Disk Recovery Software

Disk recovery is the process of retrieving deleted or lost files. Files that are deleted using the 'shift-delete' function bypass the recycle bin and are erased from the operating system's memory. Files may also be lost due to power blackouts, computer viruses, and through unwanted, careless deleting or formatting.

Deleted or lost files can be recovered by using disk recovery software or freeware. It uses an FAT (file allocation table) and a MFT (master file table) to recover lost or deleted files from the hard disk. When a ?delete? command is executed, the operating system merely deletes the path of the file and registers the space occupied by the file as free space. The path is not removed from FAT and MFT and can be accessed using recovery software.

Freeware is generally used to recover recently deleted files. For recovering important and critical files, special recovery software can be purchased from data recovery firms. In cases where the hard disk is severely damaged due to water or other elements, it is removed from the hard drive bay and sent to a professional data recovery firm. These firms use special software and processes to make a sector-by-sector mirror copy of the damaged hard disk. Deleted files are recovered and sent back to the client.