The Data Recovery Blog

Bringing recently erased data back to usable status

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:35:16 +0000

How many times have you deleted files and had to give up on finding them because you thought they were gone forever? Probably many times, because most of us think that when we delete a file, that is it, there is not returning it back to existence. That belief would be incorrect though. When you erase a file, whether through the recycle bin being emptied or by pressing shift delete, the file is not yet fully erased. At first, only the file’s marker or label is deleted. It is only after new files have been placed in the space old files held that deletion becomes final. Obviously for the best chances at rescuing erased files one needs to not move or add new information to their PC. The one other thing that needs to be done is to find a quality data recovery utility.

Differences between PC and Mac recovery tools

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:15:12 +0000

File recovery programs for PCs differ quite a bit from those for Macs. Apple’s computers use an entirely different programming language to begin with plus they have disk initialization and verification steps which must be overcome before a program can access the internal hard drive. This makes rescuing files inside quite challenging on Macs with crashed operating systems. PC recovery software has much less to deal with, as there are no roadblocks to hard drive access other than a possible crashed OS. Fortunately, there are data recovery tools to get over the hurdle of Windows crashes. Once inside a PC hard drive, it is quite easy to copy the files out or undelete files if necessary.

Slow data recovery applications should definitely be avoided

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:50:06 +0000

I have tried dozens of data recovery programs over the last few years and I can honestly say that one of the main things that irritates me when trying to recover files is a slow running application. Speed is very important to recovering files and it is an issue which is compounded when looking for information on a large hard drive. There really is no way one can get their files back without a fast data recovery program. Usually when I have tried using slower software in the past it just gets stuck scanning a drive until it finally locks up completely. There generally is only fast recovery or none at all, because slow applications fail to crunch information quick enough to finish their job on current generation PCs.

Facing a PC error screen and overcoming it

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:34:10 +0000

For PC users there is one moment we all dread. That is starting up our computer and staring at a blue or black error screen. Windows error screens which represent a crashed operating system are fairly common. What is the solution to this problem? The resolution is to reload the operating system. The only problem with that is when you do so, all of the files which were on the computer are overwritten and rendered inaccessible. So, before reloading Windows you must use a hard drive data recovery utility to find and copy out all of the files within your computer’s hard drive.

Selecting the best file recovery program for your purpose

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:20:19 +0000

For anyone who has deleted an important file by mistake, the news that there are programs available to undelete such information comes as a great relief. Deleted file recovery software has been around for years and it has only become better over time. Sure, there are still more than a few outdated programs on the market that really shouldn’t be offered for sale. But, if one looks carefully at the software, they will be able to determine the best one to buy. When looking at these programs, it is important make sure that the one selected has a sensible set of instructions, more than a basic deleted file scanning mode and that it will be able to look for the type of files you have lost.

How valid are reviews of file recovery tools?

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:23:32 +0000

Typically, when you see file recovery software reviews on the internet, they are nothing more than a bit of fraud. These reviews, and there are often many grouped together in a supposed comparison, are purposely built by web developers as affiliates of software companies by which they make hefty commissions. The problem with this is obvious, you don’t know what to believe as the reviewers are likely just trying to steer you toward whatever program they will make the most money from. To avoid this pitfall, check out numerous data recovery company sites and their products specs to make your own comparison. That is the one way to ensure an honest opinion on the products.

Putting lost or deleted data back in its proper place

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:02:56 +0000

A process that used to be considered out of the question for anyone but experts is becoming increasingly common among PC do it yourself types. That job is computer data restoration. Restoring files whether deleted or lost has become easier for non-techies to accomplish as better and more user friendly programs have been developed to find those files. Some of these applications can even perform a raw files scan which will return results of files which were corrupted. While raw scan results don’t give the individual file names that each item once had, it is better than losing the data entirely.

Photo recovery from memory card storage

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:46:47 +0000

Photo recovery is by far the most common need in all of data recovery. This is simply because digital photos are the most frequently used files by everyone and one of the most deleted. Who doesn’t take numerous snapshots when photographing anything? Of course after we download those photos, they must be sorted through and some must be deleted. That is when accidental deletion occurs. Most of these photos are stored on removable memory cards. Memory card photo recovery really isn’t all that different from standard hard drive file recovery. In either situation, all you really need is a quality application for deleted file restoration.

The modern method of hard drive recovery

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:30:14 +0000

Recovering data from hard drives has changed in method completely over the last 20 years. In the early days of internal hard drives, they would fail mechanically and have to be sent off to service labs for repair and recovery. Today, most hard drive crashes are really just failures of the operating system which can be remedied by reloading the OS. Before that can be done though a do it yourself HD data recovery application must be used to access the internal hard drive and its contained files. So the shift in data recovery has been from needing professional assistance to taking on the job ourselves.

Handling the substantial problem of a crashed operating system

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:13:34 +0000

For Windows run personal computers there is really only one major problem that is possible and that is an operating system crash. This type of crash is generally recognized by the computer displaying a black or blue error screen upon startup. The only cost effective solution is to use hard drive data retrieval software to recover all of the files trapped inside the hard drive. After that is done the OS can be reloaded and the PC should run fine again, unless there is an imbalance in the hard drive from wear, which will cause another OS crash fairly quickly, as unbalanced drives commonly create file loss in operating systems. Only a replacement hard drive will rectify that issue with a computer.