In our previous blog post, we discussed data wiping and what it entails. To review, data wiping (or erasure) is the act of deleting files and information from a device. As mentioned before, simply deleting a file is misleading because while it may seem like the data is gone, there are still traces of that data left – invisible to the naked eye; but will only remain until new data takes its place.
This trail is what we look for when recovering data.
Data recovery is the process where a software (typically) will attempt to retrieve files that are no longer accessible. Whether the loss of access is due to a system failure, deletion, damage or corruption, a third party application or software will be able to pull the file back out.
It’s important to note that if the data you are trying to retrieve has been overwritten, then it is impossible to recover it.
Let’s break it down…
When you delete a file, it is placed into the trash bin on your desktop. This action clears the path to this particular file, allowing space for new data to fill it; but underneath the surface, traces of the file still exist. It will exist until overwritten because when that file was saved to your device, it was coded into the drive. So, if what’s left of the file hasn’t been overwritten with new data, that file can still be recovered.
But let’s say you lose a file due to a system failure and it hasn’t been saved yet. That means the data has not been written or coded into the physical device. Data recovery methods may be able to recover it from RAM, or pagefile or hiberfil, but that is not always the case.
Or, for example, if a device is physically damaged, it must go to a clean room for repair and have parts replaced so it can be readable again before recovery is attempted. Also, if the platter was badly scratched, the surface area is destroyed and data can not be recovered.
Data recovery software has the ability to go into internal or external hard drives such as USB flash drives, CDs, hard disk drives and other devices to recover the data. When it comes to data recovery software, there’s a whole ocean to fish from, so deciding which will work best for you can be a challenge. Before selecting the software, we recommend speaking to our specialists. They will help troubleshoot the problem and find the best solution to recovering your data.
To learn how we can assist with recovering lost data, contact us via our website, https://dfdrconsulting.com/. You can also visit our other blog posts for more information and advice on how to best handle data on your device.