Data recovery software is a specialised field, with the software
designed particularly for hard drive data recovery. Data loss
itself can come from hardware or software failures, and
natural or man-made disasters, but as a result,
the majority of businesses will use some form of
computer recovery software or data recovery services.
What causes data loss?
Data loss is extremely common and tends to be caused by human
error, viral attacks or
natural or man-made disasters.
Desktop or
notebook hard drive failures are very common and are often
prompted by accidents in the office which lead to the machine being
physically damaged.
In very severe cases of hard drive platter damage, magnetic
degradation or a
file over-write will render the data unrecoverable.
But in nearly all hard drive recovery cases, the data can be
recovered by a trained computer data recovery technician.
How easy is it to recover data?
Computer
data recovery can be tricky, and usually requires the help of
hard drive data recovery experts. But in all hard drive recovery
situations, experts advise users to remain calm and not act in a
way that will make matters worse.
What are the most disastrous scenarios?
The
top three disaster scenarios that can
cause the most data loss, because they affect both physical and
electronic storage, are as follows.
- Physical damage or destruction of servers or PCs caused by
excessive heat from fire or explosion.
- Physical damage to servers or PCs caused by flooding.
- Physical damage to servers or PCs caused by dropping or a blow
from a heavy object.
In which situations is data most recoverable?
You are most likely to
be able to recover data in the following situations.
- Accidental file or email deletion caused by human error.
- Accidental file or email deletion due to a common virus.
- Loss of data on one computer due to virus "wiping" the hard
drive.
What sort of data recovery software is available?
There are a number of
commercial or freeware tools available to attempt file recovery
yourself. However, these
don’t come with any guarantees of data recovery.
Software packages are available from
antivirus and security vendors, and software companies that
specialise in data recovery applications.
There are also some basic data restoration and recovery and file
repair tools in operating systems such as Windows Vista. But in
many cases, data recovery will require computer forensic experts to
carry out the procedure.
What are data recovery firms?
There are many
data recovery and computer forensic experts that know how to
deal with physical electronic failures, as well as software-based
data corruption.
Although some firms will come out to the business premises to
attempt a recovery, most will prefer to take back the computer,
server or particular hard drive to their labs to operate on.
The majority of
data recovery firms advertise a "no fix, no fee" offer, with
hard drive data recovery costs around the £100 mark for a
diagnosis, about £250 for electronic recovery and about £350 for
mechanical recovery.
If I send my drive to a recovery firm, how should I package
it?
If you are sending your drive to a computer data recovery
expert, it is essential to package it correctly to avoid damage in
transit.
The best packaging is the original box and packaging the drive
came in.
Good layers include an anti-static bag followed by foam rubber.
Do not use bubble wrap, foam 'peanuts' or paper. The purpose is to
stop the drive moving around inside the box.
Data recovery software packages
- Ontrack Data
Recovery
Ontrack Data Recovery has the one of the leading data recovery
services and software. - R-Tools Technology
R-Tools Technology (RTT) provides ‘self-service’ data recovery,
undelete, drive image, data security and PC privacy utilities for
the Windows family of operating systems. - Stellar
Stellar’s Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software is a data recovery
application designed for Windows 7 RC1, Vista, 2003, XP and
2000. - GetData
Recover My Files can recover deleted files emptied from the Windows
Recycle Bin, or lost due to the format or corruption of a hard
drive, virus or Trojan infection. - Runtime Software
Runtime’s GetDataBack software is designed all Windows file
systems, and specialises in hard drive data recovery, and RAID data
recovery.