Data Recovery FAQs
What is Data Recovery?
Data recovery is the act of salvaging data
stored on damaged media, such as hard drives, magnetic disks
or tapes. There are a number of companies and software
products that can help recover data damaged by a disk crash
or computer virus. Of course, not all data is recoverable,
but data recovery specialists can often restore a
surprisingly high percentage of the data on damaged media.
What causes data loss?
The most common contributing factor to data
loss is hardware or system malfunction, followed by human
error, combined these two account for almost 70% of all
problems. Other causes include: Natural disasters, computer
viruses, malicious activities, and surface contamination.
Can all data be retrieved?
The amount of retrievable data depends on
the amount of damage to the media. In most cases a
surprisingly high percentage of data can be recovered; in
most cases it is above 80% of lost data. Even in the worst
circumstances it is very rare that no data can be recovered.
Are commercial data recovery sites reliable?
By and large commercial data recovery
specialists do a great job, albeit for a significant cost.
Depending on the type of recovery necessary they will charge
anywhere from $400 dollars to over $2000 dollars. We
recommend contacting your drive manufacturer first as most
of the large manufacturers have a discount rate at a
specific data recovery specialist.
What do I do now?
The following steps can be used as a basic
guideline for data recovery:
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Step 1 - Determine Extent of loss: Have
you lost all files or just some? If your drive is still
functioning try to copy as much of the corrupt drive as
you can to another digital media.
-
Step 2 - Remove the Drive: Removing the
drive from your computer can be relatively painless if
you follow the computer manufacturers instructions. If
you don't have instructions handy, call the manufacturer
and their customer service people can walk you through
the process.
-
Step 3 - Call the drive manufacturer:
Calling the drive manufacturer will begin the process of
obtaining a new hard drive. See What Should I do with my
crashed drive below.
-
Step 4 - Determine the value of the
lost data: Do you need to recovery the drive or can you
patch together the files from other sources?
Professional data recovery is expensive, is the data
recovered worth the cost of the service?
-
Step 5 - Consult a professional recover
service: If you decide to go with a service, use the one
recommended by the drive drive manufacturer as there is
generally a discount program. Follow the directions of
the recovery service.
-
Step 6 - Install your new drive: Once
you obtain a new hard drive, install it into your
computer. The computer manufacturer along with the
directions should allow most people to reinstall their
drive.
-
Step 7 - Transfer your recovered data:
Now that you have a new drive, its time to transfer your
recovered data back to your computer.
What should I do with my crashed hard drive?
The first thing to do is check with the
manufacturer to see if your drive is still under warranty.
All manufacturers will replace your drive for you for free
within the first one to two years of ownership depending on
the manufacturer. Call them to find out what their policy
is. In most cases they will send you the new drive before
recieving the old one in return.
Can data loss be prevented?
In short, absolutely. The easiest way to
prevent data loss is to backup your systems to any of the
easily available back up media. Current estimates are that
less then 5% of data is currently backed up, users can save
hours or days and thousands of dollars by backing up their
data on a regular basis. Commercially available virus
protection can also help prevent data loss.
[This information from
http://www.info-pedia.com/datarecovery.html]
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