Wondering how to recover hard drive data? You’ve got several options for recovering lost files, depending on what happened to the file and which particular avenue you want to take.

Don’t write any new data to the hard drive.
If you need to recover a lost file, the first thing to remember is not to write new data to the hard drive. When you delete files from the hard drive, the data doesn’t actually go away. The spot that the data is occupying is marked as open. The next time you write data to the drive, your computer may cram data into those open spots, making it much more difficult to restore lost data. If you avoid writing new data to your drive, you won’t destroy the open spots, and more of the file data is easier to track down.

Install file recovery software.
If you’re missing a file outside of Microsoft Office, you may need to get a little more serious about recovering lost files. When files go missing, you’re typically looking at one of two options; either the file storage system has failed, which means the data is still there but irretrievable, or you’ve got mechanical failure. If it’s a logical issue and your file storage system has become corrupted, there’s good news: you can retrieve much of the data yourself!

Several types of file recovery software exist, from many different manufacturers. Evaluate each type of recovery software depending on your needs and the individual circumstances of your missing files. When you find the right recovery software, which typically ranges in price from $50 to $100, the recovery process is simple: Install the software, select your corrupted drive as the source and provide a different drive in which the software can dump the data. Then start recovery.

Unfortunately, depending on the damage to your file system and the size of your hard drive contents, it can take anywhere from hours to days for full recovery. When you do get your files back, they may be missing data, they may open to reveal random characters and numbers or they may still have holes and missing files entirely. However, this partial recovery option is the most inexpensive choice, and it is the only recovery home users can attempt before calling in the big guns.

Consider calling in professional help.
If your hard drive has a mechanical failure, there are very few things you can do at home to fix it. Contrary to myth and legend, freezing a hard drive typically doesn’t restore it to working order. If your hard drive has suffered death due to mechanical failure, your best and only option is to call in professional help.

Unfortunately, professional help is expensive. It can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to have professionals recover lost files in the event of mechanical failure. The price varies depending on the degree of failure and time spent in recovering the files, and you still may not get all your files back. If your budget covers it, professionals can recover files from hard drives with mechanical failures in many cases. However, few home computer users have the budget to cover it, so it’s more cost-effective and easier to keep an external hard drive and run frequent backups.