Losing data is a complicated situation and only those who experience it know how desperate it can be. In most data recovery scenarios, it is possible to recover all or part of the data, but there are some critical scenarios in which it is impossible to recover the data, one of which is when the read head comes into contact with the platters (where the data is stored) and partially or completely scratches the surface.
Some tips:
- If you notice a different noise from your hard drive, switch it off immediately
- If dropped or impacted, do not switch on again
- Use a tool that manages the health of your hard drive
- Check-disk the operating system regularly
- If you realise that your hard drive has started to slow down, back it up quickly and replace it with a new one.