Data Recovery in Windows 7Recovery

Backing up your data regularly is an important part of data security – keeping your files secure so that you can always access them when you need them. While most people understand how to back up their files, getting the files you need from a backup is a different story. Data recovery is the other part of a data security plan, and Windows 7 makes it easy for you to recover your files from a backup, as long as your hard drive is accessible and in good condition.

Before you begin, however, here’s a fair warning. Just about anything you do with your hard drive carries the possibility of wiping out the data you’re trying to restore, or wiping out other data you may not realize is in danger yet. If your hard drive data recovery job involves vital files or data that is impossible to retrieve from any other source, don’t attempt the job. Instead, contact a professional data recovery firm, such as Fields Data Recovery, which has the tools, capabilities and experience to recover data from a drive in any condition.

Recovering Data in Windows 7 Without Using the Backup

If you’ve used Windows for any length of time, you know that there are several ways for you to retrieve files that were accidentally deleted, erased or damaged. They include:

Recover The File From The Recycle Bin

When you first delete a file, it goes to live in the Recycle Bin, where it will stay until you empty the Recycle Bin. It’s the first place to check if your file is missing. If you find it there, just right-click on the filename and click “Restore” to return the missing file to its rightful place.

Restore The File From a Previous Version

Windows 7 has a little known and wonderfully powerful utility called Restore Previous Version. You can use it on individual files or file folders to recover data from previous versions that were saved during a restore point back up. To use RPV for data recovery, right-click on the folder where the file should be. Click on “Restore Previous Version” to open a dialog box. The box will contain a list of previous versions of the file folder. You have the option to open a previous version or restore it. Open the previous version, locate the file you need and open that file, then save it to a new location.

In addition, you can attempt data recovery from a backup file or from a system image. In many cases, though, data recovery is a job for the pros. If you’re not sure about what you’re doing, if your computer hard drive is making funny noises or if your hard drive is inaccessible, contact a data recovery firm that specializes in retrieving and restoring data from failed hard drives.

When Is Data Recovery a Do-It-Yourself Job?

It’s never fun to try to open a file and find that it’s not where it should be, or that an error prevents it from opening. It’s even worse when you can’t even get your computer to recognize the hard drive. Data recovery firms deal with both of these situations frequently, and in many cases, they do things that you can do at home yourself. At the same time, according to Fields Data Recovery experts, attempts to recover data by computer users often makes it more difficult, if not impossible, for a data recovery company to retrieve data they might have been able to access if the computer’s owner hadn’t tried to do it himself at home. With that in mind, when is it safe to try to restore your files and data yourself?

Logical Hard Drive Failures vs. Mechanical Failures

There are two types of hard drive failures – logical failures, which encompass just about anything that can go wrong with the software, and physical failures, which happen when something physically damages the hard drive. The type of hard drive data recovery you can attempt depends on which type of failure you’re facing. If you believe that your hard drive may be physically damaged, recovering the data is never a do-it-yourself job.

But how do you know the difference?

Generally, you listen to your hard drive. If you turn your computer on and you can’t hear the hard drive spinning up, chances are that you won’t be able to do a DIY data recovery job on it. It means that something has gone wrong with the mechanics of the drive and there’s no way to get to the data without opening it up and accessing the disks directly. That requires a clean room and often, proprietary recovery techniques. Before you call on a data recovery company, though, there is one thing you can try if you’re comfortable working inside your computer and have access to a second computer or a second hard drive. Swap out the existing hard drive for a different one. If the second hard drive spins up and runs, then the problem is with your hard drive.

You’re also listening to your hard drive for any unusual noises that may hint at physical damage to the drive. If you hear clicking, grinding, whining, groaning or any other odd noises, there’s a high probability that your hard drive is failing mechanically. If the drive is still accessible, back up all of its contents to another drive and replace the hard drive. A data recovery company would always prefer to work with a backup copy of your hard drive than on the actual drive because it reduces the chance that they’ll overwrite data that they’re trying to recover. If it happens with a backup copy, you’ll still have the original hard drive to work from.

Finally, if the data on your drive is mission-critical and irreplaceable, never attempt a DIY data recovery operation. When the risk is that high, turn to a professional data recovery company, such as Fields Associates, that you can trust to recover as much data as possible from your failed drive.

