Life insurance reviews, Term Life Insurance and Life Insurance Quote reviews at Review Centre. 19 products: "Life Insurance is one of those subjects that is whispered about. Life Insurance policies are intended to help to cover financial costs should you lose a loved one.
You need to compare life insurance policies to make sure your family get the best financial assistance in the event of the unthinkable. Many policy variations are available, providing different types of life insurance cover, and choosing the best life insurance to suit your needs is very important. Our life insurance reviews allow you to make better choices about the right life insurance cover. You may prefer cheap life insurance, or a large comprehensive package. You'll find them all reviewed here."
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Hard Drive History - Ontrack Data Recovery
Hard Drive History - Ontrack Data Recovery: "Today marks the 50th anniversary of hard drive storage. When IBM delivered its first hard drive on September 13th, 1956, few could have imagined the impact it would have on our everyday lives. The RAMAC (also known as 'Random Access Method of Accounting and Control') was the size of two refrigerators and weighed a ton. It required a separate air compressor to protect the heads, had pizza-sized platters and was able to store a then whopping 5 megabytes of data. Now you can do all that with a mere pocket drive! What's more - the RAMAC was available to lease for $35,000 USD, the equivalent of $254,275 in today's dollars.
25 years later, the first hard drive for personal computers was invented. Using the MFM encoding method, it held a 40MB capacity and 625 KBps data transfer rate. A later version of the ST506 interface switched to the RLL encoding method, allowing for increased storage capacity and processing speed.
IBM made technological history on August 12, 1981, with the launch of their first personal computer - the IBM 5150. At a cost of $1,565, the 5150 had just 16K of memory- just enough for a small amount of emails. It's difficult to conceive that as recently as the late 1980s 100MB of hard disk space was considered ample. In today's era, this would be totally insufficient, hardly enough to install the operating system, not to mention a large application such as Microsoft Office.
When asked about the limitations of the early PC, Tom Standage, the Economist magazine's business editor says: 'It's hard to imagine what people used to do with computers in those days because by modern standards they really couldn't do anything.'
As a result of these major breakthroughs, the industry has grown from several thousand disk drives per year in the 1950s to over 260 million drives per year in 2003. During this period, the cost of magnetic disk storage has decreased from $2,057 per megabyte in the 1960s to $.005 today.
The future is bright
At present, the standard 3.5 inch desktop drive can store up to 750 gigabytes (GB) in data. But disk drives are set to become even smaller, more powerful and less costly. According to Bill Healy, an executive at Hitachi, drives containing hundreds of gigabytes will be small enough to wear as jewelry. 'You'll have with you every album and tune you've ever bought, every picture you've ever taken, every tax record.'
Having five disk drives in your household is becoming increasingly commonplace: PCs, laptops, game systems, TiVo® video recorders, iPod® - just to mention a few. Experts believe that someday households will have up to 15 disk drives, some of which may appear in your TV set, cell phone or car.
In fact, the industry is expected to deliver as many drives in the next five years as it did in the last 50 years. Industry analysts such as Gartner, IDC and TrendFOCUS believe that the global hard drive market will continue to experience impressive unit and revenue growth.
Take the good with the bad
As new devices hit the market, and the amount of stored data escalates the potential for data loss is greater than ever. No matter how strict your back-up policy or how heavily you invest in data protection - somewhere along the line data loss will occur. With nearly 20 years of experience, Ontrack Data Recovery™ has certainly seen its fair share of data disasters. From the dog that ate one man's memory stick, to the frustrated user so angry he shot his laptop with a gun, to the businesswoman who spilt coffee on her laptop to the father who accidentally deleted his child's baby photos, Ontrack has truly seen it all.
Ontrack Data Recovery has the technical capability to recover data from any media, operating system or storage device - no matter how old or cumbersome! Preparation is the name of the game. By establishing a relationship with a reputable data recovery provider, you can reduce the stress surrounding data loss and relax with a ready-made action plan for data recovery and restoration.
© 2006 Kroll Ontrack"
25 years later, the first hard drive for personal computers was invented. Using the MFM encoding method, it held a 40MB capacity and 625 KBps data transfer rate. A later version of the ST506 interface switched to the RLL encoding method, allowing for increased storage capacity and processing speed.
IBM made technological history on August 12, 1981, with the launch of their first personal computer - the IBM 5150. At a cost of $1,565, the 5150 had just 16K of memory- just enough for a small amount of emails. It's difficult to conceive that as recently as the late 1980s 100MB of hard disk space was considered ample. In today's era, this would be totally insufficient, hardly enough to install the operating system, not to mention a large application such as Microsoft Office.
When asked about the limitations of the early PC, Tom Standage, the Economist magazine's business editor says: 'It's hard to imagine what people used to do with computers in those days because by modern standards they really couldn't do anything.'
As a result of these major breakthroughs, the industry has grown from several thousand disk drives per year in the 1950s to over 260 million drives per year in 2003. During this period, the cost of magnetic disk storage has decreased from $2,057 per megabyte in the 1960s to $.005 today.
The future is bright
At present, the standard 3.5 inch desktop drive can store up to 750 gigabytes (GB) in data. But disk drives are set to become even smaller, more powerful and less costly. According to Bill Healy, an executive at Hitachi, drives containing hundreds of gigabytes will be small enough to wear as jewelry. 'You'll have with you every album and tune you've ever bought, every picture you've ever taken, every tax record.'
Having five disk drives in your household is becoming increasingly commonplace: PCs, laptops, game systems, TiVo® video recorders, iPod® - just to mention a few. Experts believe that someday households will have up to 15 disk drives, some of which may appear in your TV set, cell phone or car.
In fact, the industry is expected to deliver as many drives in the next five years as it did in the last 50 years. Industry analysts such as Gartner, IDC and TrendFOCUS believe that the global hard drive market will continue to experience impressive unit and revenue growth.
