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A stressed woman looking at a computer. She wants to know how to recover computer data.

Missing Files? There Are Ways to Recover Your Computer Data

How to Recover Computer Data

Both business and personal computers often contain large amounts of data. Most users care about this data and want to keep it safe. Likewise, they don't want to lose such data to theft or malfunction. The importance of data backup cannot be overstated these days. A simple backup protocol can protect data from theft, loss, or damage. However, computer data recovery remains necessary from time to time, and users must know how to proceed. Backup and recovery doesn't have to come with countless headaches for businesses or individuals. In this article, we're going to look at how to recover computer data.

Preventing Lost Computer Data

Unfortunately, users cannot prevent data loss 100 percent of the time. Far too many variables and situations lead to lost data. Data backup, nonetheless, allow users to store a copy of their files on another server or device. It doesn't matter what happens to one source of data as long as the backup remains intact. Various backup solutions are available. Some are administered by companies and some are offered in DIY fashion. Plus, both types of solutions don't necessarily cost a fortune.

How Computer Data Becomes Lost, Corrupted, Stolen, Etc.

Computer data is quite volatile since it's stored on drives connected to a computer. Mechanical hard drives don't hold up well against jarring or sudden movement. On the other hand, flash-based drives have a finite lifespan. One ill-fated drop could break either type of storage drive, or an electrical shock could render them both useless. Someone with ill intent could steal a computer's drives, or a virus could corrupt the data instead. Sadly, data loss comes in many forms, and not all causes can be prevented with ease.

How To Recover Computer Data

Once data disappears or becomes corrupted, users need to take action immediately. A number of DIY tools are baked into most operating systems. Typically, these utilities access data on a drive and attempt to pull uncorrupted files out of a particular storage drive. Such utilities take little effort to use, but they're quite basic. Users may pull some of their uncorrupted data, or they could end up with nothing. Since most users don't work in data forensics, the DIY approach is a first-step solution that's useless for complicated cases.

Are Data Recovery Companies Worth Using?

For better results, businesses and individuals should turn to commercial solutions. IBM offers enterprise computer data recovery solutions. IBM solutions are available for companies of all sizes at reasonable costs. Plenty of other companies provide enterprise-level offerings as well. Then again, even companies like Best Buy provide data recovery services for ordinary consumers. A technician at Best Buy will utilize common data recovery tactics to pull data off a damaged or corrupted drive.

Choosing The Right Data Recovery Company

Individuals and businesses should focus on certain factors before choosing a data recovery solution. For obvious reasons, pricing should come into the equation. A user needs to consider whether their data is worth the price of recovery. After all, not all drives contain vital data. Users also need to look into the data recovery service itself to ensure positive results are the norm rather than the exception. Therefore, caution and care is necessary to avoid problems with data recovery from a professional recovery service.

Don't Fret About Computer Data Recovery

Data backup and data recovery seem like complicated topics at first. Regardless, dozens of solutions are available to enterprise and individual users alike. Backups of data help prevent total data loss, but recovery services remain a final line of defense. Not all data can be recovered, but most data is never fully lost, except in extreme circumstances. In the end, a simple backup is the greatest defense against lost data.