Data recovery of deleted files

Data recovery software has become largely popular due to common accidentally data deletion or due to a system crash. How does it work? To understand the process of deleted file recovery, first one must understand how the computer stores information.

Everything in the personal computer from its Operation System (OS) to its saved files is all recorded in the hard drive; it acts as a memory to the computer. The hard drive is built upon a few complex devices called platters and read/write device head. Platters are disks that look like CDs in general design that spins rapidly during operation. In a hard drive, they could be many layers of platter. It stores information through a magnetic regions built upon binary codes; namely 1 and 0 also known as bit. Every eight bit of binary codes recorded on the magnetic field composes a byte in which these bytes are the source of information recorded on the platters.

While platters stores information embedded through the magnetic fields, the read/write head: a finely tuned device which hovers across the surface of the platter and collect magnetic fields to be translated by the computer. This codes the translated into music, picture or word files readable by the user. The process is reversed when the user intend to save the information into the computer. The data goes into the computer, translated into binary codes then recorded onto the platters by the read/write head device.

When the read/write head came into a physical contact with the platter, a possible hard drive malfunction will occur called 'head crash' error. This will further cause an irreparable data loss, inaccessible files and frozen hard drive. But the files or data is not lost. Although it seems serious but often it does not constitute to a major data loss.

There are several reasons that cause data losses such as accidental deleting of folders, disk formatting, emptying recycle bin, virus attack and system crash but know that the binary magnetic information stored in the hard drive are not loss; only the icons, references and file names that are removed (note: pressing the undelete button won't solve the problem). This is known as a failsafe function of the hard drive. The stored binary codes will remain intact until new data are written to take its place. This process is called overwriting.

This is where the datarecovery program came in handy. It makes the read/write head to scan and detect all available information on the platter even at the part that the computer shows no data recorded. This will enables the program to collect every bit of information including those deleted and analyze them to be reconstituted in the computer. With this data recovery of deleted files the user can now access and use the information as before. You may have heard of a Windows Vista restore and wonder whether it is a data recovery tool. Answer: it is not. It is a feature which back ups registry and system files whenever you install new software or drivers.