After losing data, if you want it back really bad enough, you have to recover it using DIY (Do It Yourself) software or hire a professional data recovery outfit. Computers technology has advanced enormously in recent decades and digital machines today are quite rugged and dependable. However, data still can get lost due to various reasons related to hardware or software.
Hard Disk Crash
Hard disks store all their data on a series of vertically arranged platters that are made of glass or metal. A read / write head hovers above them, accessing and modifying data on the commands of the operating system. Sometimes, the head becomes unhinged and “crashes” on the platter surface, scratching it and damaging data. It may also get stuck on the surface and furrow it all over as the platters continue to spin. A hard disk crash is any computer user’s nightmare come true as all data residing on it becomes inaccessible.
Accidental Deletion of Files
User-inflicted errors are one of the most common causes of data loss. The user may accidentally delete a file and empty the Recycle Bin. With this, the file becomes invisible to the operating system. To recover such files, a good data-recovery software is necessary. It bypasses the operating system, makes a low level scan of the recording surface and recovers the file.
Reformatting of Storage Media
For any storage media that a computer uses, the operating system creates a file allocation system for it. There is a directory in it that lists the name, location and path of all files residing on the data recording surface. When a user reformats the storage media such as a hard drive or optical disk, the operating system wipes off the file allocation table for that partition and earmarks the entire area for storing fresh data.
The original data files still exist on the media, but they become invisible to the operating system. If you have by mistake reformatted the storage device, you can still recover the files that resided on it by using any run-of-the-mill DIY data-recovery software.
Impact Trauma and Hardware Damage
Impact trauma occurs when a data storage device falls to the ground or is crushed under some object. A hard disk is especially vulnerable to it. On violent impact with a hard surface, many delicate mechanical parts inside the disk such as spindle motor, ball bearings and read / write heads may get damaged or become loose, resulting in the entire device becoming dead. Repairs can only be carried out in a clean room by professional data-recovery technicians.
Damage to the data recording surface as well as other parts of the storage media can also result in data loss. In an optical disk, hardware damage is the result of its surface getting scratched or spilled over with some thick liquid, leaving stains behind. A USB drive or memory card may fall into water while a notebook may get run over by a vehicle.
Disasters
Disasters occur quite rarely, but once they do, they cause massive damage. These can be induced by man or nature and include instances of fire, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, storms, tornados, lightening strike, terrorist attacks and so on. Fire and water damage are the most common disasters to strike computers each year. Fire may get started due to natural causes such as an electric short circuit or due to arson by, say, a disgruntled ex-employee.
Water damage may result from leaking taps, sewage backflow and floods. Earthquakes flatten entire office blocks, burying computers and data-storage devices under tonnes of debris. The only solution to protecting your precious data from disasters is remote data backup. It is getting increasingly popular today and is offered by many service providers.
Normal Wear and Tear
Data storage devices such as hard disks have many moving parts. These have a fixed life, after which they can go down any time because of normal wear and tear. Parts such as ball bearings of spindle motors inside hard disks get worn out over time due to friction and have to be replaced after five or six years of service. An optical disk develops scratches over its surface. The inner wiring and soldering of integrated circuits gradually become brittle and snap, leading to media failure.
Virus Attack
Viruses these days mostly gain entry into a computer via the Internet. They can cause immense damage to your data by corrupting files and even reformatting the hard disk. To guard against them, you have to install a good anti-virus software on your computer. It scans files and email attachments that you are trying to download and sounds off an alert if they contain an embedded virus.
