Modern computer technology has reached a level of reliability that is quite frankly, amazing. However, it's easy to become too trusting of your equipment, hard disks are not a bulletproof way of storing your data. In the blink of an eye, a power surge can wipe out your computer. Your data seems to be missing, and your backups are weeks old. With the right data recovery tools, your data can be easily and cheaply recovered, often without sending the media to a professional data recovery service.

There are two basic types of data recovery utilities. First you have the in-place recovery tools that attempt to correct the damage and restore a damaged disk to at least partly working condition. Many of these utilities are shipped with Windows and many anti-virus software packages. The second types are read-only tools. They don't attempt to repair the damaged disk at all. Instead, these tools simply try to copy the data as is from the defective media so that you can correct it once it's relocated on a safe, working, drive.

The read-only data recovery tools eliminate the risk of doing more damage to the data on the bad drive. However, they do require a separate drive or some other form of media in order to work, so it may be best to keep an external drive on hand for disaster recovery. After all, you do have to have someplace to store the data during/after its being recovered.

A third class of data recovery tool exists as well: low-level disk editors. These tools are used mostly in manual repairs, and are not a practical in-house solution. They require a trained technician to operate, and as such, are more suited for use in a data recovery service environment.

As always, be aware that data recovery tools are not always an option. In fact, in-house repair runs the risk of further damaging the data, especially if the hard drive is suffering from a hardware problem, either a failed component, or physical damage. If your drive is suffering from this type of illness, doing the repair incorrectly can lead to rendering your data irretrievable. Evaluate the risks before trying a do it yourself repair, and when in doubt, send it out.