| Data Recovery from drives that will not power | | | | very secure, and not recommended. Almost |
| up can only be performed by trained recovery | | | | anyone can read them and gain access to your |
| engineers. These engineers will move your | | | | clients, sales, prospects, notes, billing records, |
| damaged drive(s) into a "clean room", where their | | | | payroll, tax info, and anything else on your |
| equipment can copy a duplicate drive for | | | | computer. |
| inspection. This is done to determine where the | | | | Backup systems usually have redundancy built in. |
| data is actually corrupt and where it is not. This is | | | | Redundancy is the key to data security, so you |
| almost always a procedure that takes hours or | | | | can never have too many backups. Mirrored |
| days of continuous work. Recovery technicians | | | | hardware only protects you from a hardware |
| are also skilled at rebuilding rare or obsolete | | | | failure. Since 90% of data loss is due to data |
| equipment. | | | | corruption or user error, mirrored equipment |
| Requests for Laptop Data Recovery is somewhat | | | | offers no protection as corrupt data gets instantly |
| more common than for desktop computers. | | | | written to the mirror. The only way to protect |
| Laptop drives are very small in comparison. | | | | your data is by restoring from a backlog of |
| Special tooling, equipment and handling procedures | | | | backups. |
| are required. However, recovery rates are 90% | | | | Businesses that want to disaster proof their data |
| and higher. Typical problems seen with laptop | | | | must make sure that it is in a secure off site |
| computers are mechanical or electronic failure, | | | | location and only available to authorized individuals. |
| where either the drive does not spin at all, or if it | | | | The popular technique for file system repair is to |
| does, then quiet but persistent "ticking" or | | | | assume very little about the state of the file |
| "crunching" noises can be heard during powering | | | | system, and simply rebuild the file system from |
| up - this particular problem is mainly due to an | | | | scratch. |
| internal head amplifier failure or, more seriously, a | | | | Another strategy involves scanning the entire |
| head crash or misalignment problem - the | | | | drive and making note of all file system |
| majority of which are recoverable. | | | | structures and possible file boundaries, then trying |
| A wide variety of failures can cause physical | | | | to match what was located to the specifications |
| damage to storage media. CD-ROMs can have | | | | of a working file system. This technique generally |
| their metallic substrate or dye layer scratched off; | | | | does not repair the underlying file system, but |
| hard disks can suffer any of several mechanical | | | | merely allows for data to be extracted from it to |
| failures, such as head crashes and failed motors | | | | another storage device. |
| and tapes can simply break. Physical damage | | | | Notably slower than consistency checking, this |
| always causes at least some data loss, and in | | | | method can, however, recover data even when |
| many cases the logical structures of the file | | | | the logical structures are almost completely |
| system are damaged as well. This causes logical | | | | destroyed. |
| damage that must be dealt with before any data | | | | Data Recovery Tools often use PC-based |
| recovery is possible. | | | | programs to access special hard drive microcode |
| Computer system data is the livelihood of any | | | | that is designed to enable Original Equipment |
| business organization. No company can continue | | | | Manufacturer (OEM) system manufacturers and |
| business in the event of total loss of data. | | | | service providers diagnose the proper operation |
| Disaster recovery planning is a major preventive | | | | of hard drives. |
| measure employed by the Government and big | | | | Many companies, like Drive Fitness Technologies |
| business. It is estimated that most large | | | | (DFT) use sets of diagnostic tools, such as |
| companies spend between 2% and 4% of their | | | | Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology |
| IT budget on disaster recovery planning, with the | | | | (S.M.A.R.T.), that provide error logging and |
| aim of avoiding larger losses in the event that the | | | | self-test capabilities. |
| business cannot continue to function due to data | | | | Designed to address problem situations where end |
| loss. Of companies that had a major loss of | | | | users suspect hard drive malfunction, recovery |
| business data, 43% never reopen, 51% close | | | | programs can be integrated into the system |
| within two years and only 6% will survive | | | | diagnostic package, with system integrators |
| long-term. | | | | distributed by diskette, CD-ROM, or in a special |
| Data Disaster Planning backup services are now | | | | protected partition on the hard drive. Data |
| much more sophisticated and reliable than simple | | | | recovery experts can then be contacted by the |
| tape backups. Data disaster planning clients ran | | | | end user, for assistance and direction from the |
| their former backup services on tape for years | | | | system OEM telephone support staff. |
| without ever changing their configurations or | | | | It has been found, in most problem situations, |
| experiencing a "disaster". But, it only takes one | | | | that a suspected hard drive is in fact not |
| catastrophe to change your mindset. A major risk | | | | malfunctioning at all. In this way, end users can |
| of tape systems is that even when all indicators | | | | significantly reduce the disruption and the expense |
| point to successful backups, the restores fail. | | | | associated with hard drive replacement, while |
| Secondly, most companies using tape systems | | | | receiving help in determining the root cause of the |
| don't employ a secondary fail-safe system. | | | | problem. |
| Tape backups are not generally encrypted, not | | | | |