People like to think of their hard disks as insurmountable. However, hard disks cave in very easily when water attacks them. In fact, water, humidity and heat are known to be hard disks’ worst enemies.
In a recent case involving hard disk damage due to water, office employees came to their office only to discover that their computers were lying submerged in a pool of water. In such cases, it is common for people to panic. In this state of panic, people tend to adopt self-help measures that worsen the data loss situation even further. Therefore, it is important to understand how water can damage the electronic media, what to do and what not to do in a water damage situation.
What Damage Does Water Do to a Hard Disk?
When a famous explorer once got stranded in the middle of the ocean he is believed to have said, “Water water everywhere, not a drop to drink”. Yes, water may not always prove to be helpful. While drinking gallons of water during summer may be a common need for some people, make sure that you reassess your computer’s needs when it comes to water.
Water is one of the biggest enemies of the hard drive. Your computer is at high risk when there is excessive or insufficient humidity. Floods can cause excessive damage to the computer hard drive because anything less or more than optimal level of humidity can pose a serious threat to computer system reliability.
When there is excessive humidity, the humid air tends to accelerate oxidation of electronic circuits, connectors as well as conductors. In addition, the high rate of oxidation can create high-resistance current paths, which can make the circuits perform erratically. On the other hand, when there is too much moisture in the air, it causes static electricity, thereby damaging the hard drive.
During a fire alert, all the employees are expected to evacuate the premises without turning off their computer devices. However, during a fire, automatic fire prevention systems activate water sprinklers in the premises and this can cause irreparable damage to the hard disks because, in this situation, the hard disks are not only exposed to fire, but also smoke, debris as well as water.
Any type of water damage can render a computer completely useless because of the excessive damage to the hard disk. However, you need not despair because help might just be a phone call away. Flood water, muddy water, and water from sewage pipes can cause more damage to hard disks than normal water because dirty water not only exposes the hard disk to water but also other contaminants which may ruin the hard disk completely. If the water is excessively dirty or sticky, it can cause corrosion of the metal components as well as internal circuit boards of the hard disks.
How to Recover Data and Get Working Again? Whom to Call?
Damage to hard disk due to water can have disastrous consequences. In many cases, people try to take the situation in their own hands and adopt ‘try at home’ tricks that seldom work. The most common mistake that people make when they encounter data loss due to water is that they try to dry the computer or the hard disk with a hair dryer.
However, what people do not know is that attempting to recover data by using dry heat can ruin the chances of recovering the data completely. Therefore, if your hard drive has damaged due to flood water, it would be best to opt for professional data recovery services. In addition, since the extent of data damage may be very severe, it may be almost impossible to recover the data without seeking professional help.
Experts agree that most hard disks can be salvaged if people act in a prompt and timely manner. If the damaged hard disks are sent for professional data recovery within 72 to 96 hours, success rates of 95% to 100% can be easily achieved. It would be best if you keep the hard drive in its wet condition and send it for professional data recovery immediately.
Contrary to common belief, drying the hard drive after it has been exposed to water damage can make data loss a permanent one. When you dry the hard drive after it has been contaminated with flood water, the drive adheres the dirty water to it, which makes data recovery an extremely complicated process.
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