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How to Check the Status of Your Tax Refund Online
So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The IRS expects to issue approximately $54 billion dollars in refunds for the 2003 tax year. The question for most taxpayers expecting a...
How to fight Cyberterrorism
Information Technology is the lifeline of most organizations today, and as such a disrupted information system can cause your company to lose market share and eventually bring it to its knees. 94% of companies without a tested crisis plan go out...
Hurricanes Wilma, Katrina And Rita Force Businesses To Rethink Computer
Besides Having a Plan, You Need to Implement It When Disaster
Strikes
With hurricane Wilma bearing down and the effects of hurricane
Katrina, now being cited as the single most expensive natural
disaster in the history of the United States...
Outsourcing IT Asset Retirement
Approximately 1 billion units of computer equipment will become potential scrap by 2010 according to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers. Is now the time for your company to decide how to deal with outdated computer equipment...
The Day My Laptop was Stolen Almost Killed My Business…..
One of the worst feelings I have ever had was the day my laptop was stolen. The laptop can be replaced. However the loss of critical DATA was the biggest risk my business has ever faced.
When I recovered from the experience I asked...
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Your Hard Disk Failed... Don't Panic !
Inability to access your data stored on the data storage device could be caused by many reasons, from those that are easy to fix to those which are completely impossible to fix. If the damage is irreversible then data loss will occur. The causes of the failure of your hard drive or CD-ROM drive could vary from a bad connection due to a loose wire (which is easily recoverable) to damage to the media itself, which could still be recoverable in many cases.
As in the medical profession, the first principle of data recovery is: "do not harm".
If you are facing a data loss situation, what not to do is very important!
- Do not power up a device that has obvious physical damage.
- Do not power up a device that has shown symptoms of physical failure. For example, disks that make "obvious mechanical fault noises" such as ticking or grinding, should not be repeatedly powered on and tested as it just makes them worse.
- Activate the write-protect switch or tab on any problem removable media such as tape cartridges and floppies. (Many good backups are overwritten during a crisis.)
- Do not use free software. This is very important. Free data recovery software can be extremely dangerous and ruin your chances for a successful data recovery. Many companies offer free data recovery software -- also called Do-It-Yourself (DIY) data recovery software -- available for download on their website.
Even the best programs only work in very specific situations. While these free tools that are available may help, they usually only help if you are encountering one of a very few specific data loss situations.
Some programs may cause further or permanent data
Associated Websites
loss. While these programs are provided with good intention, even when carefully used these utilities may cause recoverable data to be permanently lost and may cause the loss of additional data.
Anyway, there is something you CAN do; if you are having data access problems and your media has no symptoms of physical failure or damage, try and check some obvious issues before deciding if you need data recovery:
- Are the power and disk cables properly connected?
- Is configuration or disk information correct?
- Try the defective unit with a different adapter/controller interface or on a different computer.
- Is there an experienced technician at a local store or the company help desk that you can consult, if these steps are beyond your capabilities? (Make sure whoever is in contact with your data loss situation is fully aware that they should do nothing during their troubleshooting that will risk hurting your data.)
Doesn't work? Don't panic; if the damage occurred to the drive's electronics, it most likely could be fixed. If the damage occurred to the, for example, system areas of the disk, leaving the data zone intact, those data could be theoretically, and (in some cases) practically, recovered by a professional.
Look on the Net for data recovery companies, ask them questions, explain them your situation. In most cases they will be able to understand your problem and fix it for a fair price.
About the Author
Emanuele Allenti is the owner of Backup and data recover tips, a website with useful information written by experts for those interested in backup and data recovery
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