Hardware

This term includes all the physical hardware of a computer (data and programs are referred to as software). Hardware is computer components without which the software would be unable to operate.

Hardware influences how digital data is created, processed, stored and made available to users. In practical recovery work, understanding the relationship between physical components and the software layer is essential for finding the real source of a fault.

Problems that look like simple file loss can in reality involve failing hardware, unstable communication, damaged file systems or unsuitable software operations. Accurate analysis therefore has to consider both the technical device and the software environment around it.