A computer-implemented method for locating and restoring backed up items using a custom schema to be performed at a computer system including at least one processor and a memory, in a computer networking environment including a plurality of computing systems, the method comprising: an act of defining a schema configured to provide data search and retrieval among backup data sets, wherein the schema stores searchable attributes for each database item and leverages a file system to store file system metadata for the data items of the backup data sets; an act of receiving, at a client computer system, a request to find one or more data items among at least one of the backup data sets stored in a data store; an act of accessing the schema to determine, from the stored searchable attributes, which recovery points among the backup data sets include the requested data items; and an act of restoring the requested data items from the determined recovery point within the backup data sets; wherein the file system metadata is stored in a dataless virtual hard drive, the dataless virtual hard drive being configured to store data files created with their corresponding metadata and attributes, but without storing the actual data file's data; and wherein during data recovery, the dataless virtual hard drive is mounted and file system application programming interfaces are implemented to extract the metadata for the data items that are to be recovered; the method further comprising: an act of computing, at the client computer system, checksum data corresponding to each of the user-specified backup data items; an act of comparing, at a checksum comparing module of the data store, the computed checksum data of the user-specified backup data files to checksum data associated with data items already on the user's computer system to determine which segments of the backup data items are to be restored to the user's computer system; an act of receiving, at the user's computer system, from at least one of the data backups those backed up data items for which a checksum did not already exist on the user's computer system; and an act of combining the received backup data items with the user's existing data items such that the user's data is fully recovered. an act of defining a schema configured to provide data search and retrieval among backup data sets, wherein the schema stores searchable attributes for each database item and leverages a file system to store file system metadata for the data items of the backup data sets; an act of receiving, at a client computer system, a request to find one or more data items among at least one of the backup data sets stored in a data store; an act of accessing the schema to determine, from the stored searchable attributes, which recovery points among the backup data sets include the requested data items; and an act of restoring the requested data items from the determined recovery point within the backup data sets; wherein the file system metadata is stored in a dataless virtual hard drive, the dataless virtual hard drive being configured to store data files created with their corresponding metadata and attributes, but without storing the actual data file's data; and wherein during data recovery, the dataless virtual hard drive is mounted and file system application programming interfaces are implemented to extract the metadata for the data items that are to be recovered; the method further comprising: an act of computing, at the client computer system, checksum data corresponding to each of the user-specified backup data items; an act of comparing, at a checksum comparing module of the data store, the computed checksum data of the user-specified backup data files to checksum data associated with data items already on the user's computer system to determine which segments of the backup data items are to be restored to the user's computer system; an act of receiving, at the user's computer system, from at least one of the data backups those backed up data items for which a checksum did not already exist on the user's computer system; and an act of combining the received backup data items with the user's existing data items such that the user's data is fully recovered. an act of computing, at the client computer system, checksum data corresponding to each of the user-specified backup data items; an act of comparing, at a checksum comparing module of the data store, the computed checksum data of the user-specified backup data files to checksum data associated with data items already on the user's computer system to determine which segments of the backup data items are to be restored to the user's computer system; an act of receiving, at the user's computer system, from at least one of the data backups those backed up data items for which a checksum did not already exist on the user's computer system; and an act of combining the received backup data items with the user's existing data items such that the user's data is fully recovered.