If you've deleted a file or formatted a drive and you want to retrieve some or all of the data, jump ahead to the "Now Infamous Software" section which details software that will help and consider yourself lucky. You have a drive that is still functioning and your computer knows it's there. But, and this is vital, make sure you STOP using the drive immediately. Eject it, unhook it, power it down…whatever it takes to make sure your operating system doesn't write tothe drive. If you don't do this right away, your data will be much harder or impossible to get back.

If you've mutilated, mashed, dropped, or drop-kicked your drive and it's making nasty sounds, then your best bet is to move directly to professional data recovery. Unless you're a super guru, there isn't anything you can do yourself.

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