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Recovery of Data from Mobile Phone SIM Cards

By: James Walsh

Let us have a look at how these devices work and how data stored in SIM cards can be lost.

What are SIM Cards?

The SIM or the Subscriber Identity Module card is a smart card that is used in mobile phones to identify a particular subscriber. Usually, the smaller versions of the SIM cards can store about 16 KB of data; however, some versions of the SIM cards are available with a storage capacity of about 1 MB.

Apart from the various messages and contacts, the SIM cards store certain details that help in its identification. These include the ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card ID) that helps in the identification of a particular SIM card, IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) that is assigned by the operator or the network provider and the authentication key that determines the status of a particular subscriber.

Thus, it can be seen that if you make use of GSM mobile phones, use of SIM cards is indispensable. Let us have a look at how data present on SIM cards can be lost.

Reasons for Loss of Data from SIM Cards

  • The SIM cards are small and fragile devices. Hence, damage of the same over a period of few years is not uncommon. This may result in loss of data stored on it.


  • The surface of the SIM cards may get rusted if moisture enters the mobile phone and accumulates near the card. This may erase the data that is present on the cards or make it inaccessible.


  • If you frequently switch the SIM card between two or more phones, then the same may result in loss of data present on the SIM cards.


  • The data present on the SIM cards may also get corrupted due to a variety of reasons. Sometimes, corruption may occur due to fault of the mobile phone itself.


  • The data on SIM cards can also be lost due to viruses that attack mobile phones and other such malicious codes.


  • Scratching of the SIM card’s lower surface may lead to data loss or it can make the data present on the SIM inaccessible.


Recovering Data from SIM Cards

Rather than going through the possibly tedious process of recovering data from SIM cards, one should preferably back up the data present on them. This data (text messages, contacts, call lists etc.) can be backed up into the phone memory or can be stored on your computer.

However, if you end up losing the data present on your SIM card, it can be recovered by making use of data recovery software. In some cases, you may need to send the card to a data recovery company. A wide variety of such software is available on the internet. Some of this software are free while some are fee-based and offer free trial versions.

While choosing data recovery software for your SIM cards, one should ensure that the software is compatible with the operating system of your computer and also with your particular SIM card. Next, you should check the various features that it offers. For example, a good recovery software will recover all possible data from your SIM card including text messages that have been sent and received, contacts that you may have stored on it, the recent call records, the audio or video files that may be present on the SIM card etc.

It may also provide options regarding the type of file format in which you wish to recover the data. For example, text files. It may also have a data backup facility. One should ensure that the software does not modify the data that is present on the SIM card in any manner to prevent its permanent loss.

After selection of the software, recovery process is a simple one as most software is user-friendly. To recover data from a SIM card, you will need a SIM card reader that connects to your computer through the USB interface.

Though data recovery software is preferred in most cases for SIM cards, certain data recovery firms may offer this service as well. The same can be used for recovery of data from SIM cards.

Always remember to handle your SIM cards with care to prevent possible situations of data loss.

Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk





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