Fortunately, it is very rare for a hard drive to become damaged in this way, but despite appearances, it is not hopeless to save data from it.
John Gabor
04/08/2024 – A hard drive catching fire is not the most common cause of data loss, but it has a high probability of causing one of the most complex problems, as it is almost impossible to recover the contents of a data store that has been damaged by fire. The important word here is almost, because there are solutions. Of course, with other physical injuries, such as those caused by falls or other mechanical problems, your task is easier, but it is not necessarily impossible to practice fencing if the iron is burned. let's see!
Is it possible to recover data from a burned hard drive?
The device itself is garbage: burning causes practically irreparable damage, but there is hope for saving data – It was explained Rescue data. Recovering files from a fire damaged hard drive is not a task that can be solved by one person or a home hobbyist. Depending on the extent of the fire damage to the hard drive, data recovery may not be possible. Only laboratory evaluation can answer the question of whether there is a chance that the high heat of a combustion or melting structure will be extinguished (by water, foam or powder) exposing sensitive parts to an extreme temperature range, which will almost certainly result in deformation. So.
How can a hard drive catch fire?
Although this is very rare, it is far from impossible. In addition to an apartment fire independent of the machine, it can be caused by a problem with the power supply, a short circuit, or overheating resulting from a technical fault or storage or operating conditions. The last few errors could be your fault, because if you run the computer in a very hot room without proper cooling (no, adding an external fan or air conditioner is not necessarily overkill!) the hard drive could melt.
Don't forget: new drives can have problems, either due to manufacturing or the reasons mentioned above!
You can protect your hard drive: Take all the necessary precautions to protect your hard drive and all other components to increase the chances of your computer's survival and reduce the risk of fire, which can cause much more problems than loss of hardware or data. If the problem occurs, but you manage to turn off the device in time, you can continue to think about recovering the damage, but recovering files from a burned data store presents a challenge whose complexity increases in direct proportion to the severity of the damage. He will almost certainly not return home!
What can you do with a smoked hard drive?
Although it would have been nice to find such a solution and then share it with you here and now how you can be your own rescue army when it comes to a burnt hard drive, we are not so lucky. If your hard drive gets hotter than usual and emits a burning smell, unplug it immediately! If you are sure there is no risk of damage, remove the drive and check its connectors and cables. No matter what burn effects there are and no matter how scary it is to think about how much data you have lost, it is important not to panic and follow the few golden rules below!
1. Never operate a damaged hard drive again!
Even if it looks fine, don't do it again: Don't rush, unfortunately, that doesn't mean you won't cause more damage if you plug it back in and turn it on! It was born of sarcasm, but here the old saying is appropriate: “Every machine runs on smoke; if the smoke runs out of it, none of it works anymore.” A joke here or there, the gist of it is: If there's a part that smells burning or smoke, fix it so it won't work from now on, because if you try to start it again, you might not get away with a few sparks. And some smoke – the chances of a second time increase, on the one hand that it will catch fire, and on the other hand, that the record will suffer irreparable damage – both physically and in terms of content.
2. Do not open the HDD case!
Under no circumstances should you try to open the hard drive cover yourself, as this may also aggravate the problem. Dust that moves when the cover is removed can scratch the disc and there will be dust, believe me, because high heat will probably lead to smoking of the rubber seals, combustion products destroying well the delicate internal elements of the part. In the case of a high-quality hard drive, covers provide fully comprehensive protection, which may protect data storage disks individually in case of external heat. But if you open it without being prepared, you can destroy what you want to protect yourself!
3. And perhaps this is the most important: Accept that you can't do it alone!
Hard drive burning is not the kind of thing you can handle on your own with your own hardware. Do not try to solve the problem yourself, as simply removing the casing requires a special environment (ISO sterile room). If you lost a lot of valuable and irreplaceable data on your hard drive, and you should definitely try to recover it, seek help from experienced data recovery professionals! It is essential that you check the details of their workshop, especially the standard sterile room, before entrusting your destiny to them! It is also important that a fair company only asks you to pay for the service if it can prove that the data backup process was successful.
Professionals can use three methods to solve your problem
1. Software backup, Data backup software – There are many data recovery programs that can be used to save data from a burned hard drive. These programs usually scan the hard drive for corrupted files and attempt to recover them. Some popular data recovery software: Recuva, Disk Drill, Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery.
2. Software backup, With file system scanning tools In some cases, file system scanning tools such as chkdsk can help you recover data from a burned hard drive. These tools attempt to fix file system errors and restore files that have been affected.
3. Backup devices, With hard drive cloning – This is a process through which an exact copy of the damaged hard drive is created on another hard drive. This method is useful when the damaged hard drive is still working and the data is only partially corrupted.
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