Data recovery can be expensive and so when most people are faced with a data loss scenario where their data is only semi-precious to them they often wonder if they can recover their data themselves. However attempting data recovery yourself does come with risks, especially if you are unfamiliar with the territory you will need to tread. You should ask yourself if it is worth it for saving a little cash. How important is your data to you?

DIY data recovery… do you dare?!

Specialized data recovery service companies rely on their dedicated data recovery equipment, applications and know-how. You must realise before attempting a spot of DIY data recovery that if you do not have a good understanding of the required knowledge in data recovery you will likely make the data loss situation worse and more severe. If your data is truly irreplaceable and of high importance, you really need to use the services of a data recovery specialist. However, these specialist data recovery services can be very expensive and in fact many data loss predicaments can be resolved by yourself.

Before you attempt any DIY data recovery you should at least have an understanding of what is involved in the data recovery process. Even if you do not opt for DIY data recovery understanding the general processes involved will help prepare you should you need to use a data recovery specialist. Below are the three key procedures involved in data recovery:

1. Backup/Duplicate Your Data
   This is very important to help prevent the possibility of further data loss or damage; backup or duplicate you data to another drive or media source. This may be difficult to achieve if the computer operating system is unable to recognise the data source. If you do not have any of the required tools to enable you to read the raw data this is probably when you should employ the services of a data recovery specialist. It is not recommended to do so but if you do choose operate on the original media, your must be sure to create copies of all the readable files and make backups of all other data.
2. Test and Analyze Your Data Drive
   You need to perform diagnostic tests on your media drives to establish if the disk drive/removable media is mechanically reliable or whether it is the file system that is having problems. If your disk drive has a mechanical failure you should usually be able to tell because it will emanate strange noises when accessing the disk or when the drive starts up. This specifically applies to drives with moving parts such as hard drives, if your storage media is solid state such as a memory stick it is often much harder to diagnose the problem as a drive issue or a file system issue. If you do believe the source of the error to be the physical storage drive rather than the file system this would again be the time to elicit data recovery specialists rather than attempt DIY data recovery.
3. Attempt To Recover Your Lost Data
   Data recovery is often a very lengthy process and can occupy days or even weeks of your time when you are faced with extensive data loss. Extensive data recovery can drain vital resources and often necessitate further investment in computer equipment and software applications. When data recovery takes a long time to complete you may find it more cost-effective and possibly even quicker simply recreate the data again… however this is obviously not going to be applicable to all data loss situations. If the data loss is widespread and your data is of high value to you and irreplaceable then DIY data recovery simply should not be an option, you must consider the services of data recovery specialists who have dedicated tools and expertise for the job.