Take the good with the bad
As new devices hit the market, and the amount of stored data escalates the potential for data loss is greater than ever. No matter how strict your back-up policy or how heavily you invest in data protection - somewhere along the line data loss will occur. With nearly 20 years of experience, Ontrack Data Recovery™ has certainly seen its fair share of data disasters. From the dog that ate one man's memory stick, to the frustrated user so angry he shot his laptop with a gun, to the businesswoman who spilt coffee on her laptop to the father who accidentally deleted his child's baby photos, Ontrack has truly seen it all.
Ontrack Data Recovery has the technical capability to recover data from any media, operating system or storage device - no matter how old or cumbersome! Preparation is the name of the game. By establishing a relationship with a reputable data recovery provider, you can reduce the stress surrounding data loss and relax with a ready-made action plan for data recovery and restoration.
© 2006 Kroll Ontrack"
Friday, June 19, 2009
What is Data Recovery - Retrieving Computer Data that is Inaccessible or Lost – Ontrack Data Recovery
What is Data Recovery - Retrieving Computer Data that is Inaccessible or Lost – Ontrack Data Recovery: "Put simply, data recovery is the process of retrieving computer data that, for any number of reasons, has become inaccessible using normal methods. Ontrack has the right tools and experience to solve your data loss problems.
'No one in the data recovery business comes close to challenging Ontrack's leadership. It is by far the most technologically advanced company in the field.' - Joe Sullivan, Securities Analyst, Dougherty Summit Securities
Don't assume that your data is unrecoverable; Ontrack provides the following data recovery services recovering lost data:
RDR® - Remote Data Recovery™ Service
Using patented technology, Ontrack engineers perform lab-quality data recovery service right on your server, desktop, or laptop through a modem of Internet connection. Additionally, the connection is secured by using a proprietary communication protocol, encrypted packets, and safe facilities.
In-Lab Data Recovery Service
Ship the damaged drive or storage device to an Ontrack lab and let our experienced engineers determine what is necessary to recover the data. Most standard data recovery jobs are completed in 3-5 days for the fastest turnaround time in the industry, and we return the data on the storage media of your choice.
EasyRecovery™ Professional Software
EasyRecovery Professional provides and easy to use, do-it-yourself solution to meet data loss needs and restore valuable data. EasyRecovery Professional offers a complete solution for disk diagnostic, data recovery, and file repair needs.
Regardless of the Ontrack data recovery option that you chose, you can be sure that:
Ontrack Data Recovery software and data recovery services are complete and s"
'No one in the data recovery business comes close to challenging Ontrack's leadership. It is by far the most technologically advanced company in the field.' - Joe Sullivan, Securities Analyst, Dougherty Summit Securities
Don't assume that your data is unrecoverable; Ontrack provides the following data recovery services recovering lost data:
RDR® - Remote Data Recovery™ Service
Using patented technology, Ontrack engineers perform lab-quality data recovery service right on your server, desktop, or laptop through a modem of Internet connection. Additionally, the connection is secured by using a proprietary communication protocol, encrypted packets, and safe facilities.
In-Lab Data Recovery Service
Ship the damaged drive or storage device to an Ontrack lab and let our experienced engineers determine what is necessary to recover the data. Most standard data recovery jobs are completed in 3-5 days for the fastest turnaround time in the industry, and we return the data on the storage media of your choice.
EasyRecovery™ Professional Software
EasyRecovery Professional provides and easy to use, do-it-yourself solution to meet data loss needs and restore valuable data. EasyRecovery Professional offers a complete solution for disk diagnostic, data recovery, and file repair needs.
Regardless of the Ontrack data recovery option that you chose, you can be sure that:
Ontrack Data Recovery software and data recovery services are complete and s"
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Data Recovery Articles, Recover Hard Disks by Magic. Data Recovery Software by WizardRecovery.com
Data Recovery Articles, Recover Hard Disks by Magic. Data Recovery Software by WizardRecovery.com: "What do you do if you or someone else has deleted your recent work? The first place to look for a deleted document is Windows Recycle Bin. But what if the file is not there? What if the Recycle Bin is completely disabled or emptied just before you catch up? The article explains your steps to recover the recently deleted documents."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Hard Drive Crash? The Essential Data Recovery Report (by Greg Duffield)
Your worst nightmare just became a horrifying reality. You keep hearing that little voice in your head mockingly shout "you should have backed that stuff up" The voice keeps echoing throughout your head as you perform a quick inventory all of the important information that you just lost…..your client database, a years worth of e-mail, your entire inventory database, even your family photos.
Even worse, you've got a deposition in two-weeks and key information needed to help win the case were also lost. You quickly call a service technician and have them come over to check the computer out, only to hear the worst news of all….your data has been lost. When a hard drive crashes, it's too late to worry about what you "should have done."
Today data recovery is a multi-million dollar industry. The number of data recovery firms out there seems to exceed the number of fast food restaurants for the entire planet. These companies specialize in helping their clients retrieve data on anything from hard drives to flash-roms. In the following report, we will discuss what data recovery really is; the different types, the costs, and what you can realistically expect when it comes to getting your data recovered.
What To Do In The Event Of Data Loss?
Around 44% of all data loss is caused by hardware failure. It's important to make sure that you immediately shut your system down if you suspect that hard drive has crashed. Don't even try to go through the shutdown procedure, just pull the plug from the wall. Do not try to run off the shelf data recovery software or drive utilities. Many times these applications will assume the drive is functioning properly and will increase the risk of permanent data loss.
