When the first electric-digital computer was unveiled in 1946 in the US for use by the army, it was a huge, 30-ton machine. It used over 17,000 vacuum tubes and over 7,200 crystal diodes to consume a whopping 180 KW of energy. ENIAC, which lay sprawling across an entire room, was truly a cyber-mammoth capable of making thousands of calculations a second. The world has come a long way since.
When transistors got invented, they made vacuum tubes obsolete and gave rise to the second generation of computers – the mainframes. Later still, the era of integrated circuits arrived and they along with the transistors ushered in the third generation of computers which we all use today, called the desktops.
Information technology is now obsessed with miniaturisation in its eternal quest to pack more and more processing power in less and less amount of space. Often, digital devices have microscopic components invisible to the naked eye. Microprocessors are a prime example of how the information technology industry progresses in terms of speed and capability.
A microprocessor is nothing but a tiny silicon wafer. On it are placed millions of microscopic transistors. Each of these can remain in an ‘off’ state (absence of electric current) or ‘on’ state (presence of electric current). The former represents one and the latter, zero. Thus, digital calculations are made possible at a breath-taking speed.
Since the components used in many digital devices such as the microprocessors are microscopic, there is one constant worry while manufacturing them – dust. A tiny spec of dust or any other contaminant floating in the air can actually wreck tiny electronic circuits or get wedged between two components and create havoc. In the world of information technology, the biggest problems are created by things that are no even visible to us! The solution to this problem? Set up a “clean room.”
Clean rooms are exactly what their name suggests. They have hardly any dust particles circulating inside. They are made up of enclosed spaces where the air flow and entry of people are strictly regulated. There are layers of powerful air-filtration systems which process the entire air inside the room about ten times a minute as well as filter the outside air coming in.
These filters extract even microscopic particles of dust and other suspended matter such as human hair, pollen, vapours, microbes and skin flakes. The result is that the air in a clean room is up to 10,000 times cleaner than what is found inside a hospital operation theatre! There are absolutely no air-borne particles that may create problems with sensitive electronic circuits.
Cleaning the air inside a clean room is one thing. Maintaining it at the same level is quite another. That is why special precautions are taken with respect to the people working inside a clean room. They have to wear a bunny suite so that they do not shed skin flakes or hair that may accidentally come into circulation.
The suit is made of lint-free fabric and is static-free, ensuring that it does not add its own contaminants. Everyone entering or exiting a clean room has to go through an air lock and take an air shower. Another trick played to keep clean rooms clean is by keeping their air pressure positive. With this, whenever there is a leak, the air from the room travels outward while the polluted outside air is prevented from coming in.
The most popular classification of clean rooms divides them into various classes, from Class 1,000 to Class 1. The number signifies the number of dust particles in a cubic foot of air. For example, a Class 1,000 clean room will have 1,000 suspended particles in a cubic foot of air, while for a Class 100 clean room, this figure will only be 100. Class 1 clean rooms are obviously the cleanest and most sophisticated.
Clean rooms play a very important role in data recovery. There are many digital storage devices that are very sensitive to dust particles. Hard disks are one of them. These hold all the user data and software programmes. A disk may malfunction due to a variety of reasons. For example, its read and write head may come crashing down on the platters spinning at an incredible speed and just get stuck there. The spindle motor may stop working and consequently the platters may come to a grinding halt. The inner circuitry of the disk such as the controller card may get burnt.
In these cases, to diagnose the problem and carry out repairs or extract the data from the platters, one has to open the hard disk. This can only be done in a clean room because the disk is extremely sensitive to dust.
The read and write head hovers just a sub-micron level above the platters. Even a tiny spec of dust can get wedged between them and cause the disk to crash or the data-recording surface to be scratched. Without a clean ream, it is not possible to carry out any repairs of the hard disk or extract lost data residing on the platter surface.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
DIY Data Reovery Software
Most computer users today have faced problems such as corruption of data, loss of data or have found it necessary to format their hard drives at least once. The reasons for the same may be varied, such as, a virus attack, frequent power cuts, system failure etc. All of these may lead to the loss of important data present on your computer. Hence, most of the individuals find the need for data recovery software or services these days.
Generally, individuals who use computers at home and others, who cannot afford to use expensive data recovery services, resort to data recovery software as it is much cheaper. Recovery software is usually sold on the internet. A list of this form of software can be found by searching for ‘data recovery software’ in any search engine. With so many software options available online, it is natural for an inexperienced computer user to get confused about finding the right software to suit their requirements.
