Data Recovery Software: Scrape your Data from the Abyss
Data recovery software is software that is utilized as the last resort when trying to recover data. Data recovery software salvages data from damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it can no longer be accessed under normal conditions.
File Recovery vs. Backup Software
The main difference between replication solutions and data recovery software is that backup solutions are implemented as a preventive tool that makes copies and stores data to different drives before disaster strikes. The most common scenario that would require data recovery software involves operating system (OS) failure. In this case the goal of the data recovery software would be to copy all wanted files to another disk.
Hard Drive Recovery
Data recovery software is good as the last resort to access data, but prevention is always the better choice, as it can help reduce stress, cost, and loss of time in retrieving the files. The need for hard drive recovery is usually an indication that the user hasn't planned ahead for disaster. Hard drive failure rates are much higher than hard drive vendors admit and the chances for a file recovery are usually slim after a hard drive crash.
File Recovery
File recovery is a tedious and risky process of scraping data directly from the hard drive on a sector-by-sector basis. If one is lucky, a file restoration may be possible if the file fragments are not crossing damaged sectors on the drive. Several file recovery tools are available on the market for this purpose; however, the are no guarantees made and the outlook is usually grim.