Types Of Hard Drive Failure
When we discuss data recovery in this report, we will primarily focus on issues surrounding hard drive failures; since these types of failures are most common. There are really two primary forms of failure in a hard drive, logical and physical. Logical failures are usually a result of file-system corruption. This can occur due to a virus, accidental deletion of key files or registry components, and in some cases even electro-static discharge. In most cases where a logical failure has occurred, the drive is still recognized by the system BIOS, but it will not boot. In most cases, your data should still be intact on the drive, even though it may appear to be inaccessible.
If the system BIOS does not detect the presence of the hard drive, then chances are a physical failure has occurred. Physical failures can result from a wide variety of causes. There are really two sub-categories for physical hard drive failures; mechanical and electronic. Mechanical failures usually result from a failure of the spindle motor. Spindle motor failure can result from excessive heat due to a bearing failure. The increased heat resulting from the bearing failure will expand the drive shaft and therefore seize the spindle motor. Suddenly, your drive will become inoperative. Occasionally, you will get a warning that something bad is about to happen. You may hear a loud whining, a grinding noise, even high-pitched screeches. If anything like this starts to occur, BACK UP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.
Another physical issue that sometimes rears its ugly head is an electronic failure. If you look at a hard drive you will notice a circuit board on the bottom. This board is basically the brains of the drive, and it is where the computer interfaces to the hard drive. An electrical failure can occur unexpectedly at any time. Even brand new hard drives are not totally immune to having electrical failures. Sometimes it's just a faulty component, sometimes it's improper installation (i.e. electro-static discharge, grounding out the board, damaging circuitry during installation). It's important to also keep your system clean and well ventilated, since excessive heat can damage the electrical components on the drive. If you have a system that is in a somewhat contained area, you may look at adding an additional 80mm fan to cool the internal components of the system, especially the hard drive. No other component of a computer works as much as the hard drive, and therefore it is vitally important not to overlook it when cooling issues arise.
How Is My Data Recovered?
One of the most often asked questions that customers ask is, "how do you get my data back?" Well, it's really not black magic or rocket science. It's just a matter of having the right tools and the knowledge necessary to know what to do, much like a surgeon performing heart by-pass surgery. Many prominent data recovery facilities have a large array of hardware, software and tools for recovering data.
Generally speaking when a hard drive is received by a data recovery firm, the first thing they do is evaluate it, and determine what recovery solution will be necessary. If the drive failure is a logical issue as mentioned earlier, then a scan of the drive will be performed to try and repair the file system corruption. Sometimes a partition can be repaired and the drive restored to the status that it was before the failure. If this is not possible, then a very low-level scan will be performed that essentially searches every sector of the hard drive for files. Once the files are located, they can then be copied to the media of choice, i.e. a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard drive. Logical recoveries can take up an enormous amount of time, especially if the drive is on the verge of physical failure. It's not uncommon to allow for one day of scanning and a day for recovering the found files.
If the drive has suffered a physical failure, then the recovery procedure is quite a bit more challenging. As mentioned above, there are really two sub-categories of physical failure; mechanical and electronic. An important element in recovering data from a physical failure is having the necessary parts to get the drive functioning again. Unfortunately with hard drives if you have a 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for example, then you will need another identical 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for salvaging parts. In cases where the electronic circuit board has failed on the hard drive, then you have to have the exact same circuit board on hand in order to retrieve the necessary circuit components for replacement. Many times you cannot even exchange circuit board for circuit board. These repairs generally require soldering skills and a thorough knowledge of electronics to be successfully completed. You will most likely hear "Class100 Clean Room" thrown around a lot when talking to data recovery professionals. Simply stated, a Class100 Clean Room maintains exceptional air purity, and contains less than 100 airborne particles larger than 0.5 microns in each cubic foot of air. This is vital in protecting sensitive internal components of hard drives. Anytime a hard drive is having an invasive procedure performed on it, a Class100 clean room or better is needed.
The time frame for recovery is generally 5-10 business days for physical issues and 2-4 days for logical issues. Sometimes if components are not readily available, then it may take weeks to complete the recovery. Some firms offer expedite service and you definitely pay for this added attention.
What About Data Recovery Software
This is one area where you really do get what you pay for. Try to stay away from software in the $20-$60 range, since these utilities are generally very limited in what they can do. Also make sure that you NEVER and just to emphasize, NEVER EVER get data recovery software that writes anything at all to the damaged disk. You run the risk of overwriting data that may otherwise have been recoverable, but will be lost forever. If you are fairly computer savvy, then there are a few good data recovery software solutions available.
What To Look For When Shopping For Data Recovery
There's an old saying, "you get what you pay for." In most cases this is true. However, just because a company with a fancy website quotes you $3,500 for data recovery, does not mean that they are any better than a company that quotes you $1,500. Also, try to stay away from companies that want to charge $50-$300 for evaluating your drive. There has been a movement in the data recovery industry over the last couple of years to offer a number of free services. Most reputable data recovery companies will evaluate standard IDE drives free of charge; so don't let the word "free" this or "free" that stop you. The data recovery market is quickly becoming saturated, and a company does not necessarily cheapen itself or lack expertise by offering free evaluations.
You will find as you shop around for data recovery that prices vary greatly. You will get quotes that range from $300 to $5,000 for standard hard drive recoveries. It's not uncommon to literally get quotes that have at least a $1,500 high/low spread. We shopped one prominent data recovery company where we gave them specific indicators of a physical hard drive failure. We were eventually quoted a price range of $600 to $2,900 for the recovery. Many times this is a bait and switch type tactic. They get you to send in the drive with the low-end $600 price, then they let you know it's going to cost $2,100 for the recovery. You end up being well under the $2,900 high-end price, but well over what other reputable companies would charge. Since most customers won't go through the pain of having the drive sent back, only to have to send it out to another company, these bait and switch companies end up making huge profits off of unsuspecting customers.
