Data Recovery Checklist

[Worldscrown]

If you were to make a checklist for HDD data recovery procedures, what would they be?

I searched around but all I found was software recommendations. I was looking for something that is more Step-by-Step. Thanks!

[iisjman07]

Take a look at some of the Scott Moulton videos/material, he's made a flow chart before

[Cambridge PC Support]

1. Recover Data
2. Don't lose it

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Seriously though: Scott Moulton's flowchart as per iisjman...

[sorcerer]

Originally Posted by Cambridge PC Support

Seriously though: Scott Moulton's flowchart as per iisjman...

That link brings up a username and password request

['putertutor]

Yes, but certainly you can find information on Scott Moulton's site. Took me all of 15 seconds to find a flowchart and lots of other good information there.

[Worldscrown]

Thank you for that tip.
It seems that his material covers advanced data recovery methods. (Cracking open a hard drive). Does everyone provide this service in-house? What are the evaluation methods that you use to know if a harddrive can be recovered in-house or will need expert services.

[iisjman07]

Originally Posted by Worldscrown

Thank you for that tip.
It seems that his material covers advanced data recovery methods. (Cracking open a hard drive). Does everyone provide this service in-house? What are the evaluation methods that you use to know if a harddrive can be recovered in-house or will need expert services.

No technician should ever open a hard drive unless it's in a clean room and they know exactly what they're doing. Afaik, no technicians offer this type of service.

A couple of ways you can tell a drive will likely need professional assistance:
- the drive doesn't appear in the BIOS (on a known good mobo with known good cables, etc)
- the drive doesn't spin up
- frequent (every couple of seconds) mechanical clicking from the drive
- the drive has an unknown ata password
- the drive has severe surface damage (expensive dedicated hardware will always be better at recovering via software like of techs use)

['putertutor]

Gilware has a few good youtube videos concerning data recovery and handling hard drives. Good info there. This link is just one of many.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAn2...f0FAAAAAAAAJAA

[iisjman07]

^^

I love the amount of Youtube videos where data recovery professionals are using USB adaptors

[Cambridge PC Support]

Originally Posted by sorcerer

That link brings up a username and password request

or simply Google:

"scott moulton data recovery flow chart"