Do NOT Install Software

Sometimes DIY Data Recovery Software Will Work:

• IF the fault is a logical failure (a software failure)
• In this case the hard drive is usually working fine but the data is still inaccessible
• Logical failure may be caused by human error (e.g. accidentally deleted files/folders, accidentally re-formatted hard drives), or by malware (e.g. virus, worm, spyware)
• In either of these cases, it may be relatively straightforward to fix the problem by using DIY software

However, Do NOT Install Software Unless You Are Absolutely Certain of the Cause of Data loss:

• Sometimes software failures may be caused by a damaged / corrupt file system
• This means that what appears to be a software failure (‘logical’ failure) may in fact be a hardware failure (‘physical’ failure)
• IF the fault is a hardware failure (mechanical, electronic, or due to media failure e.g. damaged disk sectors as a result of liquid spill) DIY software will NOT work
• Attempting DIY recovery may, in certain situations, make matters much worse by overwriting the data you are trying to recover
• It may also worsen a physical failure and permanently destroy what was otherwise recoverable data