FAQ
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FAQ
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- put your hard drive in the fridge. It may bring dampness into it.
- hit the disk on the side or on the top. You may damage the reading heads and the platters.
- open the hard drive by your own. Open the disk in a non-sterile environment may bring some particles into the disk and damage the platters' surface.
- in case of shock, don't try to fix it yourself, you may damage the disk. Appeal to a professional !
A noise such as a jingle, « clac-clac-clac », shrill noise, or a dull sound are probably due to a physical problem involving the reading heads.
This noise is typical of a reading head's problem. Either one or more heads are defetcive and can't read the disk, or the platter's surface is damaged, so the reading heads can't read it.
What to do ?
If your hard drive makes that kind of noises, you're facing a big problem that you won't be able to solve on your own. Don't use your hard drive and bring it to a specialist who will be able to deal with the problem.
Your hard drive isn't detected by the operating system anymore, it may be a physical problem. It can also be a simple software problem if the operating system itself is defective.
What to do ?
If it's an external drive, verify connections, then reboot the drive. You can also try to plug the disk on another computer. If it's an internal hard drive, it may mean that the masterboot record is defective (message « no system found »). Then check if the hard drive is detected by the BIOS.
To access the BIOS, press F2 or F9 or F12 or DEL, etc. You will then see if it's detected or not.
When it doesn't appear in the BIOS, it can be a firmware problem, a connector problem, a System Area problem or the surface of the platters is damaged.
What to do ?
Check if all the connectors are correctly plugged. If not, plug your HDD on another computer and if your hard drive is still not detected, You're facing a serious physical problem. You should then contact a specialist.
If Windows seems to start but stops while the starting process, it may mean that you're facing a hard drive problem involving a defective platters' surface.
What to do ?
Try to plug your HDD on another computer and try to access the data. If it doesn't work, you're facing a defective surface problem and we recomand you to contact a specialist.
If the disk falls, its surface or reading heads can be damaged. If the hard drive doesn't start, don't try to start it over and over because you may damage the disk more seriously.
What to do ?
If you hear a noise such as a jingle, the problem is probably involving the reading heads. If you don't hear any noise, but your drive don't start due to a fall, it may be another physical problem. At any rate, bring it quickly to a professional and don't try to fix it yourself.
Your circuit board is defective due to a failure or an overvoltage, then your hard drive isn't detected anymore.
What to do ?
Don't try to open your HDD on your own. Contact a specialist who will be able to find if the problem comes from your circuit board.
Inadvertently or following an error message from your computer, you formatted your hard drive. Then you can't access your data and you're facing a software problem.
What to do ?
First of all, don't save or install anything on that hard drive, it will increase your chances to recover your data. Secondly, don't use a data recovery software on your own because, a wrong use may lead to a definitive loss of your data.
After the reinstallation of your Operating System, you notice that you can't find your data on the drive anymore.
What to do ?
It's most probably a partition problem and thus, a software problem. Don't format your HDD and don't try to reinstall the Operating System again, or you may lose your data definitively.
To recover your data, you must call a professional.
If your hard drive has been through flood or fire, you'll have to face a physical problem. Many problems can ensue from fire/flood, such as melting of components, dampness into the disk, defectiveness of the electronics.
What to do ?
Don't dry your HDD with a hairdryer, and don't open it to clean possible soot stains. Don't try to repair or plug your hard drive on your own.
Contact a specialist who will be able to determine the problem and to act consequently in a suitable environment.
If your RAID system isn't detected on your computer, it may mean that your RAID controller is defective or the configuration has been lost by the RAID controller.
What to do ?
It may be dangerous to attempt recreate the RAID by submitting new parameters. If you don't choose the right values, you may lose everything. For more security, ask a data recovery specialist to do that.
The RAID controller indicate that the RAID system is in failsoft mode. Nevertheless, the controller can still be functional. You should solve the problem quickly.
What to do ?
Define why the RAID system is in failsoft mode. Most probably a hard drive is defective and so the RAID system can't function properly. If this is the case, then change the defective hard drive as soon as possible, as far as the RAID system allows you to do so.
Your RAID system isn't detected on your computer anymore, so you can't access to the data beacause the controller that manage the RAID access is defective.
What to do ?
It may be dangerous to attempt recreate the RAID by submitting new parameters. If you don't choose the right values, you may lose everything. For more security, ask a data recovery specialist to do that.
Your RAID 5 system has at least 3 HDDs. If a HDD is defective, your RAID 5 system is in failsoft mode but still working.
What to do ?
You should change the defective drive as soon as possible. Normally, the RAID controller will integrate the new HDD and recreate the data, so your RAID system will be completely secured again. This operation may last a few hours.
Your RAID 5 system can take a single HDD breakdown, not more. Your RAID system isn't functional anymore.
What to do ?
You should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
Your RAID 6 system has at least 4 HDDs. If a HDD or two are defective, your RAID 6 system is in failsoft mode but still working.
What to do ?
You should change the defective drive as soon as possible. Normally, the RAID controller will integrate the new HDD and recreate the data, so your RAID system will be completely secured again. This operation may last a few hours.
