There is no saying which data is more important. Each data is precious to its owner. Improper data storage or mishandling of data intentionally or by mistake can lose, damage or corrupt the data.



There can be a physical damage to the storage media or logical damage to the file system involved, leading to data loss. Having a data backup saves the situation to a limited extent. The number of options available for data recovery is as varied as their users.

There is the option of going to a professional data recovery company. They can usually recover any lost data efficiently. The problem with these data recovery companies are the logical hassles involved. There are, first of all, too many to choose from; storage media or device has to be sent to the company, which involves time and money and are big deterrents. Also, it is difficult to hand over your crucial data to strangers.

The cost involved in a professional data recovery makes mostly big organizations opt for it. These organizations lose more money if they waste time in the recovery of data as the data loss results in bigger financial loss than the cost of recovery. The world of digital users is, however, full of small-time individual users. Their data is as important to them as any high-end user and needless to say that they also lose their data all the time.

In other words, data recovery cannot be an option available to only big-time elite users. This is where DIY software steps in as an affordable and convenient data recovery option. They are very easy to use to recover lost data from a laptop or desktop.

The uses of DIY software have also increased and improved over time. They can now be used to recover lost information from a variety of digital devices like mobile phones, digital cameras, CD, DVD, USB drives, and iPods and work with different type of storage media and filing systems.

There are a lot of DIY software options available on the internet and making the right choice becomes the first step towards successful data recovery. A wrong choice can make you lose your data in one go. There are things one should keep in mind while choosing DIY software:

1.Reliability of the company is of utmost importance. There are some well-established, known companies who are market leaders in the field of data recovery. They have been around long enough to be entrusted with your valuable data.

2.Size of Company: A large, well-established company in the field will not risk a dissatisfied customer spreading the bad word. It is in their business interest to not lose your data.

3.Customer Care: A friendly customer care base with round the clock availability is a big help in dealing with any queries in the time of crisis.

4.Related Work Base: A company into related areas of work such as computer forensics, hardware/software production, antivirus software development etc. would be a better bet.

5.References and Testimonials: Companies with good testimonials and personal recommendations will be preferable. However, check the product information before buying.

DIY software is cheaper than hiring a professional data recovery firm. They are easily available, quickly downloaded and can be used any number of times. This makes them quicker and more convenient to use, especially in case of deadlines. They come with extensive help files with convenient easy-to-use interface. All these features make them an ideal choice as data recovery solution especially for personal users. Before trusting DIY software one should look for the following features:

1.It should have a playing demo version to be checked out before buying.

2.The software should have a good visual interface and user-friendly instructions.

3.Do not trust free downloads. DIY software is not very expensive and should come from a reputed company.

4.Software CD is preferable to direct download to prevent overwriting and virus attack.

5.Do not buy software from a company with only net outlets. Having a store that one can visit is a better guarantee.

The most common argument against DIY software is the risk of overwriting the lost data making its recovery impossible. This can be avoided by running a software CD through a network instead of downloading it directly on the hard drive.