Jan 15, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions
Nowadays computers are becoming more and more an extensive part of our lives. Naturally, we have been keeping important parts of our life in the form of files stored in the computer or other storage-related products. A common problem for anyone using computers is the recovery of deleted files. At least once in their lives, everyone has gone through the situation of deleting a file and then remembering the importance of this specific file. Also, there are other situations when we can lose our files such as system corruption, virus, or malware. The situation is even more problematic in business environments where losing a file also means losing hours and hours of intensive work.
When we go through a situation like this one, the first thing that comes to mind is looking for a software solution that can recover these files in their full integrity. However, the internet is full of "data recovery software" that just doesn't work, wasting hours on inspections that find no sign of deleted files.
A proper data recovery software should be capable of easily recovering deleted files, going through the deeps of your hard disk to find and recover your precious files in full integrity. Furthermore, this app only needs to be installed in your computer not requiring the users to constantly perform backups.
Data Recovery applications are becoming increasingly common these days. This doesn't necessarily mean that users are losing data very often, it just means that more and more ways of recovering files are emerging to meet this demand. However, finding a proper solution that tick all the boxes isn't an easy job.
First of all, let's understand how files are stored.
When we talk about data storage in computers, the Hard Disk Drive is the first name that pops out in our minds. However, nowadays there are alternative ways to fill the place once occupied by HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) like the SSD (Solid-State Drive).
The HDD is a spinning disk or disks with magnetic coatings and heads that can read or write magnetic information. It works in a similar way like the very old cassette tapes. Old home computers used cassette tapes to store files. Binary numbers are recorded as a series of tiny areas on the disc which are magnetized either north or south. Floppy Disks, ZIP drives, and tapes all use magnetism to record binary numbers. The data on tapes and disks can be destroyed if they come to close to magnets. Also, HDDs are very fragile and a simple drop can destroy your HDD.
Nowadays, SDDs are slowly replacing HDDs for primary storage. These have memory chips, similar to what we can find in smartphones, old MP3 Players, or SD Cards. Binary Numbers are recorded by charging or not charging a series of tiny capacitors placed inside the chip. Electronic data storage is much more rugged than magnetic data storage. You can drop an SSD, and it will still work. However, there is a huge drawback that still put SSDs behind HDDs in terms of trustability. After several years, these capacitors will lose their ability to store electrical charges resulting in malfunction.
The data storage in computers can be a complex subject, however, we can break this complexity in three basic processes to understand how files are stored in our Hard Disk. First of all, Data is converted to simple numbers that are easy for a computer to store. In the second place, the numbers are reported by hardware inside the computer. Third, the numbers are organized and then moved to temporary storage to be manipulated by programs or software.
Every piece of data inside a computer is saved as a number. For example, letters are converted to numbers, photos are converted to a large set of numbers indicating every important aspect such as brightness, resolution, and more. These numbers are then converted to binary numbers. Conventional numbers use ten digits, from 0 to 9. Binary numbers, in counterpart, use two digits, 0 and 1, to represent all possible values. Binary numbers are very long sequences, but with binary numbers, any value can be stored as a series of items that are true or false. 0 can be South, while 1 can represent the North. 0 can mean that something is turned off, while one means that it is turned on.
Data is stored as lots of binary numbers, by magnetism, electronics, or optics (CDs or DVDs). While the computer is operating, data is also stored in many temporary locations. The software then organizes it, moving and processing all those numbers. The computer's BIOS contains simple instructions, stored as data in electronic memory, to move data in and out of different storage locations and around the computer for processing. The computer's OS (Operating System) contains instructions for organizing data into files and folders, managing temporary data storage, and sending data to application programs and devices such as printers. Finally, application programs can process the data.
When you delete a file on your computer the first place it goes is to the recycle bin. When the user opts for emptying the recycle bin, the file will not disappear but will be far less accessible. What happens behind the scenes when you "delete" a file is that the computer's file system removes the path to access the file, and designates the space that the file is using as being available for future use when needed. The binary numbers that make up the file are still there on the computer. However, they are hidden until they are overwritten with another file. Parts of the file may stay on your hard drive for years, while other traces may be replaced in a few hours.
Data Recovery Software essentially saves you from diving into the depths of your hard disk, trying to understand the meaning of each binary file to find your lost sequence. The software can do all that for you and even bring your files back with full integrity. Good software recovery tools aren't available for free, or at least not at full. However, it's an investment that pays for it, especially if you've accidentally deleted a precious old family photo or a work-related file.
