Data Recovery Services

Why and When is Data Recovery So Important?

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:16:47 +0000

Data Recovery is the process of restoration of inaccessible data that has been damaged or lost in some way. By using data recovery multiple data can be restored from devices such as Hard Disk Drives, Floppy Disks, Memory Cards, CDs, DVDs and so on. Most computer users are losing data in case of a hard drive crash. It is especially typical for laptops. Each device of laptop is more brittle than any part of personal computer. Therefore today data recovery has become more important, particularly for companies. Here are two reasons for that:

1. To save various important data corporations, companies, organizations or governments are using computers as information carriers.

2. Compared to individuals companies prefer mobile computers- laptops than PCs.

But what to do when all important data are lost? Of course, it would be better if all that data have been backed up in advance. Any prophylaxis is better than treatment. But what to if it’s too late? In this case there is no other way than to treat the laptop that is to recover the lost data. Here it is very important to find a specialist especially if the matter is company’s data retrieval. Otherwise, you can lose your essential data forever. The case is somewhat different with individual users. They can take chances to restore the damaged information on condition that they will mention all data can be lost forever. For this purpose there are a lot of do-it-yourself data recovery guides. In any case, every PC user should be careful in this important process.

To avoid necessity of data retrieval, of course it is better to back up the entire computer. For that, you can use various online backup systems. Back up your computer just today, but not tomorrow!

Visit http://www.laptop-support.net [http://laptop-support.net/True-Image/] to learn more about Backup and Laptop.

By: Alan Bradock

Hard Drive Recovery Utilities

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:40:57 +0000

A hard drive is one of the most important parts of any computer. The drive physically stores data on magnetic disks. Since the hard drive has constantly moving parts, it is susceptible to wear and tear. This causes hard drive failures, which result in loss of important data.

Hard drive failure can be attributed to power fluctuations and physical damage or to internal file systems and software problems. The former is known as physical damage, while the latter is called logical failure. Both these cases can be resolved to recover the stored data. While the user can rectify logical problems at home, physical malfunctions almost always require expert help.

There are several software utilities available to help in hard drive recovery. Logical hard drive recovery can be of various different types. The basic problems include bad file sectors resulting from pirated software or due to virus attacks. Hard drive recovery softwares also prove beneficial for recovering lost files or folders due to accidental formats, partition losses, emptying the recycle bin and general software malfunctions.

Hard drive recovery utilities first scan the hard drive to detect the nature of the problem. Once the problem is analyzed, the software can be configured to take the necessary action. Some of the powerful softwares can even be used to extract data from compressed and inaccessible drives. Backup of the recovered data is taken onto a desired medium such as an external hard drive or CD/DVD media. Hard drive recovery is possible because the data continues to exist on the hard disk even after it is deleted. Unless data is overwritten in the same sector, the data will continue to exist even if the operating system does not show it.

As these data recovery utilities are mostly used in business organizations, they tend to be very expensive, often running into several thousand dollars. Most of these programs are easy to install and can be scheduled for self-maintenance such as taking a periodic backup of important files.

By: Eric Morris

Data Backup Mediums

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:42:11 +0000

Backing up your logical drives and partitions can be somewhat of a daunting task. It is much easier to have software do it for you. Just a few clicks of the mouse and your data is backed up all in one neat tidy little space on your hard drive. From there it can be passed on to a CD, USB storage device, or other form of data backup storage.

If you need plenty of storage space available for your data, you may opt to go with some less traditional means of data backup. This may include DVDs or an offsite server. Both provide large amounts of storage when compared to a CD which only holds around 800 mb. Of course USB sticks are coming down in price and available in large capacity form for very little money.

Tape drives were at one point the de facto standard in data backup devices, however now they are more for servers than home computer users. Because tape drives offer more space and can be erased and rewritten many times gives the person that is backing up the data peace of mind that he does not need change the disc or worry about if it will fit.

Of course when backing up your data, its important to know, what is actually a necessity to backup and what is basically garbage. For most users, photos and critical system files top the list. However every user is not the same. Lets say you are a videographer, some of your video files need to be saved or you could risk losing them. Or for a photographer, images or pictures can be lost. And for writers, Losing that masterpiece novel you’ve been working on for two years can’t be a good thing.

But what about critical system files? Do you know which ones you’ll actually need and which ones you do not? Most users don’t know. My recommendation would be to use a disk image manager that will record the entire hard disk in case something goes wrong. Be sure to read the documentation on how to recover from such an event. Because if something were to happen, you’ll need to know how to get what you’ve got backed up back onto your new hard drive.

