- Data recovery is defined as the act of (and the software used to) getting back access to files lost due to storage corruption, user negligence, or unexpected outage by putting together the remaining fragments, rebuilding from what’s left, or using backups.
- This article explains the meaning of data recovery, its types, the steps of the process, and the top software to consider.
What Is Data Recovery?
Data recovery is the act of (and the software used to) getting back access to files lost due to storage corruption, user negligence, or unexpected outage by putting together the remaining fragments, rebuilding from what’s left, or using backups.
Essentially, it is the process of recovering lost, damaged, inadvertently erased, or otherwise inaccessible data to servers, computers, smartphones, or storage devices (or onto a new device in case the original device is inoperable).
Generally, the data is recovered from an off-site backup copy. The more current the backup version is, the better the data’s recoverability in the case of loss or corruption.
Data recovery also encompasses the process of “undeleting” files that a user may have erased unintentionally by restoring their system formatting. It also provides specialist data recovery services for damaged drives.
Data recovery is needed in case of any data loss scenario arising from:
- Natural calamities, including fires, floods, earthquakes, and power outages
- Mistakes in application software, like logical errors in database access
- Users’ negligence or accidental deletion of data or folders
- Deterioration or deliberate tampering of data (through pernicious or infected software and files)
- Legacy software with absent security patches
- Incompatible third-party plugins or apps
When considering the consequences of data loss, data recovery techniques and software solutions are essential to mitigate risk and preserve business continuity.
Types of data recovery
Data recovery may be of various kinds:
- Logical data recovery: Logical data recovery is performed when the issue with data recovery does not impact the hard disc itself but the computer. This occurs when a disc is still functional but some data has been lost.
- Physical data recovery: This occurs when your hard disc is physically damaged. If physically affected, there are currently organizations specializing in data recovery that can help. They can assist in reconstructing faulty firmware so you can read and transfer the data.
- Hard drive recovery: Data recovery from hard drives is perhaps the most prevalent data recovery technique, yet it is also the most complicated. Users should seek a hard disc recovery provider and regularly back up essential data.
- Optical recovery: CDs, DVDs, and other laser-written media are called optical storage. Utilizing data recovery solutions specializing in optical storage presents the best possibility of recovering lost data from optical media.
- Instant data recovery: In this method of data recovery, when data is lost, the user is promptly directed to a backup server. They have near-immediate accessibility to a glimpse of their workload, and IT manages the complete restoration in the background.
See More: 5-Step Guide to Business Continuity Planning (BCP) in 2021
Process of Data Recovery
If you have witnessed a file loss or intend to prepare for a future emergency, here are the steps to follow:
1. Stay calm
First, users should maintain their composure and avoid rushing or aggravating the issue. The first step is to guarantee that no more modifications are applied to the storage media where the missing data was stored. Additionally, avoid storing data on the damaged drive. If the system (boot) disc, which is where the operating system boots, is corrupted, it is preferable just to turn off the computer. All further preparations for data recovery software should occur on a separate machine.
2. Do your research
The next step is to acquire additional knowledge about data recovery. Several internet tools are available to assist you in understanding how data recovery happens and what to anticipate in your specific circumstances. You may also assess the likelihood of successful file recovery in numerous situations.
3. Temporarily decommission the affected device
Once you know about a data loss situation, cease using any impacted devices. In certain situations, retrieving corrupted or lost files from the hard drive before everything is overwritten is feasible. But the chance of overwriting is higher if users keep working with the disc. If the data loss was caused by an event such as a fire or flood, users must stop using the affected equipment until it has been examined and is declared safe.
4. Look for symptoms
When data loss happens, there are several external indicators that something is wrong. Signals of data loss from the hard drive may be as follows:
- If your system no longer identifies the hard drive or if it appears with an unusual name, the hard drive may be experiencing difficulties.
- The hard disc produces strange noises, clicks, or begins operations too slowly.
- On your hard disc, bad blocks appear frequently.
5. Document what’s happening
Knowing precisely what caused the data loss is vital to selecting the most appropriate recovery strategy. Collecting as many details as feasible will also simplify the process and help avoid a similar situation in the future. Have you made recent modifications to the IT infrastructure? Is a new employee gaining access to your information? What indicators did you just notice? This information can help you or the data recovery professional later.