Try to find a company that will give you an up front cost for either a logical or physical recovery. Most companies will be able to tell you within a couple hundred dollars the cost of a recovery. However, don't misunderstand a company that gives you a price for two different procedures. For example, some companies will give you a price if the failure is logical and a price if the problem ends up being physical. We called one firm and were told that if the drive had a logical failure the price would be $400 and if it ended up being a physical issue the price would be $1,600. This is not a high/low spread as mentioned in the earlier example, this is simply quoting a price for two different types of recoveries.
On average you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $600 for logical recoveries, and $1,200 to $2,000 for physical recoveries on standard IDE hard drives. If you have RAID drives, SCSI, etc. depending on the configuration prices can be as high as $15,000. Remember, backup backup backup backup backup!!
Can My Data Be Recovered?
In most cases the answer to this question is yes. On average, the success rate for data recovery professionals is about 75-85%. However, there are times when the data is just lost, either due to extensive damage to the platter or unavailability of replacement parts.
How Do I Get Started?
If you have a hard drive that has crashed, the most important thing you can do is contact a data recovery professional immediately. Make sure you aren't being charged an evaluation fee if you have a standard IDE hard drive. Most companies only charge evaluation fees for complex RAID and network server drives.
It is important to do your homework, call and talk with the companies. When you find one that you feel comfortable with, give them a chance. Your hardest job, may be finding data recovery firms that actually have someone available to answer the phones. Ask questions and be sure to have the following information available:
Size of the drive
Operating system (i.e. Windows 98, Windows XP, etc.)
Situation of failure (what happened just before the drive stopped working)
Is the drive recognized by the computer or not
Good luck in getting your data recovered, and make sure you always backup your important information on a daily basis.
Author: Greg Duffield
Company: ACS Data Recovery
Toll-Free: 1-877-646-0546
Website: http://www.acsdata.com
E-Mail: greg@acsdata.com
Even worse, you've got a deposition in two-weeks and key information needed to help win the case were also lost. You quickly call a service technician and have them come over to check the computer out, only to hear the worst news of all….your data has been lost. When a hard drive crashes, it's too late to worry about what you "should have done."
Today data recovery is a multi-million dollar industry. The number of data recovery firms out there seems to exceed the number of fast food restaurants for the entire planet. These companies specialize in helping their clients retrieve data on anything from hard drives to flash-roms. In the following report, we will discuss what data recovery really is; the different types, the costs, and what you can realistically expect when it comes to getting your data recovered.
What To Do In The Event Of Data Loss?
Around 44% of all data loss is caused by hardware failure. It's important to make sure that you immediately shut your system down if you suspect that hard drive has crashed. Don't even try to go through the shutdown procedure, just pull the plug from the wall. Do not try to run off the shelf data recovery software or drive utilities. Many times these applications will assume the drive is functioning properly and will increase the risk of permanent data loss.
Types Of Hard Drive Failure
When we discuss data recovery in this report, we will primarily focus on issues surrounding hard drive failures; since these types of failures are most common. There are really two primary forms of failure in a hard drive, logical and physical. Logical failures are usually a result of file-system corruption. This can occur due to a virus, accidental deletion of key files or registry components, and in some cases even electro-static discharge. In most cases where a logical failure has occurred, the drive is still recognized by the system BIOS, but it will not boot. In most cases, your data should still be intact on the drive, even though it may appear to be inaccessible.
If the system BIOS does not detect the presence of the hard drive, then chances are a physical failure has occurred. Physical failures can result from a wide variety of causes. There are really two sub-categories for physical hard drive failures; mechanical and electronic. Mechanical failures usually result from a failure of the spindle motor. Spindle motor failure can result from excessive heat due to a bearing failure. The increased heat resulting from the bearing failure will expand the drive shaft and therefore seize the spindle motor. Suddenly, your drive will become inoperative. Occasionally, you will get a warning that something bad is about to happen. You may hear a loud whining, a grinding noise, even high-pitched screeches. If anything like this starts to occur, BACK UP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.
Another physical issue that sometimes rears its ugly head is an electronic failure. If you look at a hard drive you will notice a circuit board on the bottom. This board is basically the brains of the drive, and it is where the computer interfaces to the hard drive. An electrical failure can occur unexpectedly at any time. Even brand new hard drives are not totally immune to having electrical failures. Sometimes it's just a faulty component, sometimes it's improper installation (i.e. electro-static discharge, grounding out the board, damaging circuitry during installation). It's important to also keep your system clean and well ventilated, since excessive heat can damage the electrical components on the drive. If you have a system that is in a somewhat contained area, you may look at adding an additional 80mm fan to cool the internal components of the system, especially the hard drive. No other component of a computer works as much as the hard drive, and therefore it is vitally important not to overlook it when cooling issues arise.
How Is My Data Recovered?
One of the most often asked questions that customers ask is, "how do you get my data back?" Well, it's really not black magic or rocket science. It's just a matter of having the right tools and the knowledge necessary to know what to do, much like a surgeon performing heart by-pass surgery. Many prominent data recovery facilities have a large array of hardware, software and tools for recovering data.
Generally speaking when a hard drive is received by a data recovery firm, the first thing they do is evaluate it, and determine what recovery solution will be necessary. If the drive failure is a logical issue as mentioned earlier, then a scan of the drive will be performed to try and repair the file system corruption. Sometimes a partition can be repaired and the drive restored to the status that it was before the failure. If this is not possible, then a very low-level scan will be performed that essentially searches every sector of the hard drive for files. Once the files are located, they can then be copied to the media of choice, i.e. a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard drive. Logical recoveries can take up an enormous amount of time, especially if the drive is on the verge of physical failure. It's not uncommon to allow for one day of scanning and a day for recovering the found files.