Backup your data and keep it in a safe place. Once you’ve backed up all your data. Or the most critical files at least, you may need software to install everything back onto the new hard drive. That’s why it’s very important to keep this information handy and out of harms way.

If other people have access to the place you store your data backup, you may want to encrypt data on the backup device. There are many programs that are available to do this and most are not expensive. Some are even free! Just remember the password or you will not be able to access the data that backed up!

So in essence, how we backup is just as important as what we back up. For more on Data Backups

By: Jake Foster

Corrupted Photo Recovery

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:11:45 +0000

You have over 300 pictures in your digital camera and no way to retrieve them. Don’t panic there are ways to save them. Start by reading this article on corrupted photo recovery.

A while back I inserted my XD media card into the wrong camera. For some reason my two Fuji cameras are not combatable. I went to download the pictures and all I could get was “media card not valid” My heart sunk because we had over 300 wedding photos on it.

I played around with it for a while with no results. After looking around the Internet I found some decent looking free software. I downloaded it and ran it with my corrupted photo card. I then tried to download the pictures again and got “Media is not formatted would you like to format now? I said yes. I know now that was a big mistake. My wife was going to kill me.

I did some more research on the Internet and came across another piece of software for corrupt photo recovery. I downloaded it and ran it with my memory card and it found ALL my pictures. Don’t know how but it worked even after I formatted my card. I was so happy. I gladly paid the fee for the license and restored my wedding pictures.

I did learn a few things about restoring corrupted photos.

1. Whether your pictures are on a memory card or hard drive do not mess around with it any more than you have to. Every time you write to a disk or card the less of a chance you have of recovering your pictures.

2. For memory cards try cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser. Then clean with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. This saved one of my old cards that had corroded contacts and would not read.

3. Find a good program for photo restoration. Some will do more harm than good so do your research.

I did my research and the software I ended up using was recommended on a lot of digital photo forums. I even called a local professional photographer and he suggested the same software. Well that was enough for me. One of the best parts about it was it is a free download and you can see if it will work before you buy. Completely safe for your hard drive or memory card.

So in short if you damaged you photos some how don’t panic 99 percent of the time they are recoverable. Corrupted photo recovery software works great!

By: Mike D Tucker

Battery Backups for Data and Equipment Protection

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:57:57 +0000

In today’s technology reliant business world, companies are becoming increasingly responsive to the need to protect and retain valuable business data. One often overlooked means of protecting against data loss and equipment damage is the utilization of quality battery backup device in addition to critical data retention and mainframe disaster recovery software implementation. While battery backup can prevent the loss of valuable data in the event of a power outage or lapse, a quality battery backup solution will furthermore protect expensive electronic equipment such as personal computers and servers from costly damage. Considering the high cost associated with data loss and equipment replacement, not just any battery backup device will suffice. Here we examine some of the factors that should be considered in the selection of a battery backup for business or home use.

First of all, what does battery backup do? A battery backup, also referred to as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), allows equipment to safely shut down temporarily in the event of a power outage or lapse in service, but a quality backup unit also prevents equipment damage by regulating fluctuations in the flow of electricity to the equipment. Even when electrical service is seemingly reliable and consistent, variations such as spikes and surges alter the voltage level being delivered to sensitive electronic equipment. Battery backups with an automatic voltage regulation feature are recommended due to their ability to prevent such fluctuations from harming equipment in the long term.

A battery backup must be capable of accommodating the amount of energy required to power the equipment for which it is intended without being overworked. A battery backup device must have the appropriate wattage and volt-ampere ratings to support the equipment that will be utilizing it. While a single home computer and monitor may be able to get by with a basic battery backup unit, more demanding applications such as server rooms warrant a more powerful solution. Additionally, a more advanced battery backup unit will incorporate software which performs periodic tests on the device and retains the test results.

Even when an appropriately powered, self testing battery backup device is being utilized, telecommunication equipment connected directly to a computer or server poses a hidden danger. A single lightning strike can easily travel via RJ-11 and RJ-45 cables and wreak havoc on the connected equipment. A battery backup device with RJ-11 and RJ-45 protection provides a necessary layer of defense between valuable equipment and storm related surges or lightning.

Awareness of product features and voltage ratings among various products is critical to selecting a battery backup device that is sufficient for a particular application. All battery backup solutions do not incorporate all of the features outlined herein. Other factors such as whether all or only select outlets on a unit are actually battery backed and whether a device facilitates the ability to “hot swap” a battery when needed may also be considered in the selection of a battery backup device.

By: Stephen Richards