6. Choose your data recovery method
Once you’ve determined the reasons for the data loss, it’s time to begin recovering it. If you have been regularly generating backups, the simplest option is to restore all data from all these backups. Users must consider disc recovery as an alternative if they do not have a backup system. One may try disk recovery manually by downloading specialized software or seeking professional assistance.
7. Contact an expert
After determining the source of the data loss and the most effective recovery method, one may request assistance from a data recovery professional. If you have dedicated software installed, the software provider will be able to be of assistance. Although you might try data recovery by yourself, it is always better to seek assistance from an expert, especially if you’ve lost a significant quantity of important data. A botched effort at recuperation might inflict more significant damage, culminating in further expenses.
8. Make room for the recovered data
Working with image files (a representation of the storage system and the material it contains) is preferable over working with physical discs for retrieving data. This safeguards the data against accidental corruption. This stage entails preparing sufficient storage space for recovered data and images. It is strictly forbidden to attempt to save recovered data on the original discs.
9. Take preventive measures against future incidents
After recovering as much data as possible, it is essential to reflect on the lessons learned. Consider the causes of the loss and implement measures to avoid it from happening again.
If there is a security flaw in the network, one may want the help of security professionals. If environmental causes compromise storage equipment, it may be wise to back up the data remotely. Consider looking at managed IT services if you have difficulty protecting massive volumes of data and intricate and diverse file formats.
See More: 10 Best Practices for Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP)
Data Recovery Software
Data recovery software is a category of application software that assists in recovering lost, damaged, or unavailable data from a storage device. Its objective is to examine, scan, locate, recover, and back up the data from deleted, damaged, or formatted sections or from a user-defined place on the storage device.
In 2021, the data recovery and backup market, comprising data recovery software, was estimated at $10.61 billion globally. Research from the Data Backup and Recovery Market: Global Overview and Forecast (2022-2029) report by Maximize Market Research shows that this segment’s revenues would increase by 10.3% between 2022 and 2029, reaching approximately $ 23.24 billion.
What is data recovery software?
Typically, data recovery software has access to the disk’s basic architecture. It may extract data from damaged storage devices or destroyed files/folders by examining the file architecture records/entries. In addition to having control and access over file types and structures, it can reformat and repair hard disk partitions.
It may be used to restore data, files, and directories produced by the user and the system. It can recover data from almost every storage device, such as hard drives, flash storage units, external memory cards, and tape drives. Usually, data recovery software is capable of recovering data from standard file systems.
Most data recovery software users are IT support personnel, managed service providers, and individual power users.
Why is data recovery software necessary?
Today, organizations store nearly all of their critical data in the cloud. Additionally, you may automatically save anything to a USB stick or an external hard disk. However, in the case of a hard disk failure or a damaged drive, you will require specialized data recovery software to retrieve the lost files and folders. Therefore, a solid data recovery strategy for the organization is highly advantageous.
Fortunately, organizations have access to a variety of high-quality data recovery tools. In the case of a total or partial data crash, these software tools allow users to recover a significant portion of the data while minimizing the adverse effects.
Even if you employ a data backup provider, you ought to keep a recovery tool readily accessible in case the very worst should happen. The ideal data recovery software makes recovering lost folders and files on any desktop, smartphone, or storage media simple, fast, and straightforward.
See More: What Is Disaster Recovery? Definition, Cloud and On-premise, Benefits and Best Practices
Top 7 data recovery software
In today’s multi-billion-dollar market, you have many options when selecting the right data recovery software. Here are the best ones, arranged in alphabetical order:
1. AnyRecover
AnyRecover is one of the most effective data recovery applications for Outlook files. It can recover PST, DBX, and EMLX files (it supports over 1,000 file variants). In addition, it has file repair, email recovery, as well as lost partition recovery capabilities. Users should be aware that the Mac software version is priced somewhat more than its Windows version. Paid subscriptions provide near-limitless data recovery, while the free plan restricts retrieval to only three files.
2. Disk Drill Data Recovery
Even if your device is malfunctioning, inaccessible, or has lost a partition, Disk Drill Data Recovery will recover corrupted information. It enables users to recover lost images, movies, audio files, or files from internal or external devices, flash drives, and SD cards. Additionally, it offers two crucial additional data loss protection features: the Recovery Vault, which introduces another layer to your Recycle Bin, and Guaranteed Recovery, which retains a duplicate of any file transferred to a predefined folder.
