Five Questions About Data Safety

Just how safe is your computer and the data it contains? Did you know your information is very vulnerable to many lurking issues online? If you double click on an infected file you could delete all your data. This is why you have to think:

Is your machine placed properly?

Overheating and vibrations are two common causes that determine data loss. Make sure your computer is well ventilated, and don't place books on top of it. Keep your computer away from busy areas this will prevent people from kicking it. Don't place your pc directly on the floor because static electricity can also cause data loss.

Is the electricity system that you are using safe?

This is important especially if you are leaving or working in an old house. Check all wires and sockets and if needed replace them because tension breaches and uneven electric power can cause not only data loss, but all total destruction of your hard drive.

Is your computer protected against power black-outs?

A solid electric fuse will protect your computer and all other electric machines in your home or office against black outs. Also, you can consider using an uninterrupted source of electric power like a UPS backup system, or if we are referring to a big company, then you can make use of an electric generator that runs on fuel. Both of them protect the electric machines that are turned on before the black out and automatically switches them to its source of electricity when the main electricity provider is off.

Do you own data protection software?

Data protection software spreads over a large market, from anti-viruses to software that investigates your hard disk drive when the system fails. There are software programs that create copies of your files and will constantly monitor your data. Be careful not to forget to renew your antivirus software every week.

Do you protect your data with back-ups? Where do you store your copies?

The data on your computer should be backed-up weekly, including your agenda, your files, folders, and your calendars; you should back-up everything. Of course, the info that doesn't get modified weekly can be backed-up every month. You can store your backups on a cd or on a reserved hard drive, or even on the internet somewhere where you have some available space.

By Jesse Miller

If you really want to take the work out of looking for that right Spyware Protection from a Spybot go to the Internet and get a Free Spybot Download or a Spybot Search and Destroy to prevent your vital information from being ripped from your computer.

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External Hard Drive Data Recovery - Not So Different

Internal hard drives. External hard drives. Floppies. CDs. DVDs. They are all great for storing data--until they fail. Nothing is certain in life, and there is no certainty that the means by which you have been storing your important data will not become damaged and require data recovery. You may even be the cause of your lost data, by doing some accidental deleting.

If the data which you are trying to retrieve is stored on an external hard drive, however, the recovery process and can range from simple to highly complicated. But external hard drive data recovery, for the most part, is similar to that used for retrieving lost files no matter where they were originally stored.

Doing Your Own External Hard Drive Data Recovery

If your external hard drive is part of a company network, you will have to attach it to a monitoring system so you can track the progress of t the external hard drive data recovery. Any idle desktop computer or workstation will suffice; you just need to make sure someone is watch dogging the process and can intervene if any glitches occur in the retrieval effort. The last thing you want to have happen is for the external hard drive data recovery process to appear to have finished, and then find that it is still malfunctioning and requires a do-over.

Once the external hard drive data recovery process retrieval is finished, the recovered data will need to be tested for functionality. Begin by checking the operational system files, because without them you will not get far. If they check out, you can go ahead and test the informational files like your business invoices, tax records, spread sheets and databases.

If your general business files are in order, you can branch out and see if the external hard drive data recovery has restored the files with which your company’s different departments work. If all those files are up and running, you can rest assured that the external hard drive recovery went as planned, and you can remove the hard drive from the monitoring station and put it back where it normally belongs.

You can accomplish this by checking various operational and data files that are saved on the external drive. Start out with the operations system first, then move on to some of the larger and more important files, such as your invoicing system. From there you can get into other files that are used fairly often by various persons and departments in your company. Once you are assured that the data is intact, accessible, and working properly, you will know that the recovery was successful and you can return the external drive to its usual station.

When Your Effort Fails

If, however, your efforts at an in-house external had drive data recovery fail, the next step is to take or ship the hard drive to a data recovery specialist. The specialist will examine and evaluate the damage your external hard dive and let you know how much it will cost to perform an external hard drive data recovery, and what you can realistically expect to recover. If your company’s management approves the expense, the specialist will proceed with the recovery attempt and return as much of your data as possible.

By David Faulkner

You can also find more info on Data Recovery After Formatting and Data Recovery Freeware. Pcdatarecoveryhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Data Recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Faulkner

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How to Backup Windows XP Home Edition

Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the computer itself is not the most valuable part. The data on the hard disk is the most valuable part. How many hours of work did you put into creating that data? One little event, like a power line spike from a lightning strike, and all that work could be lost. Unfortunately, backing up with Windows XP Home Edition is not as simple as it should be.

