A Guide to Data Recovery

Data recovery tips and information for hard drive, floppy, raid, and other storage media. Also contains review of data recovery software and services.

We live in a data driven world – almost! A world where computers have become an essential part of lives, any kind of data loss can create a lot of problem as well as tress. Data loss is controlled by many factors that include physical, logical and mechanical problems. 99% of the times, data recovery is possible but 1% times the data can’t be recovered especially if the hard drive is completely damaged.

There are also different types of data recovery programs available on the internet that will help you to recover all your important information within no time. These specific programs can initiate data recovery on various storage devices like the hard disk, CD, DVD, USB drive, Zip drive and other media devices.

The most common factors causing data loss are hard disk malfunction and virus attack. A top of the line data recovery software can retrieve all the data from a virus infected CD or hard drive and even if your hard disk has crashed. There are many companies who develop, their own data recovery programs, which they use for retrieving lost data and for minimizing the damage caused to your hard disk or system.

You can use the following procedures if you experience problems in accessing your data:

Most of the data loss occurs due to hardware failure and hence you need to identify the reason for data inaccessibility first. This will help you to understand what process needs to be followed for data recovery.

If the data loss is of minor proportions then you don’t need to consult a technical expert. Data recovery companies can charge a lot even to retrieve a small amount of data. If the data loss is due to accidental delete or because of a virus problem then you can always download certain programs from the Internet and run them. Most of the free programs available on the internet will be able to retrieve data with ease.

When you are searching for data recovery software over the internet, look for programs that have been given good reviews by various online PC or computer magazines. This will help you to download the best programs available. Some programs will require you to register before you can download them.

Look for programs that have a built-in trouble shooting or help manual. This will provide you a step-by-step guide to data recovery and also provide information on what to do if there is a problem.

Another good option is to take the hard drive out and attach it to another computer for data recovery. Always attach it to a computer that has similar configuration as yours otherwise it will not be possible to install your hard drive.

If and only if you have had a serious problem like hard disk crash or some mechanical or logical failure then approach a data recovery expert. Data recovery companies normally have their own labs, tools and expert staff who can handle some of the most sensitive data recovery processes with ease.

Recovery of disk

Disk Recovery is the process of retrieval of inaccessible or corrupt data from digital media that has become damaged in some way. Disk Recovery can be used to recover data from devices as varied as Hard Disk Drives, Memory Cards, Tapes, Mobile Phones, Personal Digital Assistants, Floppy Disk’s, CD’s, DVD’s, Data Cartridges, Xbox’s and many more items.

Disk Recovery may be needed for reasons as diverse as hardware failure, (the tape has been ‘chewed’ up, the hard disk drive has failed, the user has maliciously damaged the computer or digital device, or it could have suffered fire or flood damage). All of these instances will require the services of a professional data recovery company if the data was of such value (be it sentimental or financial) that the cost of the services are less than the perceived value of the data which is no longer accessible.

It is not just businesses who are at risk from Data loss. Clients requiring disk recovery come from all walks of life, including large corporate, smaller businesses, and the self employed to “joe public” who, with the introduction and subsequent boom in the use of digital cameras etc to record holidays and special occasions may have lost anything from sentimental data to critical e-mails, and personal account details. Students are often grouped under this heading too.

There are numerous ways that Data can be recovered from digital media which can vary greatly, the simplest method can often involve the running of basic software on the storage medium in question. This is always a dangerous idea, because the recovery data could overwrite the very data that is being recovered. More complex commercial software tools are available which will do this job more professionally. No software fix should be attempted prior to the original media being imaged, enabling the recovering company to work on a ‘back-up’ of the original software. The most professional companies will also take a second image should there be a problem with the first image that is being worked on for recovery.

The next problem is what happens when the hard disk or storage device doesn’t work. For the smaller ‘Disk Recovery Companies’, this is a problem, and it is when the more serious Disk Recovery Companies get involved, who specialise in higher end Data Retrievals. It is always recommended that the most critical work should be sent to a true disk recovery specialist, (check out the accreditations - ensure the specialist has ISO9001-2000 Quality Assurance status, and is certified to ISO BE EN 14644 to ensure that their clean facility is at the correct level for intrusive data recovery work, find out how long that company has been trading, and check their testimonials). Once you have found the company that you are happy with, if the data storage device doesn’t work, there is a high likelihood that the digital media will require spare parts enabling them to get the original data accessible for long enough to image the data onto a stable storage device, enabling that data to be duplicated again which in turn allows a safe recovery attempt to be achieved.

The disk recovery job is generally finished when a list of all the recovered files is sent to the client. Once the client approves this file listing, they are then shipped the data of an appropriate media. This can be a hard disk drive, floppy disk, CD or DVD. Alternatively, if a file is considered critical, it can be encrypted and then emailed to the client.

It should be noted that in extreme cases it may be impossible to recover any data, however the bottom, as soon as you have lost data you should power off your device and send it to a professional Disk Recovery Company to optimise your chances of a successful recovery.