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The Toshiba external hard drive served as additional storage for several years before it spontaneously failed. However, with external drives, it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility that an accidental drop or impact may have contributed to the issue. Fortunately, there was no evidence of extensive mechanical damage to the read heads or data platters, and the disk could be partially initialized. However, the data was only partially accessible, so it was essential to choose the correct procedure from the very beginning.

A WD external drive was used years ago for backing up important data and then forgotten in a drawer. Over time, this backup became the only existing version of the data. Years later, the user needed to access the data again, but the hard drive thwarted their plans. After connecting, it did nothing. The issue could have been caused by the external power these drives require, but it could also be a more complex problem involving the internal drive. In this case, it was a combination of electronic failure and surface damage to the data platters, specifically affecting one of the disk’s magnetic heads.

The journey of this Seagate hard drive was full of hardships. After several years of service, it suffered mechanical damage, and the user lost access to the data. The user made arguably the most irresponsible attempt at data recovery by subjecting the drive to “home repair.” Fortunately, the DIY enthusiast used an appropriate method for opening the top cover of the drive, and after looking inside, realized there was nothing he could do, and carefully closed the drive again. Then, he finally turned to specialists.

The hard drive exhibited typical symptoms of read head and/or data platter failure - it clicked and shut down after a while. The failure occurred without an obvious cause - spontaneously. Western Digital hard drives are usually relatively well manageable when such an error occurs and the cause is not mechanical damage. However, it is necessary to check the condition of the data platter surfaces.

Replacing an iPhone screen might seem easy for a handy person. Unscrew a few screws, replace the screen, screw them back in, and... something snaps. An incorrect screw in the wrong place can mechanically damage the motherboard (PCB), turning a simple screen replacement into a complicated data recovery task. But how can a wrong screw mechanically damage an iPhone to such an extent that the problem seems unsolvable even for some specialized companies?

Many users use external hard drives for various purposes. They serve to store expendable data that we can afford to lose in case of drive failure, but also important data that should be stored in at least two copies. Neglecting backups can sometimes backfire at an inconvenient time, and the external drive fails. The age of the drive, how it is handled, and other factors can cause the drive to fail to connect. In the best-case scenario, the drive turns on, makes no unusual sounds, but the data is inaccessible. This was exactly the case here.

The system disk in the computer failed, the computer stopped booting, and the user's data became inaccessible. When connected to another computer, the SSD was reported as RAW. Initial data recovery attempts by a regular IT service were unsuccessful, prompting the user to turn to us. The main issue with the SSD was the high error rate of the memory chips, which caused the file system to collapse. By combining multiple reading and data correction methods, we were able to recover most of the data from the SSD.

The Huawei phone came to us for diagnostics after a home attempt at data recovery. Fortunately, the user's intervention was not too severe, but it highlights the fact that attempting to recover data from a phone at home is not advisable. The phone had a damaged motherboard, destroyed battery, and a broken display. For phones with the Android operating system, it is crucial that the memory chip and processor are not damaged. Luckily, this was not such an extensive defect.

A Western Digital hard drive manufactured in 2009 served well in a laptop for a long time. When it was time to upgrade to an SSD, it continued to serve the user as an external USB drive. However, 14 years is a long time, which can manifest various issues. This drive, in addition to minor surface defects on the data platters, also exhibited a failure of one read head. Such a fault can make all user data inaccessible.

Hard drives have been storing our data for decades. This particular one served well for over 10 years, and if not for an unexpected power failure disrupting the symbiotic hum of its read heads and data platters, it probably would have had a few more years of service left. This older Seagate model has an obsolete configuration where the read heads don't have a safe zone outside the data platters, but instead rest in the middle of the platters. Normally, the heads would retract to this area when powered off, but in this case, they got "stuck" on the data platters. Initially, data recovery didn't look very promising, but it was ultimately successful.