Learn & Enjoy For Your Success: PC Tools for Data Recovery

বৃহস্পতিবার, ৬ আগস্ট, ২০০৯

Identification

Data recovery is the process of saving data from damaged or corrupted storage devices, such as the hard disk in a computer or on tapes, CDs or DVDs. Data recovery can also involve recovering information that was purposely or accidentally deleted from a hard drive or other storage device.

The type of PC tools used for data recovery depends on the type of damage or loss that has occurred. For instance, you use a different method when data is lost because of physical damage to a storage device than when the data loss is from logical damage. Logical damage occurs when the physical parts of the storage device are intact but the data is corrupted because of power failure or a system crash.

Your PC's operating system may have some built-in data recovery tools, such as the consistency checker called CHKDSK for DOS and Windows systems. You can also purchase various utilities on CD that may help with data recovery, such as The Sleuth Kit, or you can try various free utilities and programs such as Windows Recovery or Undelete Plus.

The best way to prevent data loss is to back up your data often on disks, tape or an extra external hard drive. If your data becomes corrupted, you can then insert a recovery or installation disk and re-install the backed up information. Another way to limit data loss is to stop using a hard drive that you suspect has physical damage. If it makes clicking or grinding noises, the damage is probably physical rather than logical. Continuing to use the damaged drive will only cause further data loss and make recovery more difficult.

Data recovery software generally only works when the damage is logical rather than physical. Attempting to run CHKDSK or software from a data recovery disc when the damage to the hard drive is physical may make the problem worse. If the hard drive has sustained physical damage, it may need to be opened in a clean room and manually repaired by a trained technician.