Here are some tips that will help you in choosing the data recovery software.
Factors to Consider While Choosing Data Recovery Software Online
Check whether the software is compatible with your particular Operating System. Buying software that works with Windows is of no use if you use Linux.
The next thing to be concerned about is choosing the data recovery software based on the type of data loss encountered by the user. For example, some software may recover files that are deleted from the recycle bin but it may not be able to recover data from formatted hard drives or from deleted partitions.
Though most of the software is compatible with more than one data storage medium, you should ensure that the software you are purchasing is compatible with the particular data storage medium you intend to use it on. For example, same data recovery software may not recover data from both your hard drive and your CDs.
The next factor to consider is whether the software is easy to use. If you are an inexperienced user, data recovery software that offers a number of features but, is difficult to use, will not be suitable for you.
The cost of the software is always a concern. Although the data recovery software is much cheaper than the data recovery services, some of them are extremely expensive while others are absurdly cheap. Usually, it is preferable to opt for software that lies somewhere in the mid price range as the software might be overpriced to create a fake reputation while the cheap ones may not do the job at all.
Also, before finalising on particular software, it is advisable to compare software options. The cost of the different software, the number of features they offer, compatibility, success rates etc. should be compared. After this comparison, one should opt for software that suits your requirements the best. Trial versions of some software are available on the internet. A number of these can be tried to find the software that suits your needs.
After short listing the software that may possibly suit you, reviews about such software should be read. Such reviews are available in IT magazines which usually studies the new software that has been launched in the market. Reviews might also be available on some websites. Consulting some friends or acquaintances about the performance of the software is also advisable.
Remember that choosing software of a bad quality may lead to permanent loss of data rather than its recovery. Also, remember that not all data recovery companies will provide authentic facts about their products on their websites. So, be careful before choosing the right one.
Some companies even offer a money back guarantee if the particular software is unable to recover data from your computer. If such facilities are provided by the software company, they should be availed.
Many companies have a Technical Support team that can answer your queries regarding the software you’ve purchased. Such features prove to be useful especially for inexperienced users. They may even provide services at your home or workplace in some cases.
Generally, individuals who use computers at home and others, who cannot afford to use expensive data recovery services, resort to data recovery software as it is much cheaper. Recovery software is usually sold on the internet. A list of this form of software can be found by searching for ‘data recovery software’ in any search engine. With so many software options available online, it is natural for an inexperienced computer user to get confused about finding the right software to suit their requirements.
Here are some tips that will help you in choosing the data recovery software.
Factors to Consider While Choosing Data Recovery Software Online
Check whether the software is compatible with your particular Operating System. Buying software that works with Windows is of no use if you use Linux.
The next thing to be concerned about is choosing the data recovery software based on the type of data loss encountered by the user. For example, some software may recover files that are deleted from the recycle bin but it may not be able to recover data from formatted hard drives or from deleted partitions.
Though most of the software is compatible with more than one data storage medium, you should ensure that the software you are purchasing is compatible with the particular data storage medium you intend to use it on. For example, same data recovery software may not recover data from both your hard drive and your CDs.
The next factor to consider is whether the software is easy to use. If you are an inexperienced user, data recovery software that offers a number of features but, is difficult to use, will not be suitable for you.
The cost of the software is always a concern. Although the data recovery software is much cheaper than the data recovery services, some of them are extremely expensive while others are absurdly cheap. Usually, it is preferable to opt for software that lies somewhere in the mid price range as the software might be overpriced to create a fake reputation while the cheap ones may not do the job at all.
Also, before finalising on particular software, it is advisable to compare software options. The cost of the different software, the number of features they offer, compatibility, success rates etc. should be compared. After this comparison, one should opt for software that suits your requirements the best. Trial versions of some software are available on the internet. A number of these can be tried to find the software that suits your needs.
After short listing the software that may possibly suit you, reviews about such software should be read. Such reviews are available in IT magazines which usually studies the new software that has been launched in the market. Reviews might also be available on some websites. Consulting some friends or acquaintances about the performance of the software is also advisable.
Remember that choosing software of a bad quality may lead to permanent loss of data rather than its recovery. Also, remember that not all data recovery companies will provide authentic facts about their products on their websites. So, be careful before choosing the right one.