The first step is to choose a backup device. You might choose a tape drive or a DVD drive, but those devices might require drivers to be installed before you could restore from them. The simplest option is to install a second hard drive in your computer.

The second hard drive doesn't have to be equal to your main hard drive. You can use an older, smaller hard drive as the backup device, as long as the backup drive has more "Free Space" than the main hard drive has "Used Space".

Install a Second Hard Drive

When installing a second hard drive in your computer, it's important to configure the drives correctly. Your motherboard should have two ATA (sometimes called IDE) connectors. The primary connector should have a cable with two drive connectors. The end connector should go to your main hard drive, the middle connector can be used for a backup hard drive. The second motherboard ATA connector should go to your CD-ROM.

On the back of each hard drive is a jumper. The jumper on your main hard drive should be set to the "Master" position. The jumper on your backup hard drive should be set to "Slave" position. Most modern computers use "Cable Select", so you can set both jumpers to the "Cable Select" position. Don't forget the power connector for the second drive.

When you restart your computer, the second drive should be automatically recognized and be designated with the next drive letter available, usually E: (D: being used for the CD-ROM drive).

Format the Second Hard Drive

Generally, you will want to re-format the second hard drive after installation to remove any previously installed operating system and to remove any previous file access rights. To format the drive, select Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administration Tools | Computer Management. In the "Computer Management" window, under "Storage", click on "Disk Management".

Right click on the backup disk's drive letter. In the popup menu, select All Tasks | Format... In the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button. In the "Format" dialog box, in the "File system" drop-down list, select NTFS. Click on the "OK" button. Again, in the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button.

Install the Backup Utility

Windows XP Home Edition doesn't install the Backup utility by default. You'll need to install it manually from your Windows XP CD-ROM.

1. After inserting the CD-ROM, open Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" utility. In the "Add or Remove Programs" utility", click on the "Add New Programs" button, then click on the "CD or Floppy" button.

2. In the "Run Installation Program" dialog box that appears, navigate to the VALUEAD/MSFT/NTBACKUP folder on the CD-ROM and select the file NTBACKUP.MSI. Click on the "Finish" button. The Backup utility will be installed.

Perform a Full Backup

To perform a backup, select Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup to open the Backup Utility.

Note: If you don't find Backup listed in System Tools, double click on the file name ntbackup.exe in the Windows\system32 folder.

In the "Backup or Restore Wizard", click on the "Advanced Mode" link. In the "Backup Utility" dialog box, select the "Backup" tab and set the checkbox next to the drive to backup (c:) and set the checkbox next to "System State".

In the "Backup media or file name" text box, enter the path to the file for the backup (example E:\Backup.bkf). Click on the "Start Backup" button.

In the "Backup Job Information" dialog box that appears, set the radio button next to "Replace the data on the media with this backup". Click on the "Start Backup" button. The "backup Progress" dialog box will appear.

Even when you backup to relatively fast media like hard disk, the process can take 30 minutes or longer depending upon how much data is on the main drive.

When the backup is complete, turn off the computer and remove the data and power cables from the backup drive. It doesn't make sense to leave the backup drive connected because if the cause of a failure is a power spike, it will take out both drives. Next time you want to backup you'll need to reinstall the cables.

How to Perform a Restore

In the unfortunate event that your computer crashes and you can't get it back by any other means, you'll need to reinstall Windows XP from the CD-ROM. (Automated System Recovery is not supported in Windows XP Home Edition.) You'll need to re-install the Backup utility. Then you'll need to shut down the computer to install the data and power cables to the backup drive. Restart the computer and use the Backup Utility to restore Windows XP from the backup file.

When using this backup method, it's important to be careful not to break any pins when you are removing and installing the data cable of the hard drive. And if your computer doesn't use "cable Select", don't forget to change the jumper on the main hard drive back to "Single".

Copyright(C) Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

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Free Data Recovery Tips

Imagine this scary moment. You log into your computer like you do every morning. But today when you go to open the files for the important project you have been working on you can’t find them. Keeping you cool you check the Recycling Bin; unfortunately they are not there. Next you use your computer’s search function to see if you accidentally moved the files to another location. Again, you have no luck. You now realize the files appear to no longer be on your harddrive.

