The most common reason is a loose or badly connected data cable. Make sure the data cable is plugged in properly, both into the hard disk, as well as the motherboard. The same goes for power cable, so check that as well. Also, make sure that the red lines on the data cable and power cable are adjacent to each other.

One you've ruled out any cable problems, check the jumper setting on the drives. If two drives are connected to a port, make sure one is set as master and the other as Slave, or else both are set to Cable Select.

Next, make sure your drive controllers on your motherboard are not disabled. These controllers control IDE devices, and without them the BIOS cannot detect the drives. Go to the BIOS setup, and under the Integrated Peripherals menu, make sure that 'On Board HDC' is enabled for both Primary and Secondary channels. Also ensure that all drive types are set to AUTO under the Standard CMOS Setting. If you are not comfortable with changing the BIOS values, just reset the BIOS to factory defaults.

When all else fails, so has your hard disk send it to a technician for servicing.

There are some tell-tale signs that your hard drive may be failing and you could therefore end up losing your data.

Boot Failure: Sometimes, it is possible for one to switch on the computer and it refuses to boot. This may occur as a result of the hard disk containing bad sectors in some disks and/or even corrupted boot record data. Most of the time, booting is done from the hard disk and if there is a problem with the hard disk, then it would be difficult to have a proper boot.

Unusual Sounds: In some cases, when the computer is running, one can be able to note some unusual click sounds (whirring or buzzing), that can either be at regular or irregular intervals. It is advised that once this has happened to contact a computer specialist. This sound may come as a result of a broken actuator arm or failure of a servo motor. The best thing to do is to backup your data immediately and contact a data recovery specialist in case some data may go missing.

Appearance of "Blue Screen of Death": When a computer is running, and a blue screen with a lot of information written on it appears and usually reboots automatically. This is what we refer to as the "blue screen of death". It is usually a crash recovery program that tries to recover data that has been lost. One of the principle causes of its appearance is hard drive failure. Therefore, the next time it appears, check on your hard disk.

No sound of read/writing: Whenever data is read/stored from a storage device, there is usually some sound from the hard drive that signals reading or writing. If there is no sound then that may be a signal that there is a problem with the hard disk drive. Such a phenomenon may be caused by excessive heat emitted by the CPU that causes some components within the hard drive to expand and touch other components within the hard drive.

When a file is saved on a computer, the data is stored on the hard disk platter's magnetic coating. This magnetic coating on the platters is the 'glue' that keeps your data. Any damage to that magnetic coating means that there is data loss as each piece of missing coating contains data. So a platter missing a little bit of that coating has a better chance of a successful data recovery as opposed to a platter that has had massive amounts of that magnetic coating removed or destroyed.

Hard Drive Failure Parts

Typical hard disk components that fail include:

The Human Factor Accidentally deleting files, formatting the wrong hard drive, and attempting to upgrade you operating system only to have it fail are common issues that come up. Also, as careful as most people are with their laptops, a small drop from the couch to the floor or down a flight of stairs, is the type of forceful jarring to the disk drive that could cause serious damage to the hard drive platters.

Viruses E-mail typically are the way most viruses are spread from computer to computer. Also, visiting questionable websites that have scripts, malware or spyware waiting to comprise your system and put your data at risk. It is recommended to run the most recent anti-virus software to protect your data from this sort of data loss and to reduce the need to require data recovery service.

So how do you protect yourself from loosing your data? Back it up! However, should you still require data recovery services, be sure to use a company that specializes in hard drive data recovery.

From a user viewpoint, the computer is only as good as the data it contains. If the computer can't boot up, it's practically useless. If it can boot up but the files are corrupted and cannot be opened for reading or writing, the file is useless. This happens often enough that data backup and recovery tools are a must with computer users. In fact, it's a good idea to have two copies of important data, just in case the first backup fails. Data recovery tools make sure that the backup is restored and the user can go back to using the computer in as little a downtime as possible. Some data recovery tools have the facility to recover hard disk partition information. As with regular file backup, the recovery tool needs a backup. To recover a hard disk, either a hard disk as a whole is backed up (called a mirror) or just the partition. Commercial data recovery packages such as DriveClone and Ghost can backup a partition or a hard drive and recreate it to repair the failed hard drive, or to write it to another hard disk or computer altogether. These programs can boot from a recovery CD and proceed to do a hard disk and data recovery.

For larger installations, there are data recovery software from vendors like Acronis and Veritas which can backup multi-volume disks and RAIDs using disk backups and tape drives.

Hard disk failure and data corruption is a serious concern. In cases like these when the computer fails to boot up, or the data could not be read, it helps a lot if data recovery tools are ready, in use and allows easy recovery of data.

As a home computer owner, one of the greatest threats to your
information and to your wallet, is hard disk failure. When your
drive crashes, you will quicky realize how valuable theinformation you can no longer access is.

And when you start searching for disaster recovery services,
you will be surprised how much it will cost to recover that
data. Here are a few tips to help you prevent a data disaster on
your harddisk.

