Digital Data Rescue

Your trip down the road to necessary data recovery might start with a single noise. By the time it happens, you're probably in tune with your computer so that you know all the little noises, hums and buzzes that indicate things are fine. Then there's an unusual squeak, following closely by something that resembles the sound of metal scraping metal. It's not quite like the crash of a couple of vehicles, but it could very well be the sign of an imminent computer crash.

There are two impulses that hit most people at this point. Should you leave the computer booted up and running, and just wait to see what happens? Or should you shut everything down and call in the pros?

Wisely, you decide that you should turn off the computer.

This is the point at which many people make the fatal mistake. After letting the computer sit for a few minutes while trying to decide what to do, you may decide that the noise wasn't really as bad as it sounded. Perhaps it was just a fluke. After all, the inner workings of a computer are a mystery, right? Maybe you should just turn the computer on and see what happens.

Actually, your first instincts are probably right and you turning the computer on could damage your drives past the point of data recovery. One of the more common occurrences with regard to hard disk failure can spin the disk at a great speed. When that disk is spinning wildly, the damage to the hard drive itself is almost immediate and generally irreversible. But what's even more important is that the damage that happens at that moment can result in the total loss of any data on the drive. If you turn the computer back on - even for a couple of minutes, just to see what happens - it could mean that even the data recovery professionals can't retrieve anything from your drive.

Some people have the misconception that booting up in safe mode will be okay, and that there'll be no harm if they only open files and data in "read only" formats. Some even think that "restore" or other utilities will run effectively in this situation.

The bottom line is that a few more minutes of running could wreak havoc. Instead of turning your computer on, call for an expert opinion. After all, when the computer is making strange noises, it's likely trying to tell you something.