Data loss and data recovery are key parts of a computer user's life. Data recovery industry is increasing in size and a variety of data recovery solutions are available in the market. The implications of data loss for big organizations like banks, hospitals, financial institutions, and even government and military agencies are immeasurable giving data recovery its due importance.

The best feature of data loss is that very rarely is the data lost permanently. With the correct method it can be recovered 90% of the time. The trick lies in choosing the solution best suited to your situation. Data recovery solutions can basically be divided into two groups. There are professional data recovery companies and there are DIY software.

Data recovery is the job of experts in data recovery firms. It is an extremely painstaking and delicate process where expertise and experience are highly values assets. Companies with data worth millions employ only trained and highly qualified professionals for the job.

Besides this, these firms are well-equipped and use special dust-free, clean rooms to carry out recovery process. These are essential when storage media like hard drives need to be opened. A single speck of dust can ruin the drive permanently resulting in permanent data loss.

Considering the value of data to be recovered, no chances are taken regarding hygiene, temperature, and voltage fluctuations all of which can damage the data permanently. Also, considering the nature of data to be restored, it is ensured that the information recovered does not get copied or get leaked outside. At times, on-site recovery services are provided.

While providing the aforementioned quality of service like maintaining the clean rooms and hiring the best experts, the overhead costs increase. Hence, using a data recovery company might be wise but not inexpensive.

The other data recovery option is the use of DIY software which are available in ample numbers on the internet. They just need to be bought and downloaded to the computer. They come with easy to use do-it-yourself instructions and are much cheaper than professional data recovery firms.

DIY software saves time in case of urgency and the recovery procedure can be carried out in the convenience of your premises. There is no additional hassle of sending out hard drive media. Thus, the key points of DIY software are affordability, convenience and saving of time.

Using DIY software seems like a completely pro-user, hassle-free procedure but it has its pitfalls. There are certain grey areas where DIY software do not do the trick and can, in fact, result in more damage to the data.

First of all, to utilize DIY software properly, one has to be fairly well-informed and should have the technical knowledge to adjudge which product will be best suited to the kind of data recovery needed. While the instructions and literature of most DIY software are quite detailed, it is presumed that the user is aware of different technical terms. Any mistake in following the instructions can result in overwriting of data.

DIY software is not the safest or most reliable method because:

1.Overwriting: The biggest threat of DIY software is overwriting of the data to be recovered. Often, when the software is directly downloaded on to the hard drive, it goes and occupies the space where lost data is stored. This overwriting can also happen due to manufacturing fault or due to any mistake in following the instructions. Data once overwritten can rarely be recovered.

2.No Credibility: Most DIY software are available on internet shops and it is impossible for a first-timer in distress to judge the credibility of a manufacturer or quality of the software. Use of worthless software can waste time, money and also cause further damage.

3.No Flexibility: Some DIY software are structured around assumed data loss errors and can be of little help in situations demanding a flexible or alternative solution. It is important to make sure that you can use DIY software only after confirming that it is applicable to your particular problem.

Thus, the risks posed by the DIY software to the very information it is trying to retrieve are many. One should evaluate the permanent damage risk involved in using DIY software against the value of data before deciding to use DIY software and a novice computer user should not opt for it at all.