If the drive has suffered a physical failure, then the recovery procedure is quite a bit more challenging. As mentioned above, there are really two sub-categories of physical failure; mechanical and electronic. An important element in recovering data from a physical failure is having the necessary parts to get the drive functioning again. Unfortunately with hard drives if you have a 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for example, then you will need another identical 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for salvaging parts. In cases where the electronic circuit board has failed on the hard drive, then you have to have the exact same circuit board on hand in order to retrieve the necessary circuit components for replacement. Many times you cannot even exchange circuit board for circuit board. These repairs generally require soldering skills and a thorough knowledge of electronics to be successfully completed. You will most likely hear "Class100 Clean Room" thrown around a lot when talking to data recovery professionals. Simply stated, a Class100 Clean Room maintains exceptional air purity, and contains less than 100 airborne particles larger than 0.5 microns in each cubic foot of air. This is vital in protecting sensitive internal components of hard drives. Anytime a hard drive is having an invasive procedure performed on it, a Class100 clean room or better is needed.
The time frame for recovery is generally 5-10 business days for physical issues and 2-4 days for logical issues. Sometimes if components are not readily available, then it may take weeks to complete the recovery. Some firms offer expedite service and you definitely pay for this added attention.
What About Data Recovery Software
This is one area where you really do get what you pay for. Try to stay away from software in the $20-$60 range, since these utilities are generally very limited in what they can do. Also make sure that you NEVER and just to emphasize, NEVER EVER get data recovery software that writes anything at all to the damaged disk. You run the risk of overwriting data that may otherwise have been recoverable, but will be lost forever. If you are fairly computer savvy, then there are a few good data recovery software solutions available.
What To Look For When Shopping For Data Recovery
There's an old saying, "you get what you pay for." In most cases this is true. However, just because a company with a fancy website quotes you $3,500 for data recovery, does not mean that they are any better than a company that quotes you $1,500. Also, try to stay away from companies that want to charge $50-$300 for evaluating your drive. There has been a movement in the data recovery industry over the last couple of years to offer a number of free services. Most reputable data recovery companies will evaluate standard IDE drives free of charge; so don't let the word "free" this or "free" that stop you. The data recovery market is quickly becoming saturated, and a company does not necessarily cheapen itself or lack expertise by offering free evaluations.
You will find as you shop around for data recovery that prices vary greatly. You will get quotes that range from $300 to $5,000 for standard hard drive recoveries. It's not uncommon to literally get quotes that have at least a $1,500 high/low spread. We shopped one prominent data recovery company where we gave them specific indicators of a physical hard drive failure. We were eventually quoted a price range of $600 to $2,900 for the recovery. Many times this is a bait and switch type tactic. They get you to send in the drive with the low-end $600 price, then they let you know it's going to cost $2,100 for the recovery. You end up being well under the $2,900 high-end price, but well over what other reputable companies would charge. Since most customers won't go through the pain of having the drive sent back, only to have to send it out to another company, these bait and switch companies end up making huge profits off of unsuspecting customers.
Try to find a company that will give you an up front cost for either a logical or physical recovery. Most companies will be able to tell you within a couple hundred dollars the cost of a recovery. However, don't misunderstand a company that gives you a price for two different procedures. For example, some companies will give you a price if the failure is logical and a price if the problem ends up being physical. We called one firm and were told that if the drive had a logical failure the price would be $400 and if it ended up being a physical issue the price would be $1,600. This is not a high/low spread as mentioned in the earlier example, this is simply quoting a price for two different types of recoveries.
On average you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $600 for logical recoveries, and $1,200 to $2,000 for physical recoveries on standard IDE hard drives. If you have RAID drives, SCSI, etc. depending on the configuration prices can be as high as $15,000. Remember, backup backup backup backup backup!!
Can My Data Be Recovered?
In most cases the answer to this question is yes. On average, the success rate for data recovery professionals is about 75-85%. However, there are times when the data is just lost, either due to extensive damage to the platter or unavailability of replacement parts.
How Do I Get Started?
If you have a hard drive that has crashed, the most important thing you can do is contact a data recovery professional immediately. Make sure you aren't being charged an evaluation fee if you have a standard IDE hard drive. Most companies only charge evaluation fees for complex RAID and network server drives.
It is important to do your homework, call and talk with the companies. When you find one that you feel comfortable with, give them a chance. Your hardest job, may be finding data recovery firms that actually have someone available to answer the phones. Ask questions and be sure to have the following information available:
Size of the drive
Operating system (i.e. Windows 98, Windows XP, etc.)
Situation of failure (what happened just before the drive stopped working)
Is the drive recognized by the computer or not
Good luck in getting your data recovered, and make sure you always backup your important information on a daily basis.
Author: Greg Duffield
Company: ACS Data Recovery
Toll-Free: 1-877-646-0546
Website: http://www.acsdata.com
E-Mail: greg@acsdata.com
Know What You're Dealing With: Essential Information You Must Know Before Paying for Data Recovery (by Alex Bezborodov)
Know what you’re dealing with
The world of data recovery is a big mystery for most consumers and even some IT professionals. This is largely because hard drives themselves are complex devices and their technological specifics are not generally well known. Data recovery companies thrive on their customers' lack of information and often get away with charging obscene rates for any recovery, regardless of complexity. I hope this article will be a helpful resource for consumers and professionals alike. I provide some basic information about data recovery by shedding some light on how hard drives work, how they can fail, what are the chances of successful recovery and how much the user can expect to pay. This information will enable the user to make an informed decision when choosing a data recovery company.