3. EaseUS
The EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is simple to use. The wizard directs the user through each stage of the recovery procedure. If the program is executed rapidly enough, it can recover almost anything, from accidentally lost disks to virus-hit data. It is compatible with internal and external hard disks, USB flash sticks, memory cards, and numerous partition configurations.
4. Recuva
Recuva by Piriform ranks among the finest accessible free data recovery programs. It’s extremely user-friendly and offers several optional advanced features. It can recover data from hard disks, external devices (such as USB drives), BD/DVD/CDs, or memory cards. It seeks to make restoring deleted files as simple as deleting them. Piriform offers installable and portable software versions but no software as a service (SaaS) app.
5. R-Studio
R-Studio is mainly designed for experts already familiar with data recovery. It supports all frequently utilized file formats, partition layout schemes, and corrupted or deleted partitions. R-Studio allows users to initiate numerous data recovery processes simultaneously in independent tabs. It is possible to arrange recovered files per their extensions, origin date, modification date, and access timeframe, among other factors.
You may also examine supported file formats or inspect files using the integrated hex editor to verify their integrity or attempt partial recovery.
6. Stellar Data Recovery
This data recovery system features multiple scan options, allowing you to customize the scan according to the extent of the data loss. This saves much time if you have removed a critical file by mistake and realize it immediately since a complete system scan is unnecessary. It is a flexible service capable of recovering data from internal and external hard drives, storage devices, memory sticks, and optical media.
Additionally, the platform has powerful search features, making locating and retrieving the most valuable data simple.
7. PhotoRec
This program can recover over 480 file formats across storage devices such as hard disks, memory cards, CD-ROMs, flash drives with USB ports, and other storage devices. PhotoRec’s text-only user interface is well-suited for IT professionals.
PhotoRec’s performance is comparable to other commercial data recovery software solutions. It employs a non-destructive data retrieval mechanism, preventing it from writing to the storage media from which the user is attempting to recover. In rare instances, it may effectively restore fragmented data scattered across systems.
How to choose data recovery software?
When deciding on the best data recovery software, one should consider the following selection parameters:
- Compatibility: First, disk recovery software must be compatible with your operating system. Users should also seek a service that receives regular updates to accommodate different operating system variants and feature sets. Additionally, the program must be able to recover lost data from file systems designed for both internal and external storage media, like NTFS, FAT, FAT32, exFAT, HFS+, APFS, ext2/3/4, and many others.
- Prompt support: You must have access to technical assistance if you experience problems while using the program. Whether the communication is established via phones, emails, or a problem ticket, there has to be a mechanism to receive prompt assistance if you have problems retrieving lost data. This can make a big difference when using the software in an emergency scenario.
- Credibility and reliability: Malicious actors can install malware into recovery software to obtain access to a user’s computer during a problematic situation. Downloading software directly from the developer’s website is often safer and preferable over utilizing the websites of third-party distributors.
- Performance: The best solutions for recovering lost data should be able to successfully retrieve all deleted files and deliver the outcomes they promise. Unfortunately, developers often overpromise and underdeliver; therefore, checking the evaluations published by genuine users and expert reviewers should always be an integral part of the selection process.
The probability of successfully recovering deleted files using software via a disk-led storage device is directly correlated with the device’s usage since the data was lost.
Ideally, users should discontinue utilizing devices immediately after discovering data loss. However, this might not be practical. This information must be considered while evaluating the efficacy of a data recovery tool.
In addition, there aren’t any commercially available software programs that can recover data that has been overwritten. A file is said to have been overwritten if:
- The file consuming a certain amount of storage space is tagged as “deleted.”
- Its storage space is listed as “available” to store additional files.
- Fresh data is written in the same location as the file.
Therefore, it is strongly advised that users perform frequent backups of a computer and all its vital data and use data recovery software only for emergencies as a last resort.
See More: Top 8 Disaster Recovery Software Companies in 2021
Takeaway
Data recovery software is a multi-billion dollar market for good reason. As enterprise data generation increases and its value to the business grows, you need a way to get back files, folders, and partitions that may have been deleted by mistake or lost due to events outside your control. Data recovery software performs this essential function and, apart from exceptional cases, ensures that lost data can be retrieved after all.
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