There are two main ways to complete a Windows data recovery, using recovery software to attempt the file recovery or sending your computer away to a data recovery expert. This article takes a look at the benefits of the two approaches and costs.

Starting with Windows data recovery software there is now dozens of freeware and commercial options to choose from and generally are capable of recovering deleted files and data from formatted/corrupted drives.

These tools will be incapable of data recovery if there is a mechanical fault with the hard drive that stops the software from scanning the drive. Most software targets specific types of file system formats. For example, an application that is capable of scanning a FAT32 internal hard drive will also be of use for data recovery on many external storage devices (many of which use FAT32).

In terms of data recovery cost, there are freeware tools such as PhotoRec or Smart Recover that work well on  deleted/corrupted data. Commercial software like Remo’s Undelete cost around $50 and normally provides more analysis of disk sectors (so potentially finds more files).

Data recovery experts are trained in Windows data recovery from hard disks, USB memory sticks and other storage devices. They will generally have more expensive and specialized software at their disposal to analyze your computer for lost files (email recovery, forensic analysis, etc.).

These experts can also provide mechanical recovery of data where faults have occurred to the PC (flooding, electrical surge, etc.) that necessitate removing the drive and attempt to read the data using alternate reading devices. Some experts may also be able to do PC repairs to make your computer usable once more.

The data recovery cost of using an expert varies across the country but you should budget for $150 for an initial analysis. Costs for a simple software recovery may be under $100, but the cost can go up to $400 if you require a full mechanical recovery of data.