A bit about Hard Drives
A computer hard drive stores data on metal oxide platters which spin up to 10000 revolutions per minute. An actuator arm contains the ‘head’ which reads and writes the data in the form of magnetic charges one millionth of an inch above the surface. Any given drive can have multiple read and write heads and each head can ‘crash’ independently. A head crash occurs when the read/write head comes in contact with the platters of the disk (more on head crashes below). As manufacturers strive to cram more space on hard drives without increasing their physical size, the data gets written increasingly closer together, making for very difficult recovery should one or more heads crash. The brain of the hard drive is its controller board and this is unique for each individual hard drive. One other detail worth a mention is the service track of a hard drive. This is an area located on the outer part of the disk platter and it contains the drive’s firmware zone. The firmware of a hard drive is the information used by the computer to communicate correctly with the drive. These are the main components that make a hard drive work, now let’s talk about what can go wrong.
There are many ways in which a hard disk can fail
Hard drives are extremely fragile and can suffer failures in many different ways, leading to a loss of data. The five most common types of drive failures are: logical errors, mechanical failure, electronic failure, firmware corruption, and bad sectors, or any combination these. Least severe of these is usually data loss due to logical errors.
Logical errors are often the simplest and sometimes the most difficult problems to deal with when recovering data. They can range from an invalid entry in a file allocation table, a simple problem that needs little work; to severe issues such as the corruption or loss of the entire file system. Logical errors can be spotted when files become inaccessible, there is a delay in starting up the computer, and programs do not run properly. Logical errors are often seen as simple because there is nothing wrong with the physical drive leading users to try recovering it themselves by using third party software. This is quite risky, however, as running such software on a damaged drive can result in total loss of data. The most effective way to prevent logical errors on your hard drive is to regularly use the Disk Defragmentation tool in your operating system.
Recovering a drive with logical errors can be simple and quick, however if the problem requires manual bit-by-bit reconstruction of the data, it can also be quite complex and time consuming. Normally, logical errors are in the lower end of the price range as they do not require manual disassembly of the drive, however there are cases when logical failures end up in the higher end of the price range. The bottom line with logical errors is the sooner they are caught and the less a user tampers with the drive, the better the chances for a quick and thorough recovery.
Mechanical failures are often much more serious than any other failure and frequently lead to a partial or even total loss of data. The most common type of mechanical failure is a head crash, which is when the read/write head comes in contact with the disk platter. Head crashes can be caused by a variety of reasons, including physical shock, static electricity, power surges, and mechanical read/write failure. Mechanical failures are detected by a constant clicking or grinding noise coming from the drive. If you suspect mechanical failure, you must immediately shut down your computer and call a data recovery company for advice.
Mechanical failures are usually the most severe and most challenging to recover from. All mechanical failures require physical disassembly of the drive. The replacement of a read/write head is one of the most complex and costly procedures that can be performed by a data recovery engineer, especially with larger capacity drives. The chances of recovery depend entirely on how much damage the drive has sustained, however they can be quite good. A crashed head does not mean that all your data is lost! Once again, the sooner you catch a mechanical problem and turn off your drive, the more of your precious data is likely to be rescued.
Electronic failures are most common after a power surge or due to some other electric problem, and the most common type is control board failure. A power surge can knock out the control board, making the drive undetectable in the BIOS. Because each drive is fitted with a unique control board, recovery of this type is relatively complex. However, the good news is that normally once the control board issue is fixed, the data is usually 100% recoverable.
Recovering a drive that has suffered from an electronic failure can be time consuming, mainly because the specific problem takes some time to diagnose. Once diagnosed, though, the recovery is usually not tremendously complex and would probably land in the mid-range in terms of price. Most of the time, we are able to achieve a 100% recovery from drives that have suffered an electronic failure.
Firmware corruption is caused by logical problems or physical damage to the firmware zone on the disk platter. When the firmware becomes corrupt, the computer is often unable to properly communicate with the hard drive, and drive is not recognized in the BIOS. Fortunately, when the drive fails due to firmware corruption, the data is usually fully recoverable once the drive has been repaired.
Recovering a drive that has suffered from Firmware corruption is possible with the use of our proprietary technology. Because the firmware information is isolated on the outer rim of the disk, most of the data can be recovered successfully. The complexity of recovering a drive that has suffered from firmware corruption depends on the amount of damage suffered by the service track on the disk’s platter. Expect the cost of this type of recovery to be in the mid- to high-price range.
Bad sectors are a common fate of all hard drives.
Eventually, all drives develop areas that are no longer functional and when this happens, they are isolated by the operating system. Bad sectors are very much like bumps in the road, areas which are avoided by the read/write head and which are no longer accessible to the user. If mission critical data exists on the drive, we recommend to backup as soon as possible, as the formation of bad sectors often indicates the impending demise of the drive. Finally, and most importantly, do NOT under any circumstances run the ScanDisk or Chckdisk utilities when data becomes inaccessible. These utilities are designed to fix only file system errors and not any other types of errors, so if your hard drive has suffered from bad sectors, these utilities only make things worse.
Bad sectors are accessible
We are able to recover drives with bad sectors using our proprietary mirroring technology. The process often involves manual mirroring bit-by-bit, which can be time consuming. The price of this type of recovery will generally be in the mid-range of the pricing schedule.
I hope the above explanations are of some use to all computer users. The basic fact is that data loss happens to everyone. Every hard drive crashes, and often when you least expect it to. Backup is essential for end-users and business users alike, and there are many excellent ways to back up your data. But if you’ve lost data, attempt to understand the problem before calling a data recovery company. Be informed, save your money, get your data back.
For more comprehensive information on preventing data loss, visit our website tips section.
Alex Bezborodov is the technical writer for Accurate Data Recovery, specializing in data recovery solutions and research. Let ADR bring your data back to life!
The world of data recovery is a big mystery for most consumers and even some IT professionals. This is largely because hard drives themselves are complex devices and their technological specifics are not generally well known. Data recovery companies thrive on their customers' lack of information and often get away with charging obscene rates for any recovery, regardless of complexity. I hope this article will be a helpful resource for consumers and professionals alike. I provide some basic information about data recovery by shedding some light on how hard drives work, how they can fail, what are the chances of successful recovery and how much the user can expect to pay. This information will enable the user to make an informed decision when choosing a data recovery company.
