How possible is it to recover data from a crashed hard drive?
That depends entirely upon “how crashed” the drive is. But SpinRite is often credited with performing “true miracles” of data recovery. Please read some of the true-life SpinRite testimonials we have received to get a sense for what SpinRite has done and can probably do for you if you ever need it. It is obviously possible for a drive to be so totally dead that it is only useful as a door stop. But today’s modern drives struggle to stay alive and to die slowly. So if they are given some periodic SpinRite maintenance you should have plenty of warning of impending failure and also the ability to keep the drive alive until it can be replaced.