Data Recovery Tips to Prevent and Minimize Data Loss

When you lose data from your hard drive or any other data storage device, the first steps you take can be critical to the data recovery process. Doing the right thing when you can’t access your hard drive or can’t find or open an important file can make the difference between losing the information in the file permanently or being able to retrieve your file. Even if you turn to a data recovery firm, such as Fields Associates, you can make their job easier, which makes data recovery more likely and more affordable. These tips from Fields Data Recovery can greatly increase the chances that they’ll be able to get your lost files back.

If Your Drive Is Making Noises:

If you hear a clicking, grinding or groaning noise from your computer, shut it down immediately. The sound could be caused by the read/write heads of your hard drive tapping on or dragging over the metal disks that hold the data you save. If the heads scrape or scratch the disks, you could lose the data recorded in those areas permanently. Depending on what’s recorded there, it could compromise your ability to access anything else on your drive.

Hard drive noises nearly always signal physical or mechanical failure. While it’s relatively easy to recover data that’s been compromised by a logical error, recovering data from a drive that’s failed physically is a job for a professional data recovery company like Fields Data Recovery. If your computer is making funny noises that seem to be coming from the hard drive, follow these steps.

Shut down your computer immediately, following proper shutdown procedures. Simply powering off can cause even more damage because it fails to “park” the heads properly.

Unplug the power to the computer and discharge any static electricity before opening the cover and touching anything inside. Be very careful when handling the hard drive to avoid damage from static electricity or physical jarring or shock.

Choose a reputable data recovery firm like Fields Associates to handle your data recovery job. The first attempt to recover data from a physically damaged drive is the most critical. A firm that doesn’t know what it’s doing can not only fail to recover any data, but also make it impossible for other data recovery pros to retrieve anything at all.

Contact the data recovery firm to get instructions on shipping your drive to them, and follow their instructions to the letter. The best companies will provide you with the materials you need to safeguard your drive in transit, or perform onsite recovery.

The best way to safeguard the information on your computer is to prevent the need for data recovery by backing up your computer files regularly. If something goes wrong, though, be sure that you choose the best data recovery firm for your needs.

Can You Trust Your Data Recovery Company?

A couple of years ago, a major U.S. data recovery company doing work for the U.S. government wondered what sort of security standards the Feds set for their data recovery contractors. Much to their surprise, they found that essentially, the various agencies of the federal government had standards for performance and cost, and while some agencies had an established security vetting procedure, there was no overall standard for data recovery security. Once they brought it to the attention of the powers that be in the federal government, that was remedied with this single paragraph in a publication from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology:

“Organizations may use third-party vendors to recover data from failed storage devices. Organizations should consider the security risk of having their data handled by an outside company and ensure that proper security vetting of the service provider is conducted before turning over equipment. The service provider and employees should sign non-disclosure agreements, be properly bonded and adhere to organization-specific security policies.”

When you choose a data recovery company, do you consider the security of your recovered data in making the choice? According to the data recovery company who originally raised the issue with the U.S. government, very few people consider it all – and if they do, it’s usually at the bottom of their priority list. Usually, when an organization has suffered a data disaster, their first consideration is speed, followed by the company’s record of data recovery. If you handle secure data at all – customer information, in particular – data security should be your first consideration, not your last.

Data Recovery as Part of a Risk Management Plan

If your business counts on computers and data for any essential function, your risk management plan must include a plan for data recovery, and your plan should include identifying the data recovery vendor you’ll use in case you need to retrieve lost data or attempt to restore a failed hard drive.

Choosing the right data recovery company should include a thorough vetting to make sure that your data will be safe in their hands. By identifying a company in advance, you allow yourself the time and luxury to choose a data retrieval service that meets all of your expectations and needs. You’ll be making your choice at a time when speed isn’t as important as it will be if your hard drives fail or your computers are compromised by a virus or a physical disaster.

When choosing a data recovery company, look beyond the typical claims of fast recovery and low cost to be sure that the data recovery company you choose will handle your data with the same care you take with it. You owe it to yourself and your customers to choose a reputable data recovery company, such as Fields Data Recovery, which will ensure that your important information and data stays in safe and secure hands.