I would have to say that the worse kind of hard drive crash is commonly known as a "Head Crash." This kind of crash is the one where you will hear a grinding or squealing noise. When a head crash occurs the small arms inside of the drive that has the magnetic wire that is suppose to be hovering above the platters begin to rub into them. In other words, it grinds away at the disks physically turning your data into dust. If you ever hear that noise, it is safer to pull the plug on your computer than it is to let run. Every second that passes by is critical to how much data you will be able to recover by a professional. The common question is: Does a head crash hurt a hard drive? The answer is always yes. (Return to FAQ page)
