Don’t panic, but do power it down immediately. Physical shock can throw the internal components out of alignment and cause serious damage. The last thing you want to do is power up a damaged drive.

Gently set the drive in a safe place and inspect the exterior. Are there any visible cracks, dents or broken plastic? This may indicate internal damage as well. If the enclosure looks intact, remove the drive and connect it directly to a computer if possible. This bypasses any damaged USB bridge board or enclosure components.

Here’s the most important next step: listen closely to the drive once it’s powered down. Do you hear any unusual clicking, beeping, buzzing or grinding noises? These sounds typically signal a mechanical failure or physical damage. A grinding noise is especially worrisome, indicating potential damage to the platters.

If you notice any of these uncommon sounds, do not try to access the drive or run recovery software on it. The best option is to bring it to a professional data recovery service like 24 Hour Data right away. We offer free diagnostics to assess the extent of the damage. Our certified engineers have specialized tools and cleanroom facilities to repair and recover data from failing drives.

Attempting DIY software recovery on a physically damaged drive often makes things worse. The platters may have experienced damage and trying to read them can cause further corruption. Our expert technicians take a specialized approach to carefully access the drive and avoid scraping or overwriting data.

We understand how stressful drive failure can be, especially with important memories or work data on the line. 24 Hour Data has performed thousands of successful recoveries from clicking, beeping and dropped drives. Don’t lose hope if your drive starts making unusual noises after being dropped. We have the experience, parts and tools to help get your files back.

Bring in your drive for a free diagnostic today. We’ll provide an honest assessment and recommended path forward to preserve and restore your data. Our customer service team is available 24/7 to answer any questions and provide reassurance. Get in touch today so we can start working toward a recovery plan.