STOP! We'll Recover it!

"Oh no, it's all gone! All my data is gone!"

Words none of us ever want to utter. But the fact is, if you use a computer long enough, chances are that someday you'll experience a crash or disaster involving data loss.

Data losses can result from hardware failures, software problems, power line fluctuations, and human error (accidental deletion, unintentional formatting, etc.).

Lost data can often be recovered, but your chances of getting your data back dwindle with each keystroke. Every time your computer accesses its hard drive, there's a chance that another piece of lost data is being overwritten and rendered permanently irrecoverable.

So the most important thing to do if your data seems to have disappeared is to stop using the computer. Just turn it off. Then call BarrowGEEK at (770) 868-2833.

Where Does Lost Data Go?

Usually nowhere. In Windows, "deleting" a file doesn't actually remove it from the hard drive. You can restore the file by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin icon and selecting "Restore."

If you empty the recycle bin, the computer's reference to the file is removed and the space it formerly occupied is marked as being available for new data. But until the old data is actually overwritten by new data, the file remains where it was and usually can be recovered by a computer professional using specialized software.

In fact, early in the history of the PC, security-conscious organizations (like the military) recognized this as a weakness, and a cottage industry has developed that specializes in software that overwrites "deleted" files with multiple layers of binary gibberish, thus rendering the data irrecoverable.

When does Data Become Truly Irrecoverable?

Data becomes irrecoverable when it is overwritten by new data. This can be done in several ways:

- When done so deliberately by using a data-erasing program.

- When done so incidentally, as when Windows writes a new file to an area of the hard drive formerly occupied by a now-deleted file.

- When certain disk utilities (especially DEFRAG) are run.

- When a low-level format is applied to the disk. (A high-level format does not necessarily render data irrecoverable.)

Data Recovery

BarrowGEEK can handle most data recovery jobs locally, saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars compared to out-of-town companies. In most cases, we'll have to take your hard drive with us and get your data back to you in a day or two. (Unusually complicated data recovery jobs may take a bit longer or require that the drive be shipped out to a specialized lab or to the drive manufacturer, with your express approval in advance.)

Onsite data recovery is sometimes possible, but it's the exception, rather than the rule. Onsite data recovery usually is limited to simple jobs (accidental deletion or a corrupted Windows installation on an otherwise intact drive, for example). Because it's a time-consuming process, however, onsite data recovery usually is more expensive than shop-based recovery.