Computer File Recovery

Windows is a beast and dies a slow death from natural causes. It is only a matter of time when you will be wanting to know how to recover files after Windows stops working. Every time you install a program and then later remove it you corrupt the Windows registry and fragment the hard drive. The next time you start Windows it seems a little slower as it looks for files that are no longer there. Also driver conflicts, viruses, spy-ware, hardware, and software problems all add to Windows difficulties. Therefore, it's very important to backup files, but few people backup until after they have a problem. Recovery service centers charge hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to recovery files. However, most recoveries can be done easily and quickly with the right tools.

Live CD's

The most common problem people face is Windows stops working and they have important files on the hard drive that they need to recover. If they use manufacture provided recovery disks they will destroy all their data when Windows is reinstalled. The use of a Linux Live CD will provide access to the hard drive and you can copy your files to an external device, such as, a flash drive or external hard drive. There are many Linux Live CD distributions and my favorites are Slax and Ubuntu. I like Slax because it is easily custimized with my favorite computer maintenance tools. Ubunto is also a nice user friendly distribution that is kept up-to-date.

Undelete Utilities

Another problem that people encounter is recovering deleted files. Files can be easily retrieved from the Recycle Bin, but once the recycle bin is emptied it is a little harder. You will need a utility that can scan the hard drive and undelete the files. You can find free Open Source utilities and commercial products. It is best to use either the free or trial version to make sure it can recover your files before you purchase. One problem with using these utilities is that you risk destroying the files if you install these products and over write your files on the hard disk. When you delete files the computer only changes the names of the files to free up the space on the hard drive. The files are still on the hard drive and can be recovered. WARNING: It would be better to use a bootable CD version that can run independent of the hard drive. This would prevent accidently overwriting the and destroying the files.

Hard Drive Component Failure

If the hard drive has a component failure you will need the to send the drive to a recovery service center. They will do an analysis on the drive and give you an estimate for recovering the files. There charges range from $200-$2000 depending on what component failed and how much data is to be recovered.

The Computer File Recovery Software website has some additional information that you might find helpful.