Data recovery
[1] Logical failures occur when the hard drive devices are functional but the user or automated-OS cannot retrieve or access data stored on them.(typically, on a single-drive, single-partition, single-OS system), in which case the ultimate goal is simply to copy all important files from the damaged media to another new drive.A wide variety of failures can cause physical damage to storage media, which may result from human errors and natural disasters.Physical damage to a hard drive, even in cases where a head crash has occurred, does not necessarily mean there will be a permanent loss of data.However, if the hard drive can be repaired and a full image or clone created, then the logical file structure can be rebuilt in most instances.Some manufacturers (Seagate, for example) store this information on a serial EEPROM chip, which can be removed and transferred to the replacement board.In some cases, data on a hard disk drive can be unreadable due to damage to the partition table or file system, or to (intermittent) media errors.This type of data recovery can be performed by people without expertise in drive hardware as it requires no special physical equipment or access to platters.In 1996, Peter Gutmann, a computer scientist, presented a paper that suggested overwritten data could be recovered through the use of magnetic force microscopy.Substantial criticism has followed, primarily dealing with the lack of any concrete examples of significant amounts of overwritten data being recovered.Sometimes it is possible to sidestep error detection even in software, and perhaps with repeated reading and statistical analysis recover at least some of the underlying stored data.Eventually, if the final, physical storage medium has indeed been disturbed badly enough, recovery will not be possible using any means; the information has irreversibly been lost.Eric Lundgren was fined and sentenced to U.S. federal prison in April 2018 for producing 28,000 restore disks and intending to distribute them for about 25 cents each as a convenience to computer repair shops.
computingremovable mediahard disk drivessolid-state drivesUSB flash drivesmagnetic tapeselectronic devicesfile systemmountedoperating systempartitionLive CDfile manageroptical disc authoringdisk partitioninghard disk drive failuremaster boot recordfirmwaredeletedend usersfragmentsforensicespionageencryptedCD-ROMshead crashesplattersread/write headnanometerscleanroomsprinted circuit boardadaptation dataEEPROMTestDiskddrescueData carvingData erasurePeter Gutmannmagnetic force microscopyGutmann methodflash memorylogical block addressesPen DriveWindowsboot disklive USBBartPEMicrosoft Windows XPWindows Server 200332-bit operating systemsFinnixDebianDisk DrillKnoppixSystemRescueArch LinuxWindows Preinstallation EnvironmentCHKDSKDisk First Aidclassic Mac OSDisk UtilityGPartedGNU PartedCDRolleroptical discdvdisasterGetDataBackHetman Partition RecoveryIsoBusterMac Data Recovery GuruMiniTool Partition WizardNorton UtilitiesPhotoRectext-based user interfaceRecover My FilesRecovery ToolboxRecuvaStellar Data RecoverypartitionsAVG TuneUpWindows File RecoveryComputer forensicsForemostcommand-lineAir Force Office of Special InvestigationsForensic ToolkitOpen Computer Forensics ArchitectureThe Coroner's ToolkitThe Sleuth KitComparison of disk cloning softwareDisk imageClonezillaTeam Win Recovery ProjectBackupCleanroomComparison of file systemsContinuous data protectionCrypto-shreddingData archaeologyData curationData preservationData lossError detection and correctionFile carvingHidden file and hidden directoryUndeletionList of data-erasing softwareWayback MachineAcquisitionAugmentationAnalysisArchaeologyCleansingCollectionCompressionCorruptionCurationDegradationEcosystemEditingExtractTransformEthicsFarmingFormat managementFusion