The protective covering is there for a reason. Leave the protective covering on the drive. Excessive heat can damage the drive further. If you dry out the water, it can leave behind residue that makes it more difficult or even impossible to recover your data.ĭrying a water damaged hard drive with a hair dryer, the sun, or any method involving heat is particularly dangerous. What many people don’t realize is that the water on your hard drive’s platters and heads does much more damage if it is allowed to dry. If water can damage a hard drive, then surely you should try to dry it off, right? Wrong! Do not dry the hard drive with a hair dryer or in the sun. The water on the platters could cause the heads of the disks to rip off, leaving you without the ability to read the information stored on the drive. If a water damaged hard drive is turned on, it might become impossible for experts to retrieve your data. Plugging in a water damaged hard drive could not only cause further damage to the drive, but also to your computer or other devices. But plugging it in and turning it on could just make things worse.
It may be tempting to try to test your hard drive to see if it still works. Do not attempt to plug in the hard drive. If the hard drive is on, power it down right away as well.
The longer your hard drive is submerged in water, the more likely it is that the dry parts of the drive could become water damaged. The first step you should take is to immediately remove the hard drive from water. A quick response is key to a quick recovery! Tend to the water damaged hard drive immediately.Īcting fast is critical to reducing the likelihood of hard drive water damage. Learn more about each of our 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive below to maximize your chances of successful recovery.ġ. Follow These Steps to Recover Data from a Water Damaged Hard Drive It is actually best to keep the hard drive wet! We recommend placing it in a Ziploc bag until you can get it to a professional. It is for this reason that none of our 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive include attempting to dry the drive. When the water dries, it can leave a film or residue over the platters and heads, making it much harder to recover data as the platters begin to degrade over time. This is because the disks of hard drives have little, fine heads that read the information stored on the platters. It will remain there on the platters, which is why professionals can still recover information from a water damaged hard drive.ĭepending on the circumstances, however, the data may become more difficult or perhaps impossible to retrieve. While water can damage a hard drive’s electronics, the data itself is stored magnetically. When a hard drive gets wet, the water could potentially cause a short circuit, especially if it dries on the platters.īut water alone will not destroy a hard drive or delete its data. The first question you’ll want to ask after a spill is “Will water damage my hard drive?” The answer depends on the circumstances of the incident and the actions you take.Ī hard drive stores data magnetically in its platters.
For example, the files for your operating system and software programs are also kept on your hard drive, making it a critical part of your computer’s functionality. Not only does it keep the pictures, videos, music, files, and other information you save, but also the information required for your computer to run. Your hard drive is the device used to store and access data on your laptop or desktop. Take the time to learn about this issue and the steps to recover a water damaged hard drive, so you stand a better chance of successfully recovering your hard drive any time it gets wet.
You could lose important information, waste valuable time, and even have to replace your hard drive.
Hard drive water damage is a common problem for both work and home computers. Give the drive to a data recovery specialist.Do not let your brother-in-law touch it.Gently rinse with clean, cool water and seal it in a Ziploc bag.Leave the protective covering on the drive.Do not dry the hard drive with a hair dryer or in the sun.Do not attempt to plug in the hard drive.Tend to the water damaged hard drive immediately.Here are 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive: Spilled water on your hard drive? Don’t despair just yet! If handled properly, information can often be recovered from a wet hard drive.