Some companies even offer a money back guarantee if the particular software is unable to recover data from your computer. If such facilities are provided by the software company, they should be availed.
Many companies have a Technical Support team that can answer your queries regarding the software you’ve purchased. Such features prove to be useful especially for inexperienced users. They may even provide services at your home or workplace in some cases.
Best Method to Back-Up Data?
Computers are very powerful machines. They are without doubt one of the greatest inventions of the last century. They leverage the fantastic computational power of processors to run a variety of customised software that make doing any task faster and more efficient. Information technology has completely changed the way work is done in the modern economy. With digital machines, things have become much easier, convenient and faster than any time in the last thousands of years.
All computers in the course of their operation generate a large amount of data. They need a space where this data can be stored and later quickly accessed for further processing. A variety of data storage devices have been developed over the years. These use different technologies to store data.
The main storage device in computers is the hard disk that can store up to 500 GB of data. No other device can match it in terms of capacity, speed of data access and ease of use. Other storage media include CDs, DVDs, pen drives and memory cards, but their capacity is insignificant when compared to a hard disk.
The data that computers generate and process is volatile, that is, there is nothing permanent about it like, say, a paper file. Digital devices store data as patterns on a magnetic surface (like in a hard disk or floppy drive), as electric charge (like in a memory card), or as a pattern of pits (like in a CD or DVD).
Because this data is volatile, it has its benefits. It can be easily modified and overwritten with newer data. It can be deleted at the press of a button, moved from one location to another or copied to another storage media. On the other hand, the volatility of data has one severe disadvantage – it can all vanish in a second without a trace. This data loss can happen due to a variety of factors, main ones of which are hardware or software errors.
Hardware errors include instances where there is a problem with the physical aspects of the device. In the case of a hard drive, things like controller card, circuit board, read / write head may develop a fault. The CDs or DVDs may crack and bend or their pit pattern may get corrupted due to exposure to a heat source.
Software errors make a device unreadable even though it may have perfectly working hardware. This may happen due to deletion of file partitions, accidental deletion of files by the user, reformatting of hard disk, corrupted file systems or a virus attack.
Because of the volatile nature of digital data and how easy it is to lose it entirely, it is essential that a complete backup is taken of important files on suitable media.
There is a vast range of data backup devices available in the market which cater to the needs of every user. The main backup storage media include the following:
Rewritable Compact Discs (CDs): These have a storage capacity of about 700 MB, which is not large by any standards. Still, these are great for individual computer or digital camera users to take backups of email messages, photos, text files, spreadsheets and presentations.
Rewritable Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs): These are more powerful version of CDs, with a storage capacity of 4.6 GB, which is an enormous improvement. These can hold full-fledged video files, hundreds of text files, graphics, engineering drawings and other data. They are quite durable and cheap, and one of the best data backup products available for individuals.
Tape Drives: These store data on a long magnetic tape that is wound on a couple of spools that are enclosed in a plastic cartridge. Typically, these have a capacity of about 20 GB. Tape drives have for a long time been a media of choice for companies to hold their archives and data backup for a long period of time because of their reliability and low cost.
Portable Hard Disks: These stand-alone hard disks come with all the benefits of regular hard disks fitted inside computers. They have a capacity of as much as 240 GB. They offer very fast data access because the read / write head can read any part of the disk immediately, unlike tape drives where the entire tape has to move back and forth to access particular data.
The data backup media that you require really depends on your needs and how large is the amount of data that you want to store. For home users and individuals, CDs and DVDs make great and very cheap data backup tools. These can hold almost all data that is generated everyday by a typical individual user. The tape drives and portable hard disks are ideal for corporate companies.
All computers in the course of their operation generate a large amount of data. They need a space where this data can be stored and later quickly accessed for further processing. A variety of data storage devices have been developed over the years. These use different technologies to store data.
The main storage device in computers is the hard disk that can store up to 500 GB of data. No other device can match it in terms of capacity, speed of data access and ease of use. Other storage media include CDs, DVDs, pen drives and memory cards, but their capacity is insignificant when compared to a hard disk.
The data that computers generate and process is volatile, that is, there is nothing permanent about it like, say, a paper file. Digital devices store data as patterns on a magnetic surface (like in a hard disk or floppy drive), as electric charge (like in a memory card), or as a pattern of pits (like in a CD or DVD).