While deleted files are inaccessible and can be easily overwritten, you can often recover them completely with professional data recovery tools. Data Recovery software is designed to dive in the drive to find any recoverable data, piecing it back together. There are several tools in the market, but we can say that the best recovery applications provide a preview of recovered files, filtered and searchable results, easy file restoration, and additional tools.
Data Recovery Software can be used to resurrect files of any type or size, from pictures, music, and videos to documents, and so on. They can go further by recovering executables and compressed files. Good Recovery tools may be able to recover a complete partition or drive.
Moreover, proper file recovery software is capable of recovering files from all sorts of storage media, regardless of how they connect to your computer or what file structures they use. It can provide a full-fledged recovery.
Take in mind that no data recovery software is perfect; If a file has been partially overwritten or otherwise comprised, the chances of any usable recovery are low. In this worst-case scenario, not even the best recovery software can bring this file back. Less the time you execute the tool, the more chances you will have of recovering your stuff.
Knowing how files are stored and how a proper Data Recovery Tool works we can list some of the great advantages brought by it.
- Recover important files with an emotional value like videos or photos; - It makes you feel safe even after a system crash or any virus or malware attacks, your data can be recovered; - It recovers lost or corrupted data in no time. The process is quick, efficient, and restores data in a matter of minutes. - You can save files that originated from long hours of intense work. - Business corporations will have extra security being able to recover some important files.
We couldn't finish this article without recommending a tool that we think is one of the most powerful and reliable data recovery applications in the market – Recoverit.
Recoverit is a software that is easy to use and powerful that can restore multiple sets of files from pictures, music, texts, zips, and executables. Also, it can recover files from USB sticks, Cameras, and Smartphones. Moreover, it is capable of recovering a lost partition or recover files that have been compromised by a virus attack. The software comes with a clean interface in which you only need to determine the disk space where your file gets lost.
Recoverit brings multiple areas of file recovery: Deleted Files, Recycle Bing Recovery, Formatted Disk or Partition, External Devices, Virus Attack, System Block, and All-Round Recovery. Generally, the software takes just a few minutes to reveal which files you can restore. The deepest scan usually takes a few more minutes since it scans through the whole partition.
Once that Recoverit finishes the scan process the software will reveal all files that can be recovered. You can use the search bar to look for a specific file, and the software is equipped with a proper Preview solution that lets you take a peek of images or file details. After selecting the files that you wish to recover, you only need to press the recovered file to start the recovery process.
There are plenty of software solutions in the market promising to recover your lost files. However, Recoverit Video Repair is continuously exploring new areas to bring new and exclusive content with the software's timely updates. With the upcoming Recoverit 8.5 update, the software will allow users to recover video files seamlessly.
Imagine a video that you lost for whatever reason, or that was accidentally deleted. Recoverit is introducing a new feature to repair videos with full integrity. Video files are usually different from any kind of data, and bringing them back is somewhat a difficult task. However, Recoverit can scan, gather, and match the fragments of corrupted videos, thus ensuring that most of your videos are fully recovered.
The Video Repair feature can repair MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV video files. Furthermore, there are two possible ways of video repair. The first mode simply analyses and repair various video errors. The second mode is much more advanced, it creates a sample file from the same device and the same file type of the original corrupted video.
After this, the software will work to rebuild the corrupted video using parts of this newly created sample file. It's a ground-breaking innovative feature that is exclusive for Recoverit giving its users a new world to explore in terms of video recovery.
The Video repair feature can repair videos that have suffered from file header corruption, file system corruption, sound corruption, audio corruption, video slider corruption, audio sync problems, and more.
With the upcoming Recoverit 8.5, the software will introduce a new ground-breaking exclusive Advanced Video Recovery feature. It uses Recoverit exclusive technology and will allow users to recover video files in multiple loss scenarios.
Video files are usually different from any other type of data, for that reason the simple data recovery tools aren't able to recover them in full integrity. However, Recoverit can scan, gather, and match the fragments of your corrupt videos, ensuring that most of them are fully recovered.
The platform can scan and match video fragments and merge the fragments from the same video. Furthermore, it can recover your videos and keep at least 95% of them intact. The software tool can recover videos from DSLR, Digital Cameras, Drones, Action Cameras, Dashcams, Camcorders, SD card, PC, HDD, and more.
Recoverit is available for both Windows and macOS devices. Wondershare, the company behind this software platform, is continuously developing new features and delivering it through timely software updates.
Through this article, we learned how files are stored in our computers or storage devices and also how a proper Data Recovery solution should work. In the end, we learned more about Recoverit, one of the most powerful software solutions in the market. In the end, losing files is something that can be problematic, but if you understanding how files are saved and knowing a proper data recovery solution will make us understand that even in the worst of scenarios there's still hope.
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David Darlington
staff Editor