A bit about Hard Drives
A computer hard drive stores data on metal oxide platters which spin up to 10000 revolutions per minute. An actuator arm contains the ‘head’ which reads and writes the data in the form of magnetic charges one millionth of an inch above the surface. Any given drive can have multiple read and write heads and each head can ‘crash’ independently. A head crash occurs when the read/write head comes in contact with the platters of the disk (more on head crashes below). As manufacturers strive to cram more space on hard drives without increasing their physical size, the data gets written increasingly closer together, making for very difficult recovery should one or more heads crash. The brain of the hard drive is its controller board and this is unique for each individual hard drive. One other detail worth a mention is the service track of a hard drive. This is an area located on the outer part of the disk platter and it contains the drive’s firmware zone. The firmware of a hard drive is the information used by the computer to communicate correctly with the drive. These are the main components that make a hard drive work, now let’s talk about what can go wrong.
There are many ways in which a hard disk can fail
Hard drives are extremely fragile and can suffer failures in many different ways, leading to a loss of data. The five most common types of drive failures are: logical errors, mechanical failure, electronic failure, firmware corruption, and bad sectors, or any combination these. Least severe of these is usually data loss due to logical errors.
Logical errors are often the simplest and sometimes the most difficult problems to deal with when recovering data. They can range from an invalid entry in a file allocation table, a simple problem that needs little work; to severe issues such as the corruption or loss of the entire file system. Logical errors can be spotted when files become inaccessible, there is a delay in starting up the computer, and programs do not run properly. Logical errors are often seen as simple because there is nothing wrong with the physical drive leading users to try recovering it themselves by using third party software. This is quite risky, however, as running such software on a damaged drive can result in total loss of data. The most effective way to prevent logical errors on your hard drive is to regularly use the Disk Defragmentation tool in your operating system.
Recovering a drive with logical errors can be simple and quick, however if the problem requires manual bit-by-bit reconstruction of the data, it can also be quite complex and time consuming. Normally, logical errors are in the lower end of the price range as they do not require manual disassembly of the drive, however there are cases when logical failures end up in the higher end of the price range. The bottom line with logical errors is the sooner they are caught and the less a user tampers with the drive, the better the chances for a quick and thorough recovery.
Mechanical failures are often much more serious than any other failure and frequently lead to a partial or even total loss of data. The most common type of mechanical failure is a head crash, which is when the read/write head comes in contact with the disk platter. Head crashes can be caused by a variety of reasons, including physical shock, static electricity, power surges, and mechanical read/write failure. Mechanical failures are detected by a constant clicking or grinding noise coming from the drive. If you suspect mechanical failure, you must immediately shut down your computer and call a data recovery company for advice.
Mechanical failures are usually the most severe and most challenging to recover from. All mechanical failures require physical disassembly of the drive. The replacement of a read/write head is one of the most complex and costly procedures that can be performed by a data recovery engineer, especially with larger capacity drives. The chances of recovery depend entirely on how much damage the drive has sustained, however they can be quite good. A crashed head does not mean that all your data is lost! Once again, the sooner you catch a mechanical problem and turn off your drive, the more of your precious data is likely to be rescued.
Electronic failures are most common after a power surge or due to some other electric problem, and the most common type is control board failure. A power surge can knock out the control board, making the drive undetectable in the BIOS. Because each drive is fitted with a unique control board, recovery of this type is relatively complex. However, the good news is that normally once the control board issue is fixed, the data is usually 100% recoverable.
Recovering a drive that has suffered from an electronic failure can be time consuming, mainly because the specific problem takes some time to diagnose. Once diagnosed, though, the recovery is usually not tremendously complex and would probably land in the mid-range in terms of price. Most of the time, we are able to achieve a 100% recovery from drives that have suffered an electronic failure.
Firmware corruption is caused by logical problems or physical damage to the firmware zone on the disk platter. When the firmware becomes corrupt, the computer is often unable to properly communicate with the hard drive, and drive is not recognized in the BIOS. Fortunately, when the drive fails due to firmware corruption, the data is usually fully recoverable once the drive has been repaired.
Recovering a drive that has suffered from Firmware corruption is possible with the use of our proprietary technology. Because the firmware information is isolated on the outer rim of the disk, most of the data can be recovered successfully. The complexity of recovering a drive that has suffered from firmware corruption depends on the amount of damage suffered by the service track on the disk’s platter. Expect the cost of this type of recovery to be in the mid- to high-price range.
Bad sectors are a common fate of all hard drives.
Eventually, all drives develop areas that are no longer functional and when this happens, they are isolated by the operating system. Bad sectors are very much like bumps in the road, areas which are avoided by the read/write head and which are no longer accessible to the user. If mission critical data exists on the drive, we recommend to backup as soon as possible, as the formation of bad sectors often indicates the impending demise of the drive. Finally, and most importantly, do NOT under any circumstances run the ScanDisk or Chckdisk utilities when data becomes inaccessible. These utilities are designed to fix only file system errors and not any other types of errors, so if your hard drive has suffered from bad sectors, these utilities only make things worse.
Bad sectors are accessible
We are able to recover drives with bad sectors using our proprietary mirroring technology. The process often involves manual mirroring bit-by-bit, which can be time consuming. The price of this type of recovery will generally be in the mid-range of the pricing schedule.
I hope the above explanations are of some use to all computer users. The basic fact is that data loss happens to everyone. Every hard drive crashes, and often when you least expect it to. Backup is essential for end-users and business users alike, and there are many excellent ways to back up your data. But if you’ve lost data, attempt to understand the problem before calling a data recovery company. Be informed, save your money, get your data back.