1. If you have an older hard drive, be sure to run free tools
like Data Lifeguard software to check the current condition of
your drive. By discovering any problems before they crash your
disk, you'll have a chance to copy your information before all
is lost.

2. When the time comes to copy your data from one disk to
another, remember to keep the old hard disk. You'll want to make
sure you have a backup while you give your new drive some time
to make sure it is running well.

3. Even on new computers, files on your hard drive can become
disorganized over time. Make sure to run your favorite
defragmentation program regularly.

4. Partioning your disk can also help improve performance. Make
sure to do this from within your operating system if your disk
already has partitions on it. This can often be done through
your operating systems management console.

5. Do not ignore any problems that crop up. If your computer
starts acting strangely, running slower, or giving your error
messages, run a scan disk or CHKDSK immediately. Remember, it
will be much cheaper to repair your hard drive prior to a total
crash!

If you think taking the extra time to follow these steps to
care for your hard disk seems time consuming, I recommend you
check out the cost of harddisk data recovery. You'll quickly
realize the value of these tips!

Hard disk drives are the most essential, though hard to rely on, part of the laptop or computer system and the vast majority of computer pros often try and hide at the fact that hard disk breakdown can happen at any time. It is given that these people use desktops for granted and really do not anticipate their malfunction. On the flip side, some of us do believe that even if an application is hanging up, re-booting the PC is without a doubt treatment of many such issues, even if the problem is a harddrive malfunction and as an alternative needs hard disk drive recovery.

Signs for harddisk failure

Any pre-warnings with hard disk drive failure usually are not always given by the failing disk drive on your computer. Sometimes corresponding error message could show up and sometimes they won't. Many frequent indicators can be a clicking sound as well as scratch tones, although some, lower in ratings, contain degrading pc performance together with unanticipated behaviour under usual working conditions.

Precautions

In case your hard drive is emanating bizarre sounds, you should straight away turn off your PC which allows you to maintain the hard drive data rescue a possibility. Additionally, it isn't advisable to attempt repairs on your own because opening the unsuccessful hard drive inside the your typical surroundings can bring in dust fibers. The dust debris have the ability to interrupt the balance of hard drive since it's internals are made using precise methods, therefore its tolerance level decreases to the maximum.

The hard disk is the main storage device of a computer system. Apart from the operating system and program files, it also contains all important data, like pictures, music, and other data. We certainly don't want lose these important data. So, maintaining good health of the hard disk drive is very important. Most of the cases, hard dive gives various types of warning before getting out of order. If you take proper initiative and rectify the issues, you can enjoy hassle-free computing for long. You can also get in touch with a computer repair company in this aspect.

In this article we have discussed what you should do to maintain good health of hard disk drive. Disk cleanup is a very useful utility in this regard. This tool removes the unwanted files and free up space on the hard disk. With this tool you can remove temporary Internet files as well as downloaded program files, such as ActiveX controls and Java applets, temporary Windows files and empty the Recycle Bin. Disk cleanup also deletes optional Windows components that you are not using and installed programs that you no longer use.

Would you like to know how to use the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows XP? To launch Disk Cleanup click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools. You will find a dialogue window which will allow you to select the drive you want to clean up. You need to select the drive and click OK. Now the drive will be examined by the Disk Cleanup tool and it will determine the amount of space that can potentially be freed up. Once it is done, you will get the result which files could be deleted and what amount of space could be emptied.

Another important thing that one should do is check for hard disk errors. You can use Chkdsk.exe command. This utility verifies the logical integrity of a file system. If there is some logical inconsistencies in the hard drive, this utility takes the required actions and repair the file system data. To launch disk error checking, double-click My Computer and right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check for errors and select properties. Here need to choose the Tools tab. Click Check now option. A dialogue box will open up showing the Check disk options. Select the options as appropriate and click Start.

You will get a message stating that the check cannot be performed immediately, and the system needs to be restarted for this. Click Yes to so schedule the disk check. Once the system will get restarted, the chkdsk.exe utility will be run and all the metadata on the volume will be examined in five separate phases. The phases are Verifying file data, Verifying security descriptors, Verifying indexes, Verifying files, and Verifying free space. Once the utility completes its task, the operating system will continue to load like a normal system start-up.

Disk Defragmenter is another very useful tool to keep the hard disk in good health. To launch Disk Defragmenter tool right click on the particular drive and click properties. Then go to tools tab and choose Defragment Now.

The Sony DCR-SR47 Hard Disk Drive HandyCam Camcorder title doesn't even tell you what the device is, it's a Video Camera, for those not used to the term 'HandyCam'. Sony is my favorite manufacturer; no matter what I've bought from Sony over the years, it was always well-made and strong. The hard-drive that it comes with lets you store tons of videos and photographs, and it doesn't even increase the camera's size very much. It can fit, easily, into a pocket.

Here are some of the advantages of the Sony DCR-SR47 camcorder:

Each of these cameras seem to be offering ever-increasing levels of zoom, and this one doesn't disappoint. With a 60X zoom, you can't possibly need that most of the time. If you want to shoot photos of some that's standing across the street, this is the video camera for you.

