File recovery can feel like a life saving event

If you spend any time at all in front of a PC or notebook, eventually file recovery products become part of your life. Most people just make the honest mistake of deleting a file. But, the worst case scenario also happens: Losing your data, and also having your backup program fail. Thankfully, there are file recovery solutions that can resolve a number of different problems that you may find yourself facing. Here goes...

The recovery situations are:

- deleted files
- lost files
- corrupt files
- damaged files

Deleted File

Nearly every computer user has experienced the situation when they have deleted files and have wanted them back; you've intentionally trashed a file, and you need it. This is the most common and easiest recovery situation to resolve in most instances, and there are many undelete data recovery products to choose from, especially in the Windows data recovery field.   

Lost File

A lost file may exist, but you cannot find it. This can include a file that has been deleted, or one that has been lost due to a power outage, software application crash, virus attack, partition problem, and the famous accidental format. Your solution could be several different options, depending on what has happened. Let me explain...

File recovery products are a step stronger than a basic undelete utility, but like undelete software, they cannot address data loss in situations where the file system has been altered. However, data recovery software can. While most people believe them to be the same, they are not. So, the state of the file system determines which data restore program you need to use. Confusing, isn't it?

If you do not understand what I just said, or you do not know which solution to use for your situation, try both kinds of utilities. If this sound too cumbersome, use a data recovery tool because of the greater power.

Price is the best and quickest guage to determine which software is which, if you find yourself having to reread the above-mentioned information several times. File recovery software costs less than seventy dollars - most being under forty - while a data recovery utility usually ranges between seventy-five to hundred and twenty dollar mark.

The irony of all this confusing technical terminology (and why most people have difficulty differentiating between solutions): While a file recovery tool is limited in fuctionality as a stand alone product, when one is included as an operation in data recovery software, it recovers both situations (when the file system is ok, or where it has been altered). So, when in doubt use data recovery utility, because it covers the whole gamut.    

File Corruption

A corrupt file is a situation in which you can locate the file, but it cannot or does not open properly. When it does open, the content of the file appears to be a bunch of gibberish. In this scenario, the same principles of lost files apply to corrupt files: If the file system has not been changed, any file recovery tool will do the job. Otherwise, you need data recovery software.

Damaged File

A damaged file can be opened, but it simply does not read perfectly. For example, part of the text or picture file may read properly, but the remaining part may be nothing more than a jumbled muddle. In this case, you need a file repair utility to reconstruct your data. In some cases it may need to be reconstructed manually with a hex editor. Make sure the software states that it can repair a file, because file repair is different than file recovery. Note that file repair utilities are usually sold separately, such as an excel repair program.

Filerecovery Professional Service

A data recovery tool sometimes fails - and there are situations that are just beyond the scope of any automated tool on the market. In these circumstances, consulting a hard drive data recovery expert is the last avenue to recover your data. While this is more expensive, it can be justified when you just have to have your data back.

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