Viruses, worms and Trojans are common problems faced by most computer users today and especially by those who frequent the internet. They affect computers in varying degrees. Some may be just displaying some annoying messages while others may cause severe data loss and operating system crash. Thus it is always good to have adequate protection for your computer against these malicious codes. Also, it is better to back up your data at different locations as a protective measure against severe attacks.
Recovery of data is usually a risky and complicated process and is best handled by professionals. But at many times hiring professionals may prove to be expensive in comparison with the value of data to be recovered. Hence it is good to have some basic knowledge about the data recovery process.
Steps Towards Data Recovery
- Like any other software, new types of viruses are being developed every day to attack computers. So, there is a chance that if your anti-virus software is not up-to-date, these viruses might remain undetected. Always be on the look out for signs such as your computer slowing down due to no apparent reason, slow booting, vague error messages etc. By taking action at the right time, you might be able to avoid data loss.
- First step towards recovery is the removal of the virus from the system. If direct booting of the system is proving troublesome, then try booting through bootable discs provided with your computer or use anti-virus software.
- If your computer is able to boot, backup all your accessible data on alternate devices or drives before attempting to eliminate the malicious code.
- Then, the anti-virus software that you have should be run to remove the virus from your system. If it fails then alternative software should be tried out for the same.
- If none of the above processes works, then the only option that remains is to reinstall your operating system after formatting the hard drive. After this is done, software specifically available to recover data from formatted hard drives can be used.
- The next step after recovery software installation is to follow the instructions that come along with it to recover the data.
- Also, remember to choose software of good quality for recovery. It is advisable to take a few recommendations from professionals or compare a number of software available on the internet, before purchasing a particular software.
- After the data has been recovered, it is necessary to analyse the data recovered.
- Sometimes the names of the files recovered may have been obliterated. If so, rename the files by their previous names. Sometimes even a part of the file may be recovered which may later have to be conjoined with the other recovered parts.
- Many times, the names of the files may have been interchanged without any actual loss of data. In such a case, the painstaking process of reading all of the recovered data should be carried out to rename the files accordingly.
- Sometimes many copies of the files may have been created. If so, the spare copies should be dealt with as deemed appropriate.
- After this is done, the reasons for the attack should be analysed and then proper steps should be taken as a protection against such attacks in the future. Special attention should be given to your anti-virus software.
Disadvantages of Do-It-Yourself Data Recovery Software
A word of warning, the softwares available online which allow you to recover the data are not always trustworthy. Data recovery by them still remains a risky business, as using bad software can cause permanent data loss. So, in case of important professional data or even your personal data like photos etc, it is always good to seek the assistance of data recovery services which would have recovery specialists to handle your data.
Also, most of these software are designed to work in a specific environment and would fail otherwise. Therefore use them only after confirming that the available software will work in your particular case. For example, software working for a NTFS file system is different from those working for a FAT 32 file system.
Thus, the above steps can be followed to recover your data. Always remember that proper organisation of your data will help you in the recovery process. Hence, organise your data properly and back them up at regular intervals to avoid becoming victimised by data loss. Good Luck!
If you are ocncerned that you may have been effected by a malicious attack, consider using the services of a computer forensics investigator or expert witness.