Data loss – whether it be business or personal – can happen at the most inconvenient time in the most unexpected way. Your computer suddenly crashes when a virus sneaks its way in even though you thought you were protected. Maybe your hard drive fails. Hard drives do not have an infinite lifespan and can fail in mid-project if you are not prepared. Also, accidents do happen, especially with laptops that are easily dropped. Laptops are also more easily stolen, so all the more reason to make sure the important data is saved and there is a data recovery plan in place.
One thing to bear in mind when the panic of lost data sets in, as long as the data file has not been shredded with a secure data deletion tool, there may be a data recovery option. Why? In reality, only the first few bytes of data are altered. Windows then recognizes there is space available for new data, while the remaining bytes of the original file is left intact and might still be recovered as long as it is not overwritten – all the more reason to have a data recovery plan in place so that steps can be taken immediately. Following are ways to achieve data recovery.
File recovery tools such as Undelete Plus and Recuva can be downloaded free of charge and run from a USB flash drive so as not to add more programs to your hard drive. As with most data recovery options, you can search for specific file types in order to retrieve the data. Most programs offer more than one search option so you can drill down to find lost files. In addition, file recovery tools offer deep searches that can scan the drive cluster by cluster so that data can be found from lost drives or partitions. In the process, deleted files can be detected.
When you’re unable to boot into Windows, there are a few options to try. First, you can plug into another PC. Another option if that does not work is using a bootable rescue disc that gives access to the files such as Linux live CD.
CD or DVD data recovery requires different tools from those used for a hard drive. A few free options to try are Unstoppable Copier and ISOBuster before moving on to paid options.
Memory card images can be recovered with a program called Zero Assumption Recovery. With fully functional image-recovery tools, you can preview your images before recovering them. This will work as long as the card itself is still visible in Windows.
Damaged or corrupt files require to third-party software such as PC Tools File Recovery or Recover My Files. Although not free, both support a wide range of file formats. You can preview the results in a trial before you commit to making the purchase.
Now that you have an understanding of how to achieve data recovery, do you have time to carry out the research and do the work? Let Dave’s Computers manage the data recovery for you now that you understand the options available. We can determine quickly and efficiently the best way to retrieve your data, and give you advice if we find the hard drive is physically damaged.
We can also suggest options such as online backup so that files are safe from damage by your computer. Therefore, when something goes wrong with your hardware, you will still have remote access to your files from any computer with internet access. Files can always be quickly and easily restored to your computer from a secure online server.
