In other words, data recovery is the function used to recover lost data from a corrupted or damaged drive ? the damage could be in full or only a small part of the drive could have been damaged. Data recovery becomes necessary when data storage devices suffer contamination or damage. Damage to these devices can be classified under two main categories of ?Physical Crashes? and ?Damages? which embrace all forms of natural and man-made disasters and surface contamination. The other more frequent type of damage refers to logical damages of virus attacks, software corruptions and hacking attempts. In either case, data recovery is needed and, thus, the process of data recovery never ceases to abate.

Data recovery can be performed by self but IT firms recommend that it is always advisable to use the services of an expert. Data recovery firms of Disklabs, Fields Recovery, CBL, Ontrack and Vogon International do offer data recovery services at a high price. Data recovery is an expensive process averaging at a cost of more than 300 pounds. This is understandable when one gets to know the expertise, skills and technical knowledge required to recover lost data. When a user is unable to access and read saved data, the user is bound to assume that the saved data has been lost for good. Only the data recovery expert knows that saved data is never lost. In other words, a data recovery expert sees the process of data recovery as simply locating lost data on the drive and making it accessible to the user. In short, data is not lost for good. It simply changes location. An apt example is provided by the software engineers at Disklabs who state that data loss is not permanent ? when a user accidentally deletes his files, they do not get erased. The data files simply shift position ? from the active drive, they shift to the recycle bin on the desktop. Thus, the accidentally deleted files are still in the computer.

This technical knowledge is available only with the experts. These experts know that data recovery is an intricate and complicated process requiring careful examination and analysis of the damaged drive. A user having no technical knowledge will try to run the data recovery procedure without even examining the extent of the damage. Experts on the other hand, do not proceed unless they are equipped with all the details of data loss. This includes:

This examination is a highly skilled process requiring the expert to use his computer knowledge of data storage to hazard an assumption on the shifted location of lost data. In order to do this, the expert needs to know the exact functionality and operation of the data storage device including its memory, method and type of working and usage duration. Once an analysis is complete, the expert then copies the undamaged data onto a duplicate drive. This is necessary to ensure that the damage does not spread and contaminate safe data. The damaged drive is taken to the Clean Room where only skilled technicians are allowed to work. They work with gloved hands using scanners and precision instruments to separate the drive interior from the exterior.

This process requires great concentration born out of expertise. Experts are aware that disk interiors are made of chromite which is sensitive to rough treatment and harsh temperatures. Before preceding further to separate the magnetic disk layers, experts need to dust the disk interior free of minute dust and bacterial components. The entire data recovery process caters to the demands of the consumer. Experts can retrieve data fast in accordance with the expectations of the consumer. But, it has to be remembered that even though a full data recovery is possible ? data cannot be recovered in its original format. Data configurations and settings are altered when the expert tries to separate the data in bits from the entangled mess. Thus, there is always a risk of losing more data when the process of data recovery is initiated and run by ordinary consumers. Skill and technical experience are needed in vast proportions to do a successful data recovery job.