When was the last time you backed up your important files? Last week? Last month? You don't remember? You're not alone. Even the most conscientious computer users have some unsaved data on their hard drive, and that data is always at risk. Why? Because sooner or later, all hard drives fail. And when yours does, your unprotected data will go with it.

If you know what to look for, what to listen for, and how to respond when you see it or hear it, there's a good chance you'll be able to rescue your data from a dying disk before it's too late.

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