Hard drive failures can cause considerable data loss, leading to frustration and inconvenience. Traditional data recovery solutions are often expensive and complex. How can users recover their data efficiently and affordably? By utilizing WPS Office and other accessible tools, you can easily manage and restore your data.
Hard drive failures can result from physical damage, overheating, file system corruption, or malware attacks. These failures can lead to data loss, making hard drive recovery difficult and costly. Regular backups are essential to protect important files and ensure quick restoration in case of failure.
Part 1: Essential Tips Before Hard Drive Recovery
Here are some important tips that should be followed before using any hard drive recovery method.
Stop Using the Drive – Avoid further data loss by discontinuing its use immediately.
Identify the Issue – Determine whether the failure is due to physical damage or software corruption.
Use Reliable Recovery Tools – Choose trusted software for safe data retrieval.
Avoid DIY Repairs – Opening the drive can cause irreversible damage; seek professional help.
Backup Regularly – Prevent future loss by maintaining frequent backups of important data.
Part 2: Using WPS Office for Data Recovery
WPS Office is a free tool for efficiently managing and recovering data from a hard drive. WPS Office can be used to recover unsaved documents and open corrupted files. WPS Office is a comprehensive and versatile office suite with various productivity tools, including Writer, Sheets, Presentation, a PDF viewer and editor, auto backup, file repair, PDF OCR, and more. It is an AI-powered office suite that can create and edit documents smartly using AI. AI spell check makes your writing clear, grammatically correct, and engaging.
Highlights/Main Features of WPS Office
All-in-One Office Suite – Includes Writer, Sheets, Presentation, and a PDF editor.
PDF Tools – View, edit, convert, merge, and compress PDFs easily.
Auto Backup & File Repair – Prevent data loss and recover damaged files.
Cloud Integration – Securely store and access files from WPS Cloud.
Cross-Platform Compatibility – Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
User-Friendly Interface – Intuitive design for seamless navigation and productivity.
Templates & Smart Tools – Access a variety of pre-designed templates for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Trustpilot Rating
WPS Office has a 4-star rating at TrustPilot.
Steps to Install and Use WPS Office
Visit the official website of WPS to download your free version of WPS Office. Double-click the installer file to start the installation process.
Open WPS Office and click on Files. Then, browse to the location of your recovered file to open it in WPS Office.
You must save the recovered file after opening it. Click the Save button and select any format from the Save As menu to save the file.
WPS Office has an auto-backup feature that saves all your files in a local folder. You can easily access any of your lost files from the local backup option. Go to the main Menu option, click Backup and Recovery, and then select Auto Backup.
You can locate all your files in the new window that opens.
WPS Office also comes with the File Repair feature. File Repair helps you quickly fix documents that are garbled or cannot be opened for other reasons. Open your corrupted or garbled file in WPS Office, go to the main Menu, and select the Backup and Recovery option. Select File Repair, and WPS Office will try its best to repair the file and recover your corrupted data.
I have personally used this feature to repair my garbled and corrupted files. This feature works like magic and helped me recover important data by repairing the corrupted file.
Pros of WPS Office
Free Version Available – Offers essential features at no cost.
Lightweight and Fast – Uses fewer system resources than Microsoft Office.
High Compatibility – Supports DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and other Microsoft Office formats.
All-in-One Suite – Includes Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheets in a single package.
Cloud Integration – Provides 1GB of free cloud storage for syncing files across devices.
Built-in PDF Tools – Includes a PDF reader, converter, and editor without extra software.
Mobile-Friendly – Fully functional apps for Android and iOS.
Tabbed Interface – Allows multiple documents to open in tabs within the same window.
Cross-Platform Support – Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Part 3: Data Recovery Software Solutions
There are many advanced data recovery software programs available nowadays. Data recovery software helps retrieve lost, deleted, or corrupted files from storage devices like HDDs, SSDs, and USB drives. Popular tools like Recuva, EaseUS, and Stellar offer quick and deep scans, partition recovery, and file previews. While helpful, recovery success depends on file integrity, and free versions have limitations. Here is a list of some free and paid data recovery software solutions.
Free Data Recovery Tools
Several free data recovery tools can help you retrieve lost data without cost. Here are some of the most widely used options:
1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a free tool for Windows and Mac that recovers lost files such as documents, photos, and videos. It supports multiple storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. With both quick and deep scan modes, it efficiently restores lost data. You can use a data recovery disk drive to store the data you have recovered from the faulty hard disk.
Pros
Simple and intuitive design, making recovery easy for beginners.
Supports multiple file types
Works with HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and external hard drives.
Cons
The free version only recovers up to 2GB of data.
Deep scanning can take a long time, especially for large storage devices.
Does not support data recovery directly from smartphones (only external storage like SD cards).
2. TestDisk & PhotoRec
TestDisk & PhotoRec are free, open-source data recovery tools. TestDisk specializes in recovering lost partitions and repairing boot sectors, while PhotoRec retrieves deleted files like photos, videos, and documents. Both support multiple file systems and storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, and memory cards. They are powerful but have a command-line interface, making them less user-friendly for beginners.
Pros
Recovers lost or deleted partitions and fixes partition tables.
Restores corrupted boot sectors for FAT, NTFS, and ext file systems.
Can fix issues with FAT32, NTFS, and ext2/ext3 file systems.
Cons
While there is a text-based UI, it lacks a fully graphical interface, making it difficult for beginners.