Because this data is volatile, it has its benefits. It can be easily modified and overwritten with newer data. It can be deleted at the press of a button, moved from one location to another or copied to another storage media. On the other hand, the volatility of data has one severe disadvantage – it can all vanish in a second without a trace. This data loss can happen due to a variety of factors, main ones of which are hardware or software errors.
Hardware errors include instances where there is a problem with the physical aspects of the device. In the case of a hard drive, things like controller card, circuit board, read / write head may develop a fault. The CDs or DVDs may crack and bend or their pit pattern may get corrupted due to exposure to a heat source.
Software errors make a device unreadable even though it may have perfectly working hardware. This may happen due to deletion of file partitions, accidental deletion of files by the user, reformatting of hard disk, corrupted file systems or a virus attack.
Because of the volatile nature of digital data and how easy it is to lose it entirely, it is essential that a complete backup is taken of important files on suitable media.
There is a vast range of data backup devices available in the market which cater to the needs of every user. The main backup storage media include the following:
Rewritable Compact Discs (CDs): These have a storage capacity of about 700 MB, which is not large by any standards. Still, these are great for individual computer or digital camera users to take backups of email messages, photos, text files, spreadsheets and presentations.
Rewritable Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs): These are more powerful version of CDs, with a storage capacity of 4.6 GB, which is an enormous improvement. These can hold full-fledged video files, hundreds of text files, graphics, engineering drawings and other data. They are quite durable and cheap, and one of the best data backup products available for individuals.
Tape Drives: These store data on a long magnetic tape that is wound on a couple of spools that are enclosed in a plastic cartridge. Typically, these have a capacity of about 20 GB. Tape drives have for a long time been a media of choice for companies to hold their archives and data backup for a long period of time because of their reliability and low cost.
Portable Hard Disks: These stand-alone hard disks come with all the benefits of regular hard disks fitted inside computers. They have a capacity of as much as 240 GB. They offer very fast data access because the read / write head can read any part of the disk immediately, unlike tape drives where the entire tape has to move back and forth to access particular data.
The data backup media that you require really depends on your needs and how large is the amount of data that you want to store. For home users and individuals, CDs and DVDs make great and very cheap data backup tools. These can hold almost all data that is generated everyday by a typical individual user. The tape drives and portable hard disks are ideal for corporate companies.
How to Start a Data Recovery Business
If anything defines how the modern world operates, it is information technology. Really, the way the computers have taken the universe by storm and become an essential tool of our lives, it seems the history of the world can be divided into two parts – Before Computers (BC) and After Digital (AD).
Computers have changed the way we work and play. Things can be done much faster. We can communicate with others sitting in another continent. Documents can be uploaded at one location, shuttle-cocked over wires and downloaded thousands of miles away – all in the blink of an eye. Information technology is spreading like wildfire and has stepped out of the computers and moved into countless other devices that we use in daily life, from mobile phones and DVD players to video games consoles.
Most information technology products have one thing in common – they need a storage device to store digital data, regardless of how tiny or big the hardware product is. The data storage media can be removable or non-removable. The former comprises things like pen drives, memory sticks, CDs, DVDs and so on. The latter mostly comprises hard disks with huge capacities, currently running at 160 GB of data.
Mobile phones need to store hundreds of phone numbers, PDAs have to store thousands of messages and tasks, CDs and DVDs may have important files that are being kept as backup, digital cameras have to store hundreds of high-resolution pictures. The list of things that data storage devices are required to store is endless.
The problem is that digital data is volatile. It is not as durable as a piece of paper with information printed on it. The entire data stored on a computer hard disk can disappear in an instant due to a range of logical and hardware failures. The same is the case with removable media like CDs, DVDs and memory cards. The issue of data loss has become chronic with the spread of computers and digital technology.
Consequently, a whole new field of data recovery has cropped up in the last two decades that specialises in recovering data from damaged storage devices. It is currently a booming and fast growing industry and is very competitive. Still, it is not sufficient to fulfil demand. Opening a data-recovery business today is a good investment because there is no dearth of customers.
The main investment required in opening a data recovery business is the clean room. It is an enclosed space in which the air is filtered so finely and so many times that hardly any dust or other floating particles remain. Why such a facility is needed is because hard disks are very sensitive to dust and cannot be opened in an ordinary environment.
Even a micron of dust settled between the read / write head and the wildly spinning magnetic platters can cause the disk to crash. Therefore, inside the clean room, it is mandatory for workers to wear moon suites to ensure that they accidentally do not introduce any contaminants in the sterile environment. There are companies which specialise in making and installing clean rooms.
