Full Guide on SATA Hard Drives

It's hard to keep track of all the different storage devices out there. In the tech world, there is no lack of acronyms. Even if shortening technical terms and gadgets saves time, it's normal to become confused by acronyms.

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) is the acronym of the day (SATA). Hard drives like this one may be found in many everyday consumer gadgets. Compared to classic hard disc drives, SATA drives are among the numerous hard drives available today. Yet there's more to come.

In the beginning, we'll go over the basics of SATA drives, including how they function, why they're utilized, and how they stack up against other standard storage options.

What Is a SATA Hard Drive (Definition)

SATA is the connection between a hard drive and a processor used to transfer data between the two. In personal computers, notebooks, workstations, and sometimes even video game systems, these components are sequential ATAs. SATA drives are found in the PlayStation 3 and 4 and Xbox 360 and One, thanks to both Microsoft and Sony.

SATA devices come in various sizes, depending on their primary use. There are two types of SATA drives desktops and laptops. 3.5-inch hard drives are often referred to as such. Laptop SATA drives are available in a smaller form factor than desktop SATA drives.

Laptop SATA hard disks typically measure 2.7 inches in diameter, 0.37 inches in height, and 3.96 inches in length. 2.5-inch disk disks are the common name for them.

The History Of SATA Hard Drives

Parallel ATA (PATA) interface hard drives were the favored storage space in the computing industry before the introduction of SATA drives. First introduced in 1986, these devices were much slower and more significant than their modern-day equivalent, the SATA hard disk.

SATA Version 1.0: PATA drives can write at 66 to 133 megabytes per second. As a comparison, SATA drives can write 600 megabytes per second. That was a six-fold increase in performance!

SATA Version 2.0: A non-profit association of the world's leading computer firms, the Serial ATA Working Group, published the initial SATA drive standards in 2000.

SATA Version 3.0: According to the Serial ATA International Organization, many variations of SATA tech have been produced ever since, and the system is still just as useful in 2018 as it was in 2000.

SATA Hard Drives VS. SSDs

HDDs and SATA-enabled solid-state disks are the primary kinds of SATA-enabled hard drives (SSD). SATA SSDs and HDDs perform similarly in most respects.

However, they employ vastly different methods for storing data. In terms of performance, SATA-enabled HDDs take a bit longer to boot than SSD, although the SATA transfer rates on HDDs are the same. A three- to four-year average lifespan is also typical for these devices, which are often plagued by maintenance problems.

Compared to hard disk drives (HDDs), SSDs have a lifetime of roughly ten years at best. SSDs are also far quicker than HDDs both startup time and read/write rates.

On the other hand, HDDs are far less expensive than SSDs, with roughly halved prices for the same amount of storage.

5 Best SATA Hard Drive Data Recovery Tools

Even though you don't have a backup, the best data recovery software for hard drives may help you get your content back. It is possible to recover data from a corrupted hard disk using one of the various EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard solutions available.

1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a tried-and-true solution. Its creators have succeeded in simplifying and opening up the difficult data recovery procedure to the general public. You don't have to read a long handbook to determine what each menu item means.

Choosing a storage device to scan is the first step in starting the data recovery process with this program. Also, you may pick a particular folder, such as the Recycle Bin. Select Scan and wait for EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to locate your lost or deleted data.

Pros

• It makes data recovery accessible to anyone
• Let users sort and filter deleted files
• Reliable data recovery performance

Cons

• Only supports 2GB data recovery for free
• Includes unrecoverable files alongside recoverable files

How to Recover Deleted/Lost Data from SATA Hard Drives

Download and run EaseUS hard drive data recovery software to recover lost files on your hard drive.

Step 1. Scan the hard drive partition

Select the drive on your hard disk where you lost or deleted files. Click "Scan" and let EaseUS data recovery software scan for all lost data and files on the selected drive.

Step 2. Check the results

When the scan completes, you can apply the "Filter" feature or click the "Search files or folders" option to find the lost files on the hard drive.

Step 3. Restore lost hard drive data

Select wanted files that you lost on the drive and click "Recover" to save them to another location.

2. Recuva

Supported OS: Windows

Using Recuva, you may retrieve lost or deleted photos, audio, files, and movies from your computer's hard drive, memory cards, floppy drives, iPod or MP3 players, and USB flash drives.

Although we prefer Recuva because of its affordable price, simple user interface, and intuitive operation, only around two-thirds of the lost data was successfully recovered during my test drive. To be on the safe side, you should at least check out the free version.

If it locates the files you're searching for, you don't need anything else. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery ($79.99 at Stellar) is an excellent choice for non-technical individuals. Still, it's also available for those who prefer Ontrack EasyRecovery's superior performance but less intuitive user interface.

Pros

• Preview screen
• Beautifully clear interface
• Free version

Cons

• May not recover too many files
• Lags sometime
• It may not be as user-friendly

3. TestDisk

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux

It's not a good idea to use TestDisk if you've accidentally erased a critical file and are anxious to retrieve it back. Open-source data recovery software focuses on whole file systems and partitions rather than individual files.

It can do several things to restore access to deleted data, including fixing partition layouts and repairing boot sectors.

Undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2/ext3/ext4 file systems using TestDisk. However, this feature is hidden in the advanced menu, which ordinary customers seldom use. Furthermore, since you can't see data before recovery, retrieving individual files using TestDisk is a pain in the neck.

Pros

• Free and open-source
• Broad operating system
• Capable of recovering many different filesystems

Cons

• Repairs damaged partitions and file
• Lacks an intuitive graphical user interface

4. Stellar Data Recovery Software

Supported OS: Windows and Mac

Stellar Data Recovery is a made-for-professional data retrieval program capable of dealing with wholly inoperable and unbootable systems.

This data recovery program supports file systems for ExFAT and FAT (FAT16/FAT32). It also works with USB flash drives, memory cards (SD, Micro SD, CF), and other regularly used storage media.

Pros

• Useful preview feature
• Easy-to-use
• Support for a wide range of storage devices

Cons

• Glitchy store device selection
• Slow scan and recovery speed
• Relatively expensive

5. R-Studio

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux

R-Studio is mainly aimed at experts with a working knowledge of data recovery techniques. Data files and partition design techniques are supported, and damaged or deleted partitions are handled.

R-Studio allows users to start numerous data recovery tasks simultaneously in different tabs rather than leading them through the procedure step-by-step.

You may sort retrieved data by file extensions, creation time, and other characteristics. To use the built-in hex analyzer, you may inspect the quality of a document or conduct a partial recovery.

Pros

• Disk sanitization feature
• Available as a bootable ISO image
• Advanced features for data recovery professionals

Cons

• Can preview only a few file formats
• It doesn't display results during a scan
• Not suitable for non-technical users

Conclusion

It's a common misconception that running a hard disk recovery tool is all that's required. Not every data loss case necessitates using professional-grade data recovery tools.

You may recover data using your operating system's built-in capabilities in certain circumstances, with hard disk recovery software and hard disk recovery software recovering data from a hard drive after a computer crash or virus attack. We recommend using EaseUS EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for its simplicity and the number of features unmatched in quality on the market.