• Paul
• On June 10, 2019

Whether it’s crucial work documents, your only copies of important photos and videos, your PC game library, or any other files for that matter, losing them can feel like a real train smash. But worry not, as you aren’t alone. Data corruption is a common problem that can happen due to a variety of issues.

This can include power outages, computer crashes during the file saving process, malware or viruses, buggy updates, boot sector corruption, physical damage and unexpected shutdowns. In this post, we’ll take a look at the symptoms of a corrupted hard drive and how you can recover your data.

Symptoms of a Corrupted Hard Drive

Let’s take a look at some common symptoms on Windows in order to determine whether your hard drive is corrupted or whether it’s a different issue:

• A message that reads: “Invalid media type”
• When formatting, a message that reads: “Disk not formatted. Do you want to format now?”
• Obscure or unreadable characters in file names.
• When browsing/selecting files, a message that reads: “Sector not found”
• File system that shows up as RAW.

Manual Data Recovery

While these approaches are worth a try if you have the technical expertise, it would be wise to consider a professional service first, as manual recovery does put you at risk of data loss and integrity issues. There are three methods you can try:

1. From This PC, perform a disk check by selecting your hard drive’s properties, going to the Tools section and clicking “Check now” on the error checking tab.
2. In file explorer, select your hard drive and go to the properties. Under tools, choose the Error Checking option and click Repair This Drive.
3. In Control Panel, head to Action Center from System Security. Expand the Maintenance tab and select Run Scan.
4. Using Command Prompt, type the following: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and wait a few seconds before restarting your device.
5. If you have a Windows 7 device, enter: sfc/scannow into Command Prompt instead of the above.

If these methods are to no avail, you can try using a data recovery software.

Software Recovery

In the case of logical damage, software recovery is a potentially viable solution. There are many programs you can download for Windows that may help. Be sure to thoroughly research the reviews for that software and determine whether it’s a safe bet, as there have been cases where recovery software caused more problems than it solved.

Professional Data Recovery Service

A safer and more dependable option would be to consult a professional data recovery service such as Secure Data Recovery. This way, you can expect a comprehensive and secure recovery of your data. Best of all, you won’t have to pay until you’ve verified that your files have been properly recovered.

Losing your important data can be a serious headache. Fortunately, plenty of options are abound. If you plan on performing a manual recovery or using software, ensure that whatever you do has been verified as a safe approach that won’t further aggravate the situation. But even if push comes to shove, a reliable recovery service is one call away.