More than the physical infrastructure though – like the office building and clean room – it is the technicians who are the most important asset of a data recovery company. Everything hinges on their expertise and experienced technicians and engineers are in great demand in the industry.
Recovering data is a very delicate affair and even a small mistake can wipe out the data permanently, which is obviously a disaster for the client. There are also specialised software and hardware tools that are needed to operate the entire data recovery operation successfully. It is crucial for the data recovery team to be headed by a very qualified engineer who has hands-on experience worth years in this field.
Many data recovery companies tend to specialise in particular data storage media. Some may be good at memory cards while others may have special expertise in taking data out of damaged DVD drives. Due to the specialised nature of this work, there is a practice of outsourcing tasks out of one’s special area of expertise to other companies. Many reputed companies like Fields Data Recovery though, as a matter of principle, never allow the media to leave its four walls and do everything in-house, thus ensuring data confidentiality.
Many data recovery companies that you deal with actually have no infrastructure at all, but are only front companies. They take your media, understand the problem and hand it over to whichever company in the industry according to them offers the best chance of recovery.
Data recovery is a sunrise industry. There is intense competition in the field but the rapid growth and spread of information technology products in recent years have been phenomenal and, currently, there is enough space for every data recovery company to get an adequate share of the pie.
Computers have changed the way we work and play. Things can be done much faster. We can communicate with others sitting in another continent. Documents can be uploaded at one location, shuttle-cocked over wires and downloaded thousands of miles away – all in the blink of an eye. Information technology is spreading like wildfire and has stepped out of the computers and moved into countless other devices that we use in daily life, from mobile phones and DVD players to video games consoles.
Most information technology products have one thing in common – they need a storage device to store digital data, regardless of how tiny or big the hardware product is. The data storage media can be removable or non-removable. The former comprises things like pen drives, memory sticks, CDs, DVDs and so on. The latter mostly comprises hard disks with huge capacities, currently running at 160 GB of data.
Mobile phones need to store hundreds of phone numbers, PDAs have to store thousands of messages and tasks, CDs and DVDs may have important files that are being kept as backup, digital cameras have to store hundreds of high-resolution pictures. The list of things that data storage devices are required to store is endless.
The problem is that digital data is volatile. It is not as durable as a piece of paper with information printed on it. The entire data stored on a computer hard disk can disappear in an instant due to a range of logical and hardware failures. The same is the case with removable media like CDs, DVDs and memory cards. The issue of data loss has become chronic with the spread of computers and digital technology.
Consequently, a whole new field of data recovery has cropped up in the last two decades that specialises in recovering data from damaged storage devices. It is currently a booming and fast growing industry and is very competitive. Still, it is not sufficient to fulfil demand. Opening a data-recovery business today is a good investment because there is no dearth of customers.
The main investment required in opening a data recovery business is the clean room. It is an enclosed space in which the air is filtered so finely and so many times that hardly any dust or other floating particles remain. Why such a facility is needed is because hard disks are very sensitive to dust and cannot be opened in an ordinary environment.
Even a micron of dust settled between the read / write head and the wildly spinning magnetic platters can cause the disk to crash. Therefore, inside the clean room, it is mandatory for workers to wear moon suites to ensure that they accidentally do not introduce any contaminants in the sterile environment. There are companies which specialise in making and installing clean rooms.
More than the physical infrastructure though – like the office building and clean room – it is the technicians who are the most important asset of a data recovery company. Everything hinges on their expertise and experienced technicians and engineers are in great demand in the industry.
Recovering data is a very delicate affair and even a small mistake can wipe out the data permanently, which is obviously a disaster for the client. There are also specialised software and hardware tools that are needed to operate the entire data recovery operation successfully. It is crucial for the data recovery team to be headed by a very qualified engineer who has hands-on experience worth years in this field.
Many data recovery companies tend to specialise in particular data storage media. Some may be good at memory cards while others may have special expertise in taking data out of damaged DVD drives. Due to the specialised nature of this work, there is a practice of outsourcing tasks out of one’s special area of expertise to other companies. Many reputed companies like Fields Data Recovery though, as a matter of principle, never allow the media to leave its four walls and do everything in-house, thus ensuring data confidentiality.
Many data recovery companies that you deal with actually have no infrastructure at all, but are only front companies. They take your media, understand the problem and hand it over to whichever company in the industry according to them offers the best chance of recovery.