Focuses mainly on partition recovery and fixing boot sectors rather than individual file recovery.
Unlike some commercial tools, it doesn’t allow previewing and selecting specific files before recovery.
3. Recuva
Recuva is a user-friendly data recovery tool by CCleaner that helps recover deleted files from hard drives, USBs, and memory cards. It offers a simple interface with both quick and deep scan options for better recovery chances. Unlike some open-source tools, it retains file names and folder structures when possible. However, its effectiveness on heavily corrupted or overwritten data is limited compared to advanced recovery software.
Pros
Simple design with a step-by-step recovery wizard, making it beginner-friendly.
Offers fast scans for recently deleted files and deep scans for more thorough recovery.
Unlike some tools, it retains original filenames and directory organization when possible.
Cons
Struggles to recover files from heavily corrupted or overwritten storage.
Works best with FAT and NTFS but has limited compatibility with complex filesystems like APFS or EXT4.
It lacks advanced features like virtual hard drive support and automatic updates, which are only available in the Pro version.
Paid Data Recovery Services
Paid data recovery services specialize in retrieving lost or damaged data from hard drives, SSDs, USBs, and other storage devices. They use advanced tools and techniques to recover data from physically damaged or corrupted drives. These services often provide higher success rates than software-based recovery. Here are some of the paid data recovery software.
1. Ontrack
Ontrack is a professional data recovery service known for its advanced tools and high success rates. It specializes in recovering data from hard drives, SSDs, RAID arrays, and even damaged or encrypted devices. The company offers DIY recovery software and in-lab recovery services for severe cases.
Pros
Uses advanced techniques to recover data from severely damaged or corrupted storage devices.
Recovers data from HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, USB drives, and mobile devices.
Offers expert recovery for physically damaged drives, including cleanroom environments for delicate repairs.
Cons
Professional recovery can be costly, especially for complex or severe data loss cases.
While highly effective, success isn’t always guaranteed, especially for heavily overwritten or damaged data.
In-lab recovery services can take days or even weeks, depending on the severity of the data loss.
2. Gillware
Gillware is a professional data recovery company providing services like hard disk drive recovery, SSDs, RAID systems, and server data recovery. It offers software-based and in-lab recovery solutions, including cleanroom services for physically damaged drives. The company provides a "no data, no fee" policy, ensuring customers only pay for successful recoveries.
Pros
Customers only pay if the recovery succeeds, making it risk-free.
Uses cleanroom environments and proprietary tools for complex recoveries, including RAID and SSDs.
Offers both software-based remote recovery and in-lab recovery for physically damaged devices.
Cons
Their recovery software isn’t as advanced as some competitors', requiring in-lab services for complex cases.
Final pricing depends on device evaluation, meaning customers may have to wait before knowing the exact cost.
Since data is handled by third-party professionals, users with sensitive information may have security concerns.
3. Ace Data Recovery
Ace Data Recovery is a professional hard drive data recovery service specializing in HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, and other storage devices. It serves individual users and businesses, offering customized recovery solutions for complex data loss scenarios. While their high success rate, severely damaged drives may still have limited recovery potential.
Pros
Uses advanced techniques and proprietary tools to maximize data recovery chances.
Ensures safe handling of physically damaged hard drives and SSDs.
Recovers data from HDDs, SSDs, RAID arrays, and flash drives.
Cons
Advanced recovery services can be expensive, especially for RAID and severely damaged drives.
While highly skilled, data recovery success isn’t assured for heavily corrupted or overwritten data.
Depending on the issue's complexity, recovery can take several days or weeks.
Extension Content 1: Reasons Why You Should Use WPS Office for Data Recovery
WPS Office offers a complete solution for repairing office files. Its file repair feature supports various formats, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, effectively restoring documents regardless of the level of damage.
WPS Office offers several advantages for data recovery and management. Some benefits are as follows;
Unsaved File Recovery - WPS Office allows easy data recovery, helping users restore unsaved documents due to issues like power outages.
Comprehensive File Support - WPS Office repairs various file formats, including PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, fixing damage from formatting issues and other errors.
User-friendly Interface - With an intuitive and simple user interface, WPS Office helps naive users to repair files in simple steps.
FAQs about Hard Drive Recovery
Q1: Can I recover data from a physically damaged hard drive?
Yes, but success depends on the damage. For severe cases, professional recovery services are the best option.
Q2: How long does data recovery take?
The time required for data recovery varies. Software-based recovery can take minutes to hours, while professional services may take days or weeks, depending on the complexity.
Q3: Is it safe to use free data recovery software?
Yes, but free data recovery software may have limitations and risks, such as overwriting data or malware. Always choose reputable software for safety.
Q4: Can WPS Office help with data recovery?
Yes, WPS Office offers a data recovery feature to restore unsaved or damaged documents, helping users recover lost text, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Wrap-up - Hard Drive Recovery
In this article, we discussed different methods of hard disk recovery and their pros and cons. Free data recovery software offers limited features, while paid software offers advanced methods of hard disk and other data storage device recovery.
WPS Office is a versatile AI-powered office suite with a data management feature. It helps recover unsaved documents, repair corrupted files, and offer an auto-backup feature. WPS Office is available for all major platforms, e.g., Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android, iOS, etc. If you want to experience a modern office suite with several advanced features, download WPS Office for free from its official website and explore a new world of productivity tools with WPS Office.
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