Partition Deleted - Can I Get My Data Back?

2007-09-12 Word Count: 754 Category: Data Recovery

What is a Hard Drive Partition

Partitions are created in a hard drive for various reasons, the most important of them being, perhaps, more efficient organization of the disk space.

The process resembles building of shelves and drawers in a cupboard so that different materials can be stored separately and efficiently and speedily recovered. Moreover, if any partition is deleted or there is any damage to one partition, the data stored in other partitions can stay safe. First, primary partitions are created and these can be further subdivided in to extended partitions. Usually, in one of the primary partitions, the operating system and its files are installed and stored separately and the other partitions store the user data. Even, multiple operating systems are installed separately so that they don’t enter into conflict with each other. Partitions, in turn, use file systems to store data like FAT or NTFS file system.

Deletion of a Partition

Reasons for deletion of a partition are the same as data loss elsewhere. Many times, operating system is installed on a separate partition so that it can be deleted and reinstalled or reformatted without affecting the rest of the data. However, one of the other partitions may be inadvertently deleted. A virus attack by a boot virus may also cause partition deletion. Normally, when a partition is deleted, only its entry is erased from the partition table. This table contains all the information about a partition such as its size and location. However, the data still exists on the hard drive until it is overwritten by another data. The partition may get corrupted so that it is no longer recognized by the operating system. To recover this lost data, one may resort to a data recovery software or take the help of data recovery experts.

Do-it-yourself Data Recovery Software

Akin to other data loss situations, an assortment of data recovery software is available in the cyber bazaar. The one that deserves a special mention is GetDataBack. This is advanced software which can help to recover deleted or corrupted partitions even after the entry in the partition table, file allocation directory or root directory is corrupted. One vital advantage is that it is read-only software, that is, it does not overwrite over the missing data. What usually happens is that the data is intact on the hard disc but hidden. Once any other program is installed on the same drive, the space on which the data is hidden is made available for the new data causing deletion of the earlier data. This problem, thankfully, is minimized by this software. It utilizes advanced algorithms to put together all the directories and sub-directories in the original format and even the long file names are reconstructed accurately. A demo version for these software are available where the lost files can be previewed and saved later on after the software has been purchased. However, the software may become non functional if the BIOS is not recognizing the hard drive. Even if you recover the files, sometimes you may not be able to open them in case of fragmented files. In this case you can check the quality and readability of your recovered files before actually buying the software.

Need for Data Recovery Experts

Many people do not consider themselves equipped with the necessary skills to apply these do-it yourself recovery software. Plus, the deleted partition may contain data important enough not to temper with it using amateur skills. In these cases, it is best that the experts are called in. Furthermore, this software does not work if there has been a physical damage that led to the deletion of the partition. Sometimes, the partition which was hitherto being recognized as blank by the operating system can be restored by the recovery software but the data is not restored because the corrupted or damaged file system has not been restored. In such a case, FAT32 is more immune to failures as it can contain a backup copy and it can use this copy rather than the default one and hence the data can be restored. If the data recovery software you are using is not a read-only one, the situation could get worse if you don’t use another hard drive to install this software.

Thus, though these do-it-recovery software could be worth giving a try, the prudent thing is to accept your limits and to know when the time comes to rely on the experts.

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James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk