The role of any good IT is to ensure all applications and files the business relies upon are running steady and fast. But they have more than just experts making sure apps are compatible, they have experts in backup! Without it you are walking a fine line between having everything at your finger tips and running a smooth business to being financially hit with a huge fee for app restoration and computer file recovery. Same with your personal computer. If you don't backup your data you could find yourself heading for a big headache if one day it all "suddenly" disappears. The Mac has a good program called Time Machine built right into the OS. The PC you'll have to find a good backup program. There are many out there. But what happens if you don't have a backup in place, which most don't. You'll need a computer file recovery program. That's where PC Tools' File Recover comes to the rescue. It's inexpensive at $29, free to try and it will have you up and running again in no time.
tags | time machine, backup your files, file recovery program, restoration
Different Processes to Data Recovery, Computer File Recovery, and Salvaging
Data Recovery, Computer File Recovery, and Salvaging are the main ways, at least to this expert, of getting back those precious files you've "misplaced". Data Recovery usually refers to anything on zip disk, external media source, flash, storage tape, raid..etc. Most of the time you can retrieve the data using a simple file recovery program. You plug the external device in your computer, and direct your recovery program to take a look. Same with computer file recovery. Often times it's just a matter of accidentally deleting the file or program. Date Recovery Programs can help in these issues. But what do you do if the external device won't show up when you plug it in the computer, or even worse, what if your computer itself won't turn on. This is called salvaging. You need to bring your computer in, and, most likely, the first thing they'll do is look at your platters. (the disks that hold your data) Do not attempt this on your own. The are very sensitive. Once removed they will put your platters into a known working drive and see if the data loads up. In almost all cases it will. When this happens you either instruct them to copy your data onto a disk while you buy a new computer to copy all your files back onto, or you do the more cost effective approach and ask them to put in a compatible drive and put your platters in it. But sometimes, your platters are corrupted, scratched, or broken and there's nothing you can do about it, all your data is gone! Be Proactive! ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR DATA!
tags | data recovery, computer file recovery, salvaging, platters, back up your data
Myths About Getting a Dead Hard Drive to Work Again
There are many myths and so called solutions to getting your HD back online and working. Most of them just end up hurting you in the long run and short run. Here are 3 Myth off the top of my head.
Myth 1 - Hit It
Honestly we've seen this work a few times, but the hard drive never stays on for long, and by repeatedly hitting your computer with either your fist or a screwdriver even your foot what you're actually doing is jarring your platters and disk heads, loosening your read arm..etc. Scratching your data up, breaking platters in some cases, or just plain making your data unrecoverable. If for some reason you can't get your hard drive to be recognized, Bring it to a Specialist. Yes this is a little more spendy than say hitting it, but if you don't have a back up of your data, you are risking losing it forever!
Myth 2 - Drop it
There are people who claim this works and their computer has worked ever since. However as lucky as some can be, most likely, when you drop your computer, even on carpet, the only thing that will happen is you'll get to see the inside of your computer, and again risk damaging and scratching your data disks or breaking them resulting in unrecoverable data. As much as you may want to, throwing it doesn't help either.
Myth 3 - The Clean Room
In manufacturing when they put your drive together they do so in a clean room. A room in which dust particles are no larger than .5 microns per cubic foot of air. Because Dust and Humidity are your hard drives worst enemy. Some people claim, like after a rain fall, if you steam your bathroom for a while, and then let the air settle the dust particles will be taken down to the ground by the falling moisture. This same thing happens after a good rainfall. While this is good in theory it can have disastrous effects. In manufacturing they use high tech, very expensive equipment to keep the room just perfect. If you make a mistake, if the moisture is too much, if the dust particles in the air are just a little over .5 microns you WILL forever damage your hard disk. Better to back up before your hard drive quits on you, than to take such such extremes to save a couple of bucks.
tags | data recovery myths, damaging data disks, backup, don't hit or drop it
What should you do if you've just deleted a file, or worse, found it missing later.
What do you do when you first realize you lost files....STOP! Stop everything you are doing, do not create anything new, move anything, save anything. When a file gets deleted your data is not truly gone yet. True it won't show on your computer anymore, but the data is still there waiting to be recorded over. Much like a DVR, or CD. Once you delete something you are simply telling your computer that it's ok for it to use that space again. So don't do anything more to write over that space if you can help it. It's a good idea to have a flash drive with a computer file recovery program on it, or to possibly have a boot up cd with a data recovery program on it. If you realize you deleted something, plug your flash drive in, or reboot using your boot cd with the program on it, and go from there and retrieve your file(s). If you have to use your computer to get a data recovery program then make sure that's the only thing you do. Get it, download it, install and get your data back. As I've mentioned many times. Back up the data you want to save. For a hundred dollars or so you can make sure your memories or personal files are always there for you no matter what happens to your regular computer or drive.
The role of any good IT is to ensure all applications and files the business relies upon are running steady and fast. But they have more than just experts making sure apps are compatible, they have experts in backup! Without it you are walking a fine line between having everything at your finger tips and running a smooth business to being financially hit with a huge fee for app restoration and computer file recovery. Same with your personal computer. If you don't backup your data you could find yourself heading for a big headache if one day it all "suddenly" disappears. The Mac has a good program called Time Machine built right into the OS. The PC you'll have to find a good backup program. There are many out there. But what happens if you don't have a backup in place, which most don't. You'll need a computer file recovery program. That's where PC Tools' File Recover comes to the rescue. It's inexpensive at $29, free to try and it will have you up and running again in no time.
Data Recovery, 
Myth 1 - Hit It
Myth 2 - Drop it
Myth 3 - The Clean Room
What do you do when you first realize you lost files....STOP! Stop everything you are doing, do not create anything new, move anything, save anything. When a file gets deleted your data is not truly gone yet. True it won't show on your computer anymore, but the data is still there waiting to be recorded over. Much like a DVR, or CD. Once you delete something you are simply telling your computer that it's ok for it to use that space again. So don't do anything more to write over that space if you can help it. It's a good idea to have a flash drive with a computer file recovery program on it, or to possibly have a boot up cd with a data recovery program on it. If you realize you deleted something, plug your flash drive in, or reboot using your boot cd with the program on it, and go from there and retrieve your file(s). If you have to use your computer to get a data recovery program then make sure that's the only thing you do. Get it, download it, install and get your data back. As I've mentioned many times. Back up the data you want to save. For a hundred dollars or so you can make sure your memories or personal files are always there for you no matter what happens to your regular computer or drive.
