is most often by the disk head being unable to read the data properly. Due to the fact that hard drives are incredibly sensitive, opening them in a non-sterile environment can unleash havoc. Similar to how a single scratch can ruin a vinyl record, a tiny speck of dust alighting on the platter of a hard disk drive can cause irreparable damage. This is why professional companies open hard drive in clean rooms with less than 100 airborne particles.

			How To Recover From A Water Damaged Drive You might think it will never happen to you, but a hard drive getting damaged from water is more common than you might think. It can also happen when you least expect it – Mother Nature is unlikely to send you a memo letting you know when the next flood is due. Although your hard drive is sealed tight, it’s certainly not impenetrable and water can easily get inside and damage the sensitive components. It’s important to know what to do when your hard drive becomes water damaged because it might not be as simple, or impossible, as you expect.

	Methods Of Data Recovery That Won’t Work When a hard drive fails it can be tempting to try every solution that you come across. However, there are a lot of common misconceptions out there which people claim will fix your hard drive and restore your data. These range from putting the drive in your home freezer to dropping it from a huge height onto the floor. Some of these so-called solutions can actually cause far greater problems and will leave you with an even lower chance of getting your data back. Be aware of the following methods of data recovery which won’t work. Even if you do read of people using these with success, you’ll find that there are far more accounts of it going wrong than right.

			SSD vs. HDD If you are shopping for a hard drive then you will find yourself presented with two different types of drives to choose from: a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). The latter is the most common and is currently the standard in the majority of computers and was invented by IBM in 1954. The former is a newer technology and is considered to be the superior, having increased in popularity over the years. However, it’s not as simple as going for a SSD since both offer their own positives and negatives. So which is best for you?

	The Life of a Hard Drive A hard drive is a mechanical device and it will eventually fail, no matter how well you look after it. Although it could very well outlive your usage of it, there is a chance that it could malfunction and take your data with it. When buying a new hard drive, it’s best to know how long it’s going to last and what the failure rate is. You’re investing your money in something that will be storing your valuable data on it, so find out how reliable it is before you buy.