Hello
I am looking for some advice regarding the data recovery process.

First i would like to ask if there are different types of data recovery, i.e. if you delete the files or if there was a format involved.

What happened to the HDD is that my younger brother was trying to make the computer work better, and his way of doing that was to restore the computer to an earlier date, as he had heard that would make it like new, but the only restore point available was the factory restore so all data was lost.
my question is: does the recovery process delete or format files?

And lastly any recommendation on recovery software would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Indridi

Understand first that simply using that hard drive reduces chances of data recovery so if not too late, the hard drive should be removed and attached to a 2nd computer (NOT as the boot drive) immediately.

does the recovery process delete or format files?

Depends on the type of recovery. I suspect a "factory restore" would use an "image" file to re-image the disk and in that case, I would suspect any chance of recovering your lost data would be slim.

You could try Recuva, from the makers of CCleaner and Restoration but don't get your hopes up.

Add "little brothers" to the list of reasons for running frequent backups.