We all lost data. From an unfinished essay to a very important business document, data loss is everywhere. And the scariest part, it is unavoidable and unintentional. No matter how careful you are, data loss is a couple of buttons away. If you have also lost some files and are interested in knowing what does it actually mean by data recovery or getting back your data, this guide might help you. Data recovery services are very common in almost every single city in the world. We even covered articles on the best data recovery services in countries such as the USA. The reason brings us back to the very first sentence. We all lose data.
What is Data Recovery?
Data recovery serves as a tool for recovering or recalling data from storage media, that underwent data loss. When speaking about storage media, it can be literally every kind of storage such as HDD, SSD, USB Flash Drives, CD, DVD, and much more. Data recovery represents a very important factor in any operating system because its function is enabled in case of accidental deletion, Windows reinstallation, system booting failure, etc. So, it’s a way of recovering information that has become inaccessible due to physical or logical damage to the particular storage device.
How does Data Recovery work?
In this chapter, we’ll try to make an understanding of data recovery easily by starting off with an example of a hard disk. Every hard disk consists of platters that are rotating at a certain speed depending on if the hard disk is reading or writing data on its platters. So how exactly can data be damaged? Well, if the platter or arms writing data on the disk fails, so comes the data deletion, but it’s not PERMANENTLY deleted. Instead, it remains somewhere in the storage, which is essential for data recovery to work. Usually, there is a very complex algorithm that performs a detailed scan of the hard drive to find and mark all the deleted files that don’t have a path linked to them.
Of course, we are speaking about light damage, which is typical for a hard disk. In this case, the data recovery tool can successfully collect all of the damaged/deleted information and make a successful recovery. What about heavy damage? Well, in the next chapter, we are going to take a look at the difference between logical and physical damage. We have even covered an entire article on how data recovery centers work.
Logical vs. Physical damage
Let’s start with the logical hard disk damage. This type of damage is common for modern hard drives, and it means that while you can’t access the data on a hard drive, you can still, under Disk Management or BIOS. Logical damage is often characterized as system file corruption, registry damage, or operating system failure, and these factors prevent users from accessing the files on the hard disk. Fortunately, as the hard drive isn’t physically damaged, these files can, in most cases, be recovered from your hard drive using data recovery software or any other alternative.
Unlike logical, physical damage is often the complete, permanent failure of the storage. If this happens to you, there is a good chance that those files are gone forever, but it isn’t always the case. In this particular case, data recovery won’t work, and the storage would need to be sent to data recovery experts, for further analysis. They use special techniques for doing this, and there is hope for your files to be recovered. This is the reason why you need to avoid hitting your computer case or any other component.
Avoiding data loss
Data loss may or may not occur during the lifespan of one storage media, which depends on many factors. However, as some of you probably have very important files on your PC, Smartphones, CDs, or whatever it may be, you want to minimize the chances of data loss or corruption. Today, the most used methods are Cloud Storage Spaces and drive backup. Cloud Space is great and will let you upload your files to the preferred server, being able to access them at any time. For example, Microsoft offers Cloud Space if you are using Windows 10. All you have to do is log in with your username and password on the other PC, and download your files if data loss occurs. Cloud Storage can also be paid, and it depends on how much space you need.
On the other side, drive backup is the older method of avoiding data loss. There is an option in the Control Panel of every PC, which will let you burn your files to a DVD thus preventing data loss. Whether you are using this method or Cloud Storage, be sure to do this often, to minimize the chances of unwanted data loss. Once a week would be the preferred number, depending on what you are using your storage for.
Limitations of Data Recovery
While data recovery is a very powerful tool, it has its own limitations, and will not work in these cases:
- File infected with virus or Trojan program, which is inaccessible due to corruption.
- Lost files are too old for recovery.
- Severe physical damage to the hard drive.
- The data has been overwritten with new data.
- If the data recovery program can’t locate the stored location, due to a damaged magnetic area.
- Data is in an old format that is not identified by the latest recovery software.
Freezing method for Data Recovery
This is a very common method for trying to recover the lost data, which you should AVOID, especially if you have no idea what you are doing. This essentially means that you put your data storage device into the freezer for some time in order to make it accessible for retrieving files again. Unfortunately, this method will not work in most cases and will just lead to more complications and challenges for a successful data recovery process.
We strongly discourage this method, as it can cause permanent damage to your hard drive, as well as permanent loss of important files, without a possibility of data recovery. Instead, if you encounter a data loss, DO NOT attempt to physically open the hard drive, freeze it, repair it, or any similar process, as it can lead to permanent loss of files and warranty.
Conclusion
Data Recovery needs to be taken seriously, as this is the last resort if you want to recover your lost files. If your disk suffered logical damage, you don’t need to be a computer expert in order to recover your files. You can find many guides on the internet on how to restore your files in just a few steps. Often, there are data recovery programs, which will do all the heavy lifting for you, and are recommended if you are a beginner or haven’t done this before. If this method isn’t working, contact your storage manufacturer or simply bring it to data recovery experts. You can find a data recovery service near you if you are looking for professional help to recover your content. Be smart about data recovery and often use methods of preventing data loss, to ensure that your files are safe.
