It’s the moment that every computer user dreads—your hard drive stops working, and no matter what you try, the computer won’t reboot. Without the proper measures, you could stand to lose years’ worth of family photos, work projects, and essential documents. Luckily, data recovery is an option. The guide below explains how you can salvage the important data, even if computer repairs aren’t possible.

What Is Data Recovery?

If a hard drive or other storage device is destroyed by physical conditions, there’s not much hope of getting it back, but most data loss situations are caused by user error or hard drive corruption. In these cases, you may have deleted or overwritten key files, the hard drive may have damaged registries, or your operating system may be unable to access the drive.

In these cases, you may be able to seek data recovery at a computer repair store. This is because drive failure is often caused by program issues. Simply put, the files still exist, but you can’t see or retrieve them. An expert will follow the appropriate steps to secure your information and minimize the inconvenience this issue can cause.

How Does Data Recovery Work?

You may think you’re emptying your hard drive when you clear the recycle bin, but in reality, you’re only permitting those files to be overwritten by other information. In the case of accidental deletion, computer repair experts can run file recovery programs to access files that haven’t been overwritten. If the issue is caused by your operating system, they can connect your hard drive to a different computer to access the files. Other forms of data loss, such as corrupted or physically damaged hard drives, may return only partially recovered files.

If you’re confused or panicking after a recent case of data loss, take your computer the professionals at Experimax King of Prussia in Pennsylvania. They specialize in selling and repairing Apple^® products, so if computer repair isn’t an option, you can buy a like-new model without breaking the bank. To learn more about their services, visit them online or call (610) 510-2094.