Then finely a bit of good news; you check for signs of a hardware failure. Things like the sound of a clicking harddrive, or strange error messages like “CRC read IO Error. Do Not Proceed.” And, you do not find anything.

This is good news because if you data loss is not due to a hardware failure then you know there is a good chance that your files can be recovered. Even better, there are several good pieces of free software to help you “undelete” your lost files.

At this point, it is important that you stop using the system. This is because you want to reduce the likelihood of writing over the areas of your computer that may still contain you lost files. Even if you are not actively creating and saving files your computer still uses your system's hardrive as a swap disk for its memory. That alone can inadvertently write over what you are hoping to recover.

Now you need to find and download some data recovery software onto another system. Once this is there, save it either to a USB memory stick, or to a CDROM. You will run the recovery software directly from there. Once your lost files have been found you should play it safe and copy the files unto your USB memory stick or to another system. This is just in case the issue arises again.

PC Inspector is a free data recovery program you may want to consider. This program was developed by the Convar company. Conver has been doing data recovery for 15+ years.

With PC Inspector you can recover files of any size, folders, or programs you want. Often you will recover the original date and time stamp of documents at the time the files were lost. That information may be helpful in determining what actually caused the data loss.

By David Wegener

Find out more about Data Recovery techniques by visiting http://harddrive-data-recovery.com a site dedicated to making the task of recovering your lost data easier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Wegener

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How To Back Up Files Correctly

Throughout the world of computers, it’s simply amazing just how many people are scared to death of losing their data. Most of those who are scared, don’t give a second thought to backing up their data. Even though the thought may be the same, most people are worried more about losing their data than actually backing it up - which can prove to be a downfall in the face of disaster.

The process of backing up files is done by using servers, floppy disks, CD, DVD, external hard drives, or other methods to keep the data protected. This way, when something happens to your hard drive and you lose your information, you’ll have the information backed up so that you can easily access it again. Data that is important, such as tax files or business records should always be backed up, to ensure that nothing happens to it.

If you are using Windows as your operating system, it will be a lot easier to back up your files. Windows XP has a back up facility in it, so that it can make things a lot easier when you create your backups. If data that is stored on hard drives with XP becomes lost, Windows will immediately fetch the file from another drive or area where it has been stored as a back up. This is a very useful technique, although it still has to be practiced to ensure that you understand how it works. Although it may be very useful, it isn’t as safe as other options.

In order to back up your data and programs in a safe and efficient manner, you’ll need to use some of the more reliable methods, such as external hard drives or servers. Offsite backups are great as well, as the data you backup isn’t left around your office, it is instead entrusted with a company who will ensure that it stays protected.

No matter which method or methods you have decided to use for backing up your data, you’ll be happy to know that they are all easy to use. CD and DVD backups are easy to create, all you need is the software installed on your computer to create the backups with. Servers are easy to use as well, all you have to do is upload your data to a server, then log into the server anytime you need to have access to the data.

All in all, creating backups of your data and information is the perfect way to ensure that you always have it in the event of a disaster. Disasters can happen at any time, which is why you should always back up your data anytime you have something new or something that you haven’t backed up yet.

by: John Ugoshowa

About The Author

John Ugoshowa. You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your ezines as long as you have a link back to http://www.quickregister.net/partners/

For more information on data recovery see the computer section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service at: http://www.quickregister.net/partners/

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Data Recovery Over Hard Disk Failure

Hard Disk: An Introduction

Hard Disks are used to store information. All information on computers are stored in files. Hard disks store the majority of information on today's modern computer. Hard disk drives (HDDs) can be critically damaged by static electricity, shock, and other factors, often resulting in failure or the loss of valuable data. In many cases it may become necessary to recover information from your hard drive. Such retrieval is quite possible.

Hard Disk Failure

*Physical Failures

Physical failure occurs from sudden switch off, power failure, sliding them off desks and cheap components. As for data loss, data is only magnetic impulses on the surface of a hard disk. And ridiculously small bits of magnetism at that! When the magnetic impulse fades, or changes position, trouble starts.

Drive Alignment Drift is another cause of problems. Mechanical devices are subject to wear and tear, heat and cold, loosening tolerances etc.

The small changes in the read/write heads wouldn't matter usually, as data still gets written in the same place as it will be read later. However, there is some data that hardly ever gets re-written, and that is the Sector ID Headers.