Also, the quality of the image when your zooming is excellent, which isn't always the case with video cameras. The ability for the camera to focus on objects that move is excellent, as well.

The first thing people do after they buy a digital video camera is they see how it looks on their big LCD screen and an HD image holds up well even when displayed on a large HDTV. The thing to do is look at it very closely, and even when you're close it seems to be finely focused and of good quality.

There's no way you should ever purchase a video camera without it having a rechargeable feature, which this one has. That means you won't be throwing batteries away every second, and will be able to charge more than one set if you're going somewhere that you need hours worth of shots. Since video eats up the power, as well as drive space, you'll need that ability.

The software which is bundled with the camera is easy to use, allowing you to copy what you've shot over to the computer with ease. However, you'll have to use third-party software if you wish to edit videos together into finished pieces with credits and title pages. I was impressed by how good the sound quality was, coming from such a small microphone.

In all fairness, the Sony DCR-SR47 HandyCam isn't perfect:

You might not wish to zoom to its fullest extent, because you'll notice some larger squares become visible, but if you keep the level down to reasonable levels, it works well. The quality of the lens is quite remarkable, and the image is very stable and doesn't shake when you're zooming, as is often the case with other video cameras.

As sometimes happens with these small units, the microphone can pick up the sound of the camera as it zooms when it's recording, although it's a directional mike.

When you've considered all the things this Sony DCR-SR47 Hard Disk Drive HandyCam Camcorder can do, at its price it's a good video camera that doesn't cost much. That it has a harddisk, for lots of storage is good and it's small, as well.

That it has a 60X zoom is incredible; oftentimes these cameras will have no better than a 30X zoom, and even then there are little boxes that you can see when you blow up the picture.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is a commonly used hard drive interface. Motherboards are generally provided with two IDE connectors, IDE0 (Primary IDE) and IDE1 (Secondary IDE). To each of the IDE connector, we can attach two devices at the maximum, where one is given the highest priority and referred as Master Drive while the second one is given low priority and is referred as Slave drive. But sometimes, system prompts that it can't recognize the IDE hard drive as it has failed. These are the cases when Hard Disk Recovery becomes necessary to retrieve lost data.

One of the symptoms that it shows, while hard disk failure is the occurrence of error messages as:
"Primary Master Hard Disk Failure"

As the error message suggests, system is referring to failure of primary master hard drive. It is also sometimes denoted as drive 0, which is entirely dependent upon number of drives installed and BIOS type.

Cause of Error Message:

Hard disk has failed to correctly communicate with the system, most likely due to physical failure. The corresponding causes could be: read/write head crash, actuator arm failure, spindle motor crash, disk controller problems, firmware corruption or electronic issues. In few cases, bad cabling could also be a root cause for this error message. These cables may turn faulty due to issues like heat, wear and tear etc.

Solution

Users are required to consider following solutions:
o If hard disk has gone physically bad, system user should immediately turn it off. The hard drive should be replaced with a new one and data can be restored from a recent backup on the new drive. If backup is unavailable or faulty, Data Recovery service can serve the purpose of optimum recovery.

o If bad cabling is the issue, user can replace the faulty cables with new ones.

About Data Recovery Service

Hard Disk Recovery is customized assistance provided by different companies to extract lost information from failed hard drives. A physically failed hard drive is first opened in sterile lab environment of Clean Room and analyzed to figure out the cause of failure. It is a sophisticated process with various hardware, firmware and software level steps. It consists of procedures like repair and replacement of damaged disk internals, disk cloning and more.

Data Recovery experts maintain complete data integrity along with highly advanced recovery procedures. Our recovery solutions serve almost all makes and models of hard drives such as SCSI, SATA, EIDE and IDE. We also provide finest recovery for modern flash storage based SSDs (Solid State Drives).

This guide will show you how to recover the data of a dead laptop , since it stopped functioning for another thing that a failure of the hard disk.

1 To unmount the hard disk

The first stage is to unmount the hard disk (seek on the site of the manufacturer or on the net for the service manual of your notebook). Generally it is an easy and simple operation.

2 To recover the data

There is much way of recovering the data of a laptop hard disk, the simplest way is to connect your hard disk to another PC.

With this intention you must use either a 2.5' ' usb or firewire drive enclosure or a laptop hard drive adaptor kit 2.5 to 3.5 inch IDE hdd. Once connected simply copy the data of your laptop hard disk towards your PC.

3 Damaged or unreadable data

In this case you must use a tool as Unstoppable Copier. It is a tool which makes it possible to read the data of a damaged disc, if it encounters a file it cannot copy, the file will be skipped and copying will continue.

4 Case of a very damaged hard disk

In this case it is necessary to use Ultimate boot Cd for Windows (tool that everyone should have) Firstly it should be checked that the data can be read using Explorer XP.Then launch Unstoppable Copier which is included in Ultimate Boot Cd, choose for example the source drive as C: which was the laptop hard disc and made E: the destination drive which is the hard disc on the desktop PC.