Data Recovery: 50 Resources for Before and After Files Disappear

These data recovery articles and websites from across the internet are divided into categories so the page is easy to use and navigate.

Data & File Recovery

Data Recovery Through Snapshots - An outline of the steps to file recovery from the Information Technology Group.
AutoRecover - Learn more about restoring documents in Microsoft Word.
NAS - The Department of Veterans Affairs explains Network Attached Storage.
Decentralized Security System for NAS (PDF) - Though the system did not exist at the time the article was written, the design and concepts were in the interest of data retention.
NAS Definition - How does NAS work and what are its main benefits?
RDS - Info on Reference Data Sets from the National Software Reference Library.
Designing a Relational Database (PDF) - Relational Databases have an interesting connection to data storing and retrieval.
Recover a Deleted File (PDF) - A brief how-to guide for saving deleted and overwritten files and folders.
File Recovery - Steps to data loss prevention.
Recover Overwritten Files - A step by step guide to Shadow Copies in Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Undelete - Digital Snapshots can save you from regret later down the road.
Shadow Copies - Learn to retrieve deleted items using built-in Windows utilities.

Hard Drive Problems

How I Recovered Data I Thought I'd Lost - Follow along with writer Dave Plonka as he troubleshoots a failed disk.
Failure Trends in a Large Disk Drive Population (PDF) - This article was written by three Google employees and published by the Berkley Northside Research Group.
HDDs: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (PDF) - As technologies improve there are also more and more ways hard drives can fail.
Dead Hard Drive - The story of one gamer going to great length to recover their Neverwinter Nights save data.
HDD Guru - Sometimes the preamplifier is the shoddy part of a hard drive.
How to Recover Data from a Dead Hard Drive - This is a very helpful article from Popular Mechanics.
Disk Repair and Recovery for Fun and Profit - Learn how to troubleshoot any hard drive and you can make a business out of it.

RAID

RAID - An article all about Redundant Array of Inexpensive/Independent Disks and its features.
The RAID Tutorial - UMass outlines data stripping, reliability and the different types of RAID.
A Case for RAID (PDF) - Carnegie Mellon students explore the practicality for RAID as memory performance increases.
RAID: High-Performance, Reliable Secondary Storage (PDF) - This is a very technical article in favor of RAID.
What is RAID (PDF) - Discover the fundamentals of RAID including the types and their applications.
RAID & EDAP - PC Tech Guide sheds some light on these forms of data storage.
RAID Definition - Search Storage shares information on RAID and its many types.
Windows Networking Raid Origines - Russell Hitchcock outlines the six original architectures of RAID
RAID Applications - PC Guide explores the origins of RAID and its intended use.

Cyber Forensics, Digital Forensics & Computer Forensics

Cyber Forensics - Our dependency on technology has created this new form of policing.
Digital Forensics - This new form of forensics is recognized and utilized by the FBI.
Computer Forensics: The Need for Standardization and Certification (PDF) - There is an increasing need for cyber forensics. This article calls for the field to be treated more professionally.
Computer Forensics in Criminal Investigations - Howard College lists the many careers in the field of computer forensics.
Digital Forensics Magazine - Read articles written for and from the professional computer security industry.
Six Years of Data Breaches (PDF) - The Digital Forensics Association looks through the recent history of cybercrime in support of the expansion of digital forensics.
Cybercrime Courses - USA Today reports on the increase in the number of digital forensics college courses.
How Experts Uncovered Doctored Images - Cyber forensics can help us reveal the truth on even the most convincing doctored images.
Computer Forensics (PDF) - The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team reports on the legal aspects of computer forensics.
Computer Forensics and Investigations as a Profession (PDF) - At what point does computer forensics interfere with the U.S. right preventing unwanted search and seizure?
Basics of Cyber Forensics (PDF) - This is Tim Vidas's comprehensive presentation on cyber forensics that includes its slight differences from computer forensics and digital forensics.
Training for Computer Forensics - The National Institute of Justice is encouraging computer forensics classes for law enforcement personnel.

Backing Up Data

How to Back up Your Data - The first step to backing up data is knowing where to find it. The second step leaves you with many options.
World Backup Day - Backing up data is so important that March 31st has been deemed World Backup Day.
Losing Data is Not an Option - Discover the best ways to back up data.
Backing Up Your Data - Northeastern University compares and contrasts external hard drives, flash drives & CDs.
Information Security - Marshall University covers external hard drives, flash drives, online storage and CDs as well as built-in Windows and Mac utilities.
Tips for Backing Up Your Data (PDF) - Suggestions for backing up e-mail and files on your hard drive.
Cyber Security Tips (PDF) - Safeguard your personal data by backing up data and using strong passwords.
Using the Windows Backup Utility - This is a how-to guide with pictures from the University of Delaware that covers the utility.
Backing Up Data FAQ - Answers to questions such as: How big a problem is data loss?
Restoring Your Backup Files - Georgetown University's step-by-step guide to Microsoft Backup.