Best Data Recovery Software for PC

There are plenty of different Windows data recovery solutions available but what they all have in common is that they are pretty straightforward to use, even for the least tech-savvy of people. The core features involve the software delving deep inside the PC and resurfacing every single data that’s deemed readable and, therefore, recoverable. This is done through the way in which hard drives deal with deleted data, which rather than completely vanishing from the disk is in fact ‘hidden’ from the user’s view and the space it takes up on the drive marked as available for new data. It’s only when this space is filled with new data that the previous file is officially ‘deleted’.

After the process of scanning for this ‘hidden’ data the software will present its results, which the user can then filter based on various criteria and even preview files to be certain that they are the items you’re looking for. Quite conveniently, many Windows data recovery tools can reconstruct entire folder structures, too, which in the case of a failed drive can help to recreate the system’s state exactly the way it was. There is one catch, though: unlike scans, which can be performed as many times as you want, the actual recovery itself is typically restricted to users owning a valid data recovery software license.

No computer is safe from hardware malfunction and this is the leading cause of data loss outside of accidental deletion. Luckily, even in these situations important files aren’t truly lost, and are only ever deleted once they are overwritten by newer data.

So, whether you’ve suffered a fault with a drive or realized you’ve accidentally deleted files that you need, these solutions can scour your system for that data and – providing it hasn’t yet been overwritten – can be restored to its previous state. Helpfully, such software can perform this very task on already deleted partitions, too, and is capable of copying over the entire contents of failing drives to protect the files stored on them from any further damages.

What’s more important, however, is that they provide an immediate, straightforward way of recovering files for relatively cost-friendly prices. Whereas on-premise data recovery services operate with custom prices that are affected by the level of damage done, a lifetime license for a data recovery app is significantly cheaper at an average cost of around $70.

“The best defense is a good offense,” says the old adage and this is especially true in the field of data recovery. Since operating systems and hardware are prone to malfunction – which can lead to data loss – Windows users should always take precautions to ensure the safety of their most important files.

The best and simplest way of achieving that is by backing the data up on a regular basis. Thankfully, there are plenty of options to save data to another place, whether that is an external device or a personal storage drive in the cloud. In fact, Windows 10 has a built-in backup solution called File History that automatically creates a copy of your chosen folders and saves them to an external drive – a USB stick or a portable HDD – at predetermined intervals.

Regular backup is an asset in preventing accidental deletion, but complement this with a Windows data recovery tool and the chance of ever losing any data is basically reduced to zero. Granted. Having a professional data recovery app doesn’t come for free – except for rare examples like Recuva – but this way any important files can be brought back from oblivion should traditional backup methods fail.