Your RAID 6 system can take two HDD breakdowns, not more. Your RAID system isn't functional anymore.
What to do ?
You should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
The RAID 0 system is an aggregate of a few HDDs. Each file is divided into parts on every HDDs of the RAID 0 system. If a HDD is defective, there will be missing file parts so you can't access to the data anymore.
What to do ?
You should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
The JBOD system is an aggregate of a few HDDs. Unlike the RAID 0 system, the data is written on the first HDD. Then, when the first one is full, the data is written on the second HDD. And so on.
What to do ?
If the defective HDD doesn't contain any data and the JBOD system is built with two HDDs, you should be able to plug the first HDD on a computer and recover your data.
Should the opposite occur, you should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
With a RAID 1 system, all the HDDs are like mirrors of the others.
What to do ?
If all the HDDs are defective, you should ask a data recovery specialist to repair the defective device in order to repair and recover the data with the other functional HDDs.
Should the opposite occur, it means that the copy HDD is still intact. So, you can plug it on a computer and recover your data.
- Remove the key from your computer without closing the program
- Don't take to pieces the USB key on your own
- Don't format it
- Don't force the plug in the socket if there's any resistance
If your USB key is detected by your operating system, it could be a software problem with partitionning. In a few cases, the problem can come from a physical damage of the memory chips or controller.
What to do ?
Try to plug your USB key on another computer to see if it's detected. Check if the LED light is visible. If the LED is off or blinking, then your USB device must be defective.
If your USB key isn't detected by the operating system, it may either mean that the partition of the key is damaged (software problem) or that the controller is damaged (physical problem).
What to do ?
Try to plug your USB key on another computer and see if it's detected. Also check if the LED is igniting normally. If not, or if it's blinking, then your key is defective.
The LED of your USB key doesn't ignite anymore, or is blinking. It's an internal problem. This may be due to an alimentation problem, but more probably to an internal component problem.
What to do ?
You can't go any further by yourself without risking to damage more your USB key. Please contact a specialist who will be able to detect the exact problem and fix it.
Your USB plug is broken. Dont try to force your USB to plug in and don't open the key to repair it on your own. If you do so, you may damage an electronic component of the USB key.
What to do ?
Remove carefully the USB key from your computer if it's still plugged in, then call an electronics specialist.
If your USB key is so damaged that it's broken in pieces, it's really important to avoid touching the pieces as much as possible. Don't try to patch it up or to take the components out of the USB key.
What to do ?
Pick up all the pieces, put it in a sachet. You can then ask a professional to try to recover the data that was on the USB key.
If your USB key has been through fire or flood, you're facing a physical problem.
What to do ?
Don't dry your USB key with a hairdryer, and don't open it to clean possible soot stains. Don't try to repair or plug your hard drive on your own.
Contact a specialist who will be able to determine the problem and to act consequently in a suitable environment.
- do not open it, you may damage some internal components
- do not format it, you may lose your data for good
- do not try to hit it on any side, you may phisically damage internal components
- do not try to turn it off and on many times, you may cause electric surge
SSD not detected by Windows / Mac OS
What to do ?
Your SSD is not detected by the operating system, it may be due to a physical problem. In some cases it could also be a software problem, if the operating system itself is defective or the main partition corrupted.
The LED light of your SSD is off or blinking. It could be either a problem with the drive power supply, or most likely with an internal component, as controller or memory chip.
What to do ?
If your SSD does not show up in BIOS, you cannot do anything without risks to damage your drive even more. Contact a specialist who will be able to solve the problem.
Your connector is broken. Do not attempt to force the connector or to open the drive in order to repair the connector on your own. If you do so, you take the risk to damage some SSD internal components.
What to do ?
Remove carefully the drive from the computer and call a data recovery specialist.
To access the BIOS, press F2 or DEL or F12 or F9 etc. You will see if it's detected or not. When it is not the case, it may be a connector, firmware, controller or even memory chips problem.
What to do ?
Check if all the connectors are plugged. If not, plug it on another computer. If your drive is still not detected, it is due to a physical problem. You must then contact a specialist.
- do not format it
- do not put it in the fridge
- do not scratch the CD/DVD surface
- do not clean it with a corrosive product
Your CD/DVD got scratches, it is important not to make more scratches. To avoid it, do not use your CD/DVD anymore and take it out of the player.
What to do ?
When a CD/DVD is scratched, theres a few possibilities to recover the data, if the surface is not too much damaged. Protect your CD/DVD in a CD case and bring it to a specialist.
If your CD/DVD is physically broken, do not attempt to stick the pieces together. You may make impossible a further recovery work. Do not try to solder pieces together or to read your CD/DVD by holding pieces with tape.
What to do ?
Gather the pieces and put it all in a small bag. In a very few case, it is possible to recover the data, but there's no guarantee. You will then bring all the pieces to a data recovery specialist.
If you have problems to access your CD/DVD, it may result of a damaged surface. In other cases, the player may have a problem.
What to do ?
Try to read the CD/DVD in another computer. If it doesn't work, you will have to contact a data recovery specialist.