Although losing important data to accidental deletion or the failure of one of the PC’s drive can be frightening, having a Windows data recovery tool ensures that important files are restored to their former glory. These solutions are widely available for various Windows platforms – and yes, that still includes Windows XP – but they are created in such a way that everyone can recover virtually any kind of data manually with ease.
But Windows data recovery apps aren’t just tools for reviving seemingly lost data by finding them deep inside the computer’s system, they are equipped with various additional features that can deal with more complex situations. And even if picking the best solution can still be a challenge, getting as much info as you can – that’s what we’re here for – will definitely help you get a clearer picture about Windows data recovery software and data recovery in general.
Though they all look different from one another, every Windows Data Recovery solution provides the same set of basic scanning and recovery features. However, since these aspects are to be expected – and besides, they can be tested in the demo versions anyway – this shouldn’t be the focus for anyone looking to purchase such software. Instead, it’s best to look into the additional features – utilities in particular – and how user-friendly the software is.
However, there is no need to download and test the demo version of each software one by one, since all the necessary information can be found in an easily digestible format by reading dedicated comparison articles or, better yet, taking a quick look at our detailed comparison chart of the best Windows data recovery solutions.
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.
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