Apple needs to be applauded for changing the game. Innovative designs have made consumers look at laptops (and other gadgets) in a different light. However style sometimes comes at a cost to substance. Take for example the rising cases of failed hard drives in MacBooks. A number of complaints have surface over Seagate 2.5" notebook drive manufactured in China to have an above average failure rate. Now this certainly does not put Apple completely to blame as Seagate makes the drives however Apple is the big name and hence gets all of the media attention. They just picked the wrong hard drive manufacturer to team up with.

Seagate probably experienced a "bad batch" of drives which should have been put through a more vigorous quality control check. I think it's safe to say behind the scenes Seagate has been kissing a lot of ass to repair this relationship. So if you own a MacBook and haven't experienced a hard drive crash as of yet, you should probably back up your data, now.

 
 

Recently I saw an ad for Panasonic Toughbook notebook computers. I think it's a bad idea to "label" laptops as "tough". It gives the user a false sense of safety thinking they can treat their laptops badly with the expectation no negative effect can happen. Manufacturer's can claim how "tough" their laptops are all they want. But in the end some naive traveller thinks they can check their notebook at the airport and expect it to work after being tossed about in the cargo hold. Good luck with that.

 
 

Found this great post about system restore disc, not what you think it is. Before you rush to pop in that disc hoping it will solve all of your problems, consider this: your data will be overwritten. Always backup your data.
data recovery tips and solutions

 
 

If you've been fortunate enough, you've never had to go through data recovery. But you will someday. Hard drives will fail, it's just a given. They aren't built to last forever, I don't think anything is. I don't know why there's an expectation that hard drives should be any different. Hard drives aren't built from some magical indestructible material. You should backup your data on a regular basis. Your hard drive will fail so be prepared or you'll be facing the prospect of data recovery sooner than you think.

 
 

Once you realize your hard drive has developed some problems you should check your backups. Failed hard drive: check! Did not backup your data: check! Business proposal due tomorrow: check! Time to panic: double check!

First try plugging the drive into another computer to see if it will detect. OR run out and buy an external drive enclosure. Plug the drive into that and try it on a working computer.

If the drive detects (ie. assigns a drive letter) you're in business. You can probably run some software and get your data back yourself.

If the drive does not detect or even makes some noises, shut it down. Good news? You won't be doing that proposal tomorrow. Bad news you may get fired, and you will have to seek professional help. Speaking with a data recovery company is the next step. Be prepared because it won't be a pleasant experience.

 
 

Data recovery is a serious business. When it comes to your data, don't mess around with an amateur. Professionals cost a bit more but you can rely on their expertise and trust their established name. Experience counts when it comes to data recovery. If you are short on cash remember, that you get what you pay for. Don't expect a miracle for $300.