*Logical Failures

Master Boot Record Failure

Technically, when the Master Boot Record is working correctly, the master boot code scans the partition table for the active partition, finds the starting sector, loads a copy of the boot sector from the active partition into memory and then transfers control to the executable code in the boot sector. If the master boot code cannot complete these functions, the system displays a message similar to the MBR error.

*Boot Sector Failure

The boot sector is a region of a hard disk, floppy disk, and other similar data storage device. It is loaded to memory and executed as a part of the bootstrap sequence. The boot sector contains a small computer program that is loaded on the operating system into memory and transfers the control.

Most boot sector failure occurs by the defection of boot sector virus. Boot sector viruses are usually spread by infected floppy disks. In the past, these were usually bootable disks, but this is no longer the case. A floppy disk does not need to be bootable to transmit a boot virus. Any disk can cause infection if it is in the drive when the computer boots up or shuts down.

*Accidentally Deleted Data

Some time some how you may delete a file thinking we don?t need it any more, but in a week or or two you may realize that it is a needed one. It happens to the best of us, but fortunately there are ways to get these lost files back.

When it comes to data on your computer, it is almost impossible to accidentally remove it beyond recoverability. Even if you are intentionally trying to completely wipe a file from your hard drive it is exceedingly difficult.

*Cross Linked Files

A file system error that corrupts the contents of an existing file by writing data from another file into the same cluster. Running Scandisk or a similar program cleans up the problem, but one of the files is no longer usable.

*Bad Sectors

It is a portion of the Hard disk that cannot be used any more. If a part of the disk get bad sector which contains data then those data is to be recovered before use. When you format a disk, the OS will mark all the unusable sector as bad sector, however, this does not affect the overall performance of the disk as the damaged space is considered unusable.

Hard Disk Data Recovery

*Replace the (Circuit Board) PCB

Upon a Hard Drive circuit board failure, it is possible to get back the data by carefully replacing the PCB of the hard drive.

*Replace the Firmware

Hard disk firmware is the information that is used by the computer that allows it to correctly interact with the hard disk. It may be replaced or updated by the matching firmware.

*Replace the Head Stack

There are common situation that may be due to head failures. There is a small chip located in the head stack that is called PREAMPLIFIER. Working with preamplifiers always includes some difficulties, because, practically, they can not withstand static discharges. If re-soldering is needed, one should follow a number of rules to protect a preamplifier from static damage caused by careless finger touching. Although this task is very risky and it should be done in a high secured lab specially created for this task.

*Move the disk to another Drive

In some cases complete functionality of the Hard drive may be disabled while only the internal disk plate is without any damages or errors. In those situations, it is possible to move the disk to another drive.

*Spin-Stand Testers

Hard drive manufactures and their head media; preamplifier and read channel suppliers do have very accurate, very expensive "magic machines" called Spin-Stands. These are used for testing and experimenting with heads and disks. They are used mostly by researcher and development departments.
*Magnetic Force Microscopes (MFM)

Magnetic force microscopy is a powerful tool for high-resolution magnetic imaging of most data storage media. As the density of magnetic media is higher, the bit becomes smaller than the wavelength of light, so optical techniques can not resolve it. General MFM is capable of imaging the magnetic domain of several tens of nanometers. Also, MFM is almost simultaneous with measuring the surface characteristics of topography and roughness of the same area with sub-angstrom vertical resolution.

Recovery Softwares

*SpinRite 6.0

SpinRite is a stand-alone DOS program designed to refurbish hard drives, floppy disks and recover data from marginally or completely unreadable hard drives and floppy disks and from partitions and folders which have become unreadable.

*Ontrack data recovery software

Ontrack Data Recovery offers the industry's highest quality and cost-effective do-it-yourself data recovery software solutions for almost any data loss situation covering servers, desktops or laptops for all media, operating systems and file types. Ontrack's EasyRecoveryTM family of products is unmatched in its ability to recover/repair from all causes of lost data.

*Recover My Files

Recover My Files data recovery software will easily recover deleted files emptied from the Windows Recycle Bin, or lost due to the format or corruption of a hard drive, virus or Trojan infection, and unexpected system shutdown or software failure.

For more Data recovery topics http://www.pc4safe.com

by: Muneer Mohammad

About The Author

Admin & Publisher

PC4safe http://www.pc4safe.com

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