For more comprehensive information on preventing data loss, visit our website tips section.
Alex Bezborodov is the technical writer for Accurate Data Recovery, specializing in data recovery solutions and research. Let ADR bring your data back to life!
Ensuring Instant Access to a Data Recovery Specialist (by Christopher J Enders)
The services of a data recovery specialist is undoubtedly
something you desperately need when you have a need to have data
recovered. However, it is not usually necessary or cost-effective
to have a data recovery specialist on staff, unless of course
they serve multiple roles because data recovery tasks are
necessary only in the event of a catastrophe or hardware failure.
If you have a staff member that has data recovery expertise and
could serve as a data recovery specialist when needed of course
that is beneficial but not necessarily a necessity. Outsourcing
to a data recovery specialist is usually the best and most
effective way to salvage your data if data recovery services are
needed.
It is important; however, to have a well thought out data
recovery plan when you have a business such as an internet
business that is highly dependent on electronic data for its
operation. In order for the services of a data recovery
specialist to be beneficial or even possible, regular backups of
data must be made and stored in a safe location so that in the
event of a catastrophe - a natural disaster or a fire - access to
data for the purpose of restoration is possible.
Without backups, a data recovery specialist can sometimes
retrieve and restore data from devices such as computer hard
drives, mainframe computers, tape backups or similar technology
even if there are no backups to be used for restoration. However,
without backups that are kept safe by being stored in a remote
location, there is always potential that your data will be lost
forever and that a data recovery specialist won't do you a bit of
good. When you lose data, your service to your customers declines
and the very existence of your business as you know it is
threatened.
A good data recovery plan for an internet business should
certainly identify a data recovery specialist that is easily
accessible in the event of an emergency that requires the
services of a data recovery specialist. It should also contain
contact information for the data recovery specialist who
hopefully is available twenty-four hours a day even on weekends
and holidays to ensure that customer service is not jeopardized
by extensive downtime.
The data recovery plan should be updated frequently to make sure
that the data recovery specialist specified by the plan is active
and available. It is a good idea to list more than one data
recovery specialist whose credentials have been approved in case,
for some reason, the preferred data recovery specialist cannot be
reached when needed.
In addition to identifying a data recovery specialist and an
alternative data recovery specialist, a data recovery plan should
contain procedures for day to day operations to ensure that PCs
and databases are backed up regularly.
The importance of backups to data recovery is often recognized,
but sometimes the need for keeping backups stored in a safe,
remote location is overlooked. On site backups are fine if the
problem that creates the need for a data recovery specialist is
related to hardware failure, but other events can actually damage
the backups as well as the primary storage devices for your data.
Automated, offsite backup services that are accomplished
electronically are an excellent solution for ensuring that your
data recovery specialist has access to unaffected, up-to-date
backups of your data if your primary place of business is
subjected to fire or natural disasters.
Choosing a backup provider that is in a different geographic area
is also a great idea, especially if you live in an area that is
prone to natural disasters. If you can find an automated backup
service provider with an on-staff disaster recovery specialist
coordination of your data recovery plan can be simplified.
Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you're getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com
something you desperately need when you have a need to have data
recovered. However, it is not usually necessary or cost-effective
to have a data recovery specialist on staff, unless of course
they serve multiple roles because data recovery tasks are
necessary only in the event of a catastrophe or hardware failure.
If you have a staff member that has data recovery expertise and
could serve as a data recovery specialist when needed of course
that is beneficial but not necessarily a necessity. Outsourcing
to a data recovery specialist is usually the best and most
effective way to salvage your data if data recovery services are
needed.
It is important; however, to have a well thought out data
recovery plan when you have a business such as an internet
business that is highly dependent on electronic data for its
operation. In order for the services of a data recovery
specialist to be beneficial or even possible, regular backups of
data must be made and stored in a safe location so that in the
event of a catastrophe - a natural disaster or a fire - access to
data for the purpose of restoration is possible.
Without backups, a data recovery specialist can sometimes
retrieve and restore data from devices such as computer hard
drives, mainframe computers, tape backups or similar technology
even if there are no backups to be used for restoration. However,
without backups that are kept safe by being stored in a remote
location, there is always potential that your data will be lost
forever and that a data recovery specialist won't do you a bit of
good. When you lose data, your service to your customers declines
and the very existence of your business as you know it is
threatened.
A good data recovery plan for an internet business should
certainly identify a data recovery specialist that is easily
accessible in the event of an emergency that requires the
services of a data recovery specialist. It should also contain
contact information for the data recovery specialist who
hopefully is available twenty-four hours a day even on weekends
and holidays to ensure that customer service is not jeopardized
by extensive downtime.
The data recovery plan should be updated frequently to make sure
that the data recovery specialist specified by the plan is active
and available. It is a good idea to list more than one data
recovery specialist whose credentials have been approved in case,
for some reason, the preferred data recovery specialist cannot be
reached when needed.
In addition to identifying a data recovery specialist and an
alternative data recovery specialist, a data recovery plan should
contain procedures for day to day operations to ensure that PCs
and databases are backed up regularly.
The importance of backups to data recovery is often recognized,
but sometimes the need for keeping backups stored in a safe,
remote location is overlooked. On site backups are fine if the
problem that creates the need for a data recovery specialist is
related to hardware failure, but other events can actually damage
the backups as well as the primary storage devices for your data.
Automated, offsite backup services that are accomplished
electronically are an excellent solution for ensuring that your
data recovery specialist has access to unaffected, up-to-date
backups of your data if your primary place of business is
subjected to fire or natural disasters.
Choosing a backup provider that is in a different geographic area
is also a great idea, especially if you live in an area that is
prone to natural disasters. If you can find an automated backup
service provider with an on-staff disaster recovery specialist
coordination of your data recovery plan can be simplified.
Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you're getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com
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