In most cases this just isn't the case. Whether files were accidentally deleted, the drive was formatted or no longer recognised, as long as it wasn't physically overwritten, the data is still there. The files are merely not accessible as before. If a file is deleted, the data is not deleted from the drive, but instead a signature byte is set at the start of the file name. This signature byte tells the operating systems that this area is free to be overwritten. The next time something is written to the drive, the new data could be written to this area. This means, that as long as nothing new is written to the drive, the data is still there, intact and can therefore be recovered.
Even in cases which seem extreme such as a reformat of a drive from FAT32 to NTFS-, all of the files are still there. If FAT32 drive is reformatted, everything is wiped except for the partition table and the data. And that's all you need! As long as the data is still there files can be reconstructed.
"Installing this one program will not hurt... "
Yes it will! Never install or copy anything to the drive you want to recover data from. Avoid using the drive completely. Writing anything to the drive which requires data retrieval may compromise the potential recovery. Installing a seemingly tiny 1MB program on the drive can mean not only overwriting 1MB of space on the drive, but corrupting 100MB or more worth of files beyond recovery.
Even surfing the Internet can overwrite data on the drive. While on the Internet temporary files are constantly being created on your hard drive, often without you knowing it and even if you have disabled the use of cookies etc... " In the end only a professional data recovery service can help... "
Data may be lost due to a physical problem with the drive, i.e. the drive is making strange noises, doesn't spin at all, or is no longer recognized by the BIOS. When a hard drive is physically damaged no software solution (in most cases) is going to bring your data back. See section on disk repair for more information.
Finally, for all data loss scenarios due to logical failures like accidental file deletion, format, fdisk, software or power failure, user error, virus attack etc. the following is true:
We can help you !!!!
Do you need someone to ensure that your critical data is secure? That in the event of any potential disk failure, there is a complete backup? During consultation we will discuss the various methods of cost effective setup suited to your own needs. Businesses who still don't take the time to back up their data are running a huge risk. Having got, possibly years worth, of word documents, excel spreadsheets, access database files, financial information, customer information, employee details etc are stored on your hard drives - Periodical Backup is Essential !!!
Just think, if in an instant, they all disappeared or were not accessible anymore, What would you do? The answer should be, re-load all the information from the regular backups.There is no other alternative.
Data loss can happen in various ways: Hard disk failure, viruses that re-write data, fire or even theft of hardware. All of these events are an unneccessary dilemma. If you do not have a backup of all your vital data, it will cost you a whole lot more in the long run.
Backing up your files need not be a traumatic experience. There are many ways to back up your data. Remember the golden rule; "Backup is cheap but recovery is expensive!".
