Did Flood or a Water Leakage Damage the Hard Drive? Here’s the way Forward

Hurricanes, thunderstorms, and pipe leaks are the last things you want in your life, but they do come uninvited damaging your personal property and causing loss of thousands of dollars. When this happens, you would not only want to repair your house, car and furniture, but also your computer and the data inside it. In fact, owing to the digitalized storage of every vital information these days, preventing your vital data from any water damage is more important than ever. However, what if your hard drive or solid state drive comes in contact with water. 

We show you the way forward to recovery. Follow these steps.

 Put the Unplugged Drive Inside an Airtight Bag

 
The road to data recovery shortens the moment you act fast. If the case is otherwise, these chances start fading, slowly making the possibility of data recovery become nil. Given this, as soon as you know that your computer or hard drive has come in contact with water, immediately unplug your computer from any outlets. Carefully remove the hard drive from your system, and place it inside an airtight plastic bag. Better contact your computer’s manufacturer for further help. If unsure of what to do, call your area’s hard drive data recovery service. 

Let the Hard Drive Stay wet 

 
When wet, cleaning your hard drive with a cloth or other agent sounds obvious. However, you should avoid this in every way, as all types of water, especially flood waters, contain minerals and particles that stick to platter’s of the hard drive once it is dried. Naturally, this makes the cleaning process complex than easing it. Not to forget that hard drive platters require special cleaning agents that are only effective in cleanroom environments. Using a household cleaning solution is, therefore, bound to turn data recovery impossible, and add to your worries. 

Never Open the Hard Drive 

 
DIY tips help you save money, but they are not effective at all times. The reason, you either lack the required tools or the expertise. In fact, many people take the detrimental step of removing the cover from a wet hard drive, without knowing or understanding that the hard drive is made of extremely sensitive platters easily susceptible to airborne particles. If not treated inside Class 100 Cleanrooms, the data on your hard drive may be lost forever. This is the reason taking the help of professional hard drive data recovery services makes a lot of sense. 

Conclusion

 
Besides observing these guidelines, there’s nothing much at your disposal in terms of recovering a wet drive’s data. As water usually contains contaminants that may scratch the platter if you run your hard drive, it is wise to call a professional instead of deploying DIY tips you are not sure of. A professional has the required tools, and the skill to manage such issues. Equipped with rich experience, he can do the job better than you in any condition.