Data Recovery Tips for Hurricane Victims

When computer equipment and other data storage devices are damaged by the winds and rains of a tropical storm, recovering lost files may seem like a lost cause. Don’t make this assumption! No matter how extreme the damage may seem it is often possible to recover data from water-damaged hard drives, servers, digital cameras and other electronic devices.

Through its Ontrack Data Recovery services, Kroll Ontrack has responded to many of the most extreme disasters; successfully recovering data following Hurricane Katrina, the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster and the earthquakes in China. A team of more than 150 data recovery engineers makes Kroll Ontrack uniquely equipped to handle the high volume of data recovery requests that follow a major storm.

Handling Storm-Damaged Computer Equipment

* Proper handling of storm-damaged computer equipment will greatly increase the odds of successful data recovery.
* For mission critical situations, contact a data recovery provider before any attempts are made to reconfigure, reinstall or reformat
* Do not attempt to power up or operate visibly damaged computers or hard drives.
* Do not shake, disassemble or attempt to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged - improper handling can make recovery operations more difficult which can lead to valuable information being lost.
* Never attempt to dry water-damaged media by opening it or exposing it to heat - such as that from a hairdryer. In fact, keeping a water-damaged drive damp can improve your chances for recovery.
* Do not use data recovery software to attempt recovery on a physically damaged hard drive. Data recovery software is only designed for use on a drive that is fully functioning mechanically.