Hard Drive Data Recovery Software
Professional data recovery software is able to save previously deleted files and restore them back onto the hard drive. These files might be of extreme value to the affected user. They might be important family pictures, music collections, emails, or work files that have years of development and effort behind them.
Leaving them deleted is obviously a huge mistake since there are tools specifically designed to address these issues.
Data loss can be a lot more than an inconvenience. It can literally cost individuals and small businesses huge amounts money as well as time and sanity.
Automatically backing up important files is a great way of staying protected at all times. But even then, a newly created set of files which are not backed up yet may be lost because of a sudden computer failure. Either way, it's always a good idea to have a data recovery tool just in case.
If you would like to learn more about backing up data, the backup utilities guide is a good place to start.
A high quality recovery tool should be able to guide you through the process of restoring deleted files without much issues. The program's interface must be easy to understand with clear tooltips on what to do and how.
The company must provide extensive tutorials and help files on it's website but also within the application itself. 24/7 support is a must.
If the files that are being restored had recently been lost, chances of getting them back in their original state are high. Files that have been deleted long time ago might not be salvageable at all.
Hiring Technicians
If you are uncomfortable with buying, installing and using a data recovery tool, you should immediately seek professional data recovery services. Although you can definitely try to recover lost files by yourself, if for any reason you feel like you shouldn't, look up if there are any computer repair shops near you and pay them a visit. Let the technicians do it for you.
Prices may vary between the computer service shops, so it might not be a bad idea to call them up and get more information first. You can also search for the company's website and get the needed information from there.
Alternative Data Recovery Tools
Some of the higher quality tuneup utilities will feature a data recovery module. They are also very easy to use and effective. You can definitely save some money by purchasing a good tuneup utility with capabilities such as data backup, restoration and file recovery.
Tuneup utilities are usually similarly priced as professional data recovery tools. Although it is always better to have a dedicated application handling this type of work for you, if you are looking to save up some money, consider acquiring a good tuneup utility.
Free File Recovery
There are also a couple of free recovery tools worth mentioning. Most of them are probably lacking some of the advanced functions that can be found in a professional recovery application, but they are still capable of retrieving the files without costing you anything.
Free File Recovery guide offers more information on how to recover data by using free recovery software.
Table of Comparison
Please see the following table for feature and price comparison between some of the top quality data recovery applications.
| Product | Advanced Disk Recovery | Data Recovery Wizard | Recover My Files | Digital Rescue Premium | Windows Data Recovery |
| Price | $39.99 | $69.95 | $69.95 | $49.99 | $49 |
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| Serial ATA | |
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| Removable Media | |
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| External Hard Drives | |
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| SCSI | |
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| Recovery Features | |||||
| Recycle Bin | |
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| Compressed Files | |
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| Encrypted Files | |
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| Bad Sector Disks | |
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| Damaged Files | |
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| Unbootable Hard Drives | |
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| Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 | |
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| Customer Support | |||||
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Data recovery software has saved enormous amounts of money and time for many users around the world. Investing into and learning how to use one is probably one of the best things a demanding computer user could do.