Water and electronics don’t mix, and hard drives are no exception. If you want to get your data back from a water-damaged hard drive, act as fast as possible.

It really can’t be overstated how important acting quickly is when dealing with a water damaged hard drive. In the event of your hard drive becoming water damaged due to a spillage, flood, or other accident, you should immediately take it to a professional data recovery specialist. Undertaking physical data recovery at home is unadvisable, as most people won’t have the tools necessary to retrieve their data lying around at home. When packaging the drive, it needs to be in a moisture-free environment; a plastic sandwich bag is ideal. Try and remove as much air as possible from the bag, as the presence of oxygen can cause corrosion.

It goes without saying that you should cut the power to your water damaged drive immediately – this will prevent short circuits which could cause additional damage to the drive, reducing the chances of a successful data recovery. If the damaged device is a laptop, remove the battery. It might be tempting to open your hard drive to dry it out – but don’t do this, as it can hamper the chances of a successful data recovery. A common “hack” that we’ve seen used time and time again is the use of a hair dryer to remove the water inside a hard drive. Again, this is inadvisable and will only make the situation worse; hard drives are not made to withstand the heat of a hair dryer.

Don’t waste any time – get your water damaged hard drive to a data recovery specialist as soon as you can. A professional will have the tools and facilities to ensure the best chance of a successful data recovery.Water and electronics don’t mix, and hard drives are no exception. If you want to get your data back from a water-damaged hard drive, act as fast as possible.