The world of data recovery is somewhat a big mystery for most consumers and even for some IT professionals. This is largely because hard drives are complex devices and their technological specifics are not generally well known. No wonder, the market for data recovery services and professionals spanned a stunning, astounding figure of over US$100 million. This reflects how rapidly the industry for data recovery services and professionals has grown by leaps and bounds.Let's first understand what brings about data loss. Data loss can be caused by a combination of factors which often requires professional assistance. The current finding of cloning the damaged, malfunctioning drive and using the cloned version on a new drive as a means to recover data may be helpful but it is best to engage professionals to help you.
Coming back to our discussion on causes of data loss, this may also occur if your OS fails to boot or if you get a blue screen error, but this should not give an impression to you that all is lost. These data losses can be caused by bad sectors which stall the drive head every time it tries to read them. If your drive is detected by another computer, there is hope of copying your data prior to total failure. There can be situations where you have a brand new hard drive but you still suffered data loss. Sometimes a faulty component or a faulty installation can also lead to data loss. Sometimes it can be due to sudden electric failure to which the brand new hard drive may not be immune. So there are countless causes that can lead to data loss.
One of the most often asked questions that you would naturally want to ask if you have suffered a loss of data is, "how can you help me to retrieve or recover my lost data?" Do not worry. With the right blend of knowledge, experience and tools, it is possible for a competent data recovery professional to carry out a recovery 'surgery' for your data loss problem.
The data recovery services and professionals are extremely well equipped with an amazing array of software, hardware and other technologically advanced tools to help recovery data. Most of the data recovery labs utilize a combination of the best and most high quality proprietary software, specialized hardware, and years of valuable experience to recover data after a major crash, or even acts of sabotage.
There are also highly trained computer forensic specialists who are competent to handle each recovery to ensure your data will not be compromised during the process of the recovery. Most data recovery professionals are extremely conscious of the fact that your data is sacred and irreplaceable to you, so they handle the issue with great care.
The first thing that a data recovery firm would do on receiving a hard drive is evaluate it. They would try to see whether logical recovery is required or not. Most firms of repute do not charge evaluation fees but some firms do so and there are other firms that levy an additional charge of on site support. Perhaps these contradictions simply mirror the highly saturated nature of the booming data recovery industry where it seems to be a dog-eat-dog world.
The time frame for data recovery comprises about 5-10 business days for physical issues and 2-4 days for logical issues. In situations where the components are not available, this may extend to several weeks to complete the recovery. The costs associated with data recovery services and professionals vary to a great extent. There would be quotes that range from $300 to $5,000 for standard hard drive recoveries. So before you send your drive for data recovery to any professional or firm, make sure that you locate a company that will give you an up front cost, be it for either a logical or physical recovery.