Data Recovery - 4 Things You Should Know About Hard Drive Crashes

As I talk to people about data recovery, I find that they certainly do not have all the facts. Most people are only aware of a few options for something as important as their data. If you are anything like me you store photo memories, work information, personal emails -- All those things that are hard to replace.

So, I've put together a list of 4 things EVERYBODY ought to know about data recovery.

1. Just because it was deleted does not mean it is gone forever.

When you lose important data, it is still possible to recover it. In fact, even if something has been written over, it may still be possible to recover that data. The US Department of Justice has said that a purposefully deleted piece of information, in many cases, has to be written over 7 or more times before it is completely gone. The bottom line here is that just because it may seem that it is gone, doesn't mean that it cannot be recovered.

2. Your Drive Will Wear Out.

Physical damage can occur to a hard drive because of mechanical failures such as motors going bad, or head crashes. Physical damage to the hard drive will almost always lead to data loss. In addition to the data loss, it is likely that damage to the logical structure of the hard drive will also occur. Most of the physical damage on a hard drive cannot be repaired by the end user. The mere opening of the hard drive in the normal environment can result in dust settling on the surface which results in further damage to the platters.

3. Data Loss Can Be Difficult in Many Ways.

Losing data from your hard drive can be devastating for many reasons. If you use the computer for business, perhaps all your client files, accounting files, etc. are there. For personal users, you may have your entire family photo album there, in addition to all family contact information. Perhaps there are important emails from family members stored on the computer. In any case, this information is extremely important to you. In addition to regular backup sessions a good data recovery software can be helpful. This software can be useful to a personal user, and it can help you to recover important data, and save you hundreds of dollars along the way. There are many to choose from, but you'll want to make sure what you buy can do what it says it will do.

4. Data Recovery Services are an Option.

When taking your hard drive to a specialist for data recovery, they will evaluate the drive and inform you of the problem, as well as the cost for recovery. Once you have this quote, you may think the price is too high. The real question you need to ask yourself then, is how important the data is. As I mentioned previously, there are data recovery software programs available, but if your data is very critical, you should consider the price quoted to you by the data recovery service. When you attempt to do it yourself, it will almost always lead to permanent loss of your data. A professional can recover most, if not all of the data in question. If your data is that important, then it is well worth the cost involved. Always remember too, that much of the headache can be avoided simply by backing up your data regularly. I can't tell you how many times this has saved my butt!

There you have it! 4 Things that everyone should know about data recovery. There are many more but I just wanted to touch on the most important.