How successful is data recovery?

The success of data recovery depends primarily on the cause of the data loss and the current condition of the device. Choosing the right Data Recovery service provider can also have an impact on the outcome and the financial cost.

It is often easier to recover from logical faults compared to when physical damage or mechanical failure has occurred. Professional data recovery software is used for logical faults, this usually involves recovering deleted files or simulating hardware to communicate with a device.

Physical faults may require engineering such and circuit board repair, micro-soldering or part replacement. In the case of hard drives, entire head assemblies can be replaced. With some non-mechanical devices the memory chip can be removed completely and read independently of the device. This type of chip level recovery is called virtual NAND recovery.

Recovery rates are better now than ever before, with the data recovery industry constantly innovating and investing in R&D. The potential for success of a recovery really needs to be viewed on a case by case basis and can really only be anticipated once a device has been evaluated.

Data recovery is not a guaranteed service and the level of success can only be determined once the process is complete. Additional faults may be uncovered and there is also the possibility the device might degrade during the process. Once the recovered data has been copied to a working drive, the amount and integrity of the data can then be reported in full.

Do some research when looking for a data recovery service provider. Look at reviews, quality of online presence and transparency of services and pricing. Take a look at our article 'Choosing a Data Recovery company' for some great advice.

Be wary of companies shouting out success rates, data recovery really needs to be assessed on a case by case basis.