If my hard drive won start up the operating system (such as DOS, Windows or Mac OS) or if it stops spinning permanently, what can I do?
For most computers, this is the end. Computer hard drives reside in a sealed case (which should never be opened) inside your computer. If you open the sealed case of the hard disk, you may jeopardize the recovery of your data. Consult a professional or the manufacturer if problems arise with the hard drive and you need to recover data. Data recovery can be attempted by companies who charge for this service. The cost per hard drive is between $300 and $1,000, or sometimes more. You can avoid this costly situation if you back up all your important files on a second media and if you refresh your data periodically by copying the files to a new medium. Having back-up copies in the case of hard drive failure is good insurance. Occasionally viruses can completely disable Windows, Mac, Unix and other operating systems. You may think that all is lost, but if the drive can be connected to another computer, important files may be accessed long enough to copy the data. Before attempting this, seek
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