Data recovery is a sunrise industry. There is intense competition in the field but the rapid growth and spread of information technology products in recent years have been phenomenal and, currently, there is enough space for every data recovery company to get an adequate share of the pie.
Data Recovery vs Disaster Recovery
Data recovery is a part of disaster recovery. Both complement each other playing an equally vital role in the survival of a business or organisation in the global market. The loss or failure of data could automatically lead to a disaster and vice versa. A business disaster could automatically erase important data. In a nutshell, data recovery refers to a process of salvaging data damaged or contaminated, existing on a portion of the hard drive.
While disaster management is a much broad-based term encompassing business and IT-related disasters whereby all business information is lost as a result of natural calamities or man-made problems such as terrorist attacks. Thus, disaster recovery is a holistic process of recovery while data recovery is a refined and focused method of salvaging limited amount of data.
Causes
Data loss or failure usually is small with far-reaching impacts. Data loss is usually caused by the operating system, hard drive and software failures. Therefore, it becomes imperative to have knowledge about the workings of a computer. One is easily able to recognise the type of data loss being incurred, and has the expertise and knowledge to deal with it. Data loss can be catagorised into two types:
General data loss where data can be recovered simply by using the data recovery tools available on the desktop of the computer.
Specific data loss where the individual experiencing data loss is unable to retrieve the data using computer data recovery tools and has to consult data recovery specialist agencies such as MASTERLINK.
Data loss usually occurs when:
The computer fails to reboot
Excessive sun exposure to the diskette
The diskette is carelessly tossed about in water or in any other beverage leading to surface contamination and damage
The diskette has inaccessible drives and partitions which could cause virus contamination leading to hard drive failure
The data stored is corrupted or in strange inaccessible characters which may lead to an inability to load and run the computer.
Data loss forms a small but integral part of Disaster recovery programs. Disaster recovery is mainly used by businesses to protect themselves against loss of data, business and marketing information including strategies. Disaster recovery programs come into play when there is:
Man- made disasters of terrorism and theft
Natural disasters of fire and flood
When these disasters do happen, businesses are likely to lose their entire vault of information and become paupers in the global market. Thus, it is highly imperative for every business to have a business disaster or contingency plan. These plans must follow a few golden rules to be effective:
Business Contingency plans have to be workable and reliable. They should not be out of the working reach of the organisation. Contingency Plans in this regard have to:
Be devised in accordance with the current market situation. The plan must be able to guide the business in terms of profit, loss, employee retainment, market competition and production in the The plan should also be built keeping in mind the organisational structure. This includes the organisational hierarchical tree, the number of employees and organisational goals.
Contingency plans must advocate the path of containment of the disaster as well the way to future business growth and development. It must outline marketing strategies, learning methodologies, profit and demand structures, employee training and recruitment methods.
The contingency plan must outline a backup plan or site which enables organisational members to salvage important crucial business facts for future growth. However, it must be kept in mind that organisations seldom follow these guidelines. More than 53% of businesses have unworkable outdated contingency plans. Out of this 53%, 23% are often required to use these contingency plans. And ultimately only 6% of organisations manage to survive these disasters. In contrast, more than 88% of businesses face some amount of data loss. According to MASTERLINK, management companies usually have backup files to deal with data loss. Data loss is not permanent and data can be retrieved after some time. Companies such as Quartz, Hewlett Packard and Dell employ computer trouble shooting experts to combat problems of data loss. The necessity of these contingency plans comes to the fore owing to changing market climate.
Reasons
Growth of technology: The global market is increasingly becoming technologically oriented. Organisations and businesses now increasingly rely on information technology to store crucial business information. Thus, data loss and ultimately any sort of disaster have the potential of devastating effects. It can destroy the organisation of any opportunities for growth and development. In such a scenario, it becomes important for every organisation to depend on personnel to document and store important information in paper files.
A business also has to safeguard against fires and flood which can rip the entire business structure apart. It has to constantly update any contingency plan and inform its employees. Employees need to be aware of any problems that might arise. Every organisation ought to maintain a storage accessible area away from the main organisational structure. This ensures backup.
However, the suitable measure for any business is to have a contingency plan to protect itself against any data loss and disaster. It is important to remember that information is power. And if information is lost, power, authority and success fall in jeopardy.
While disaster management is a much broad-based term encompassing business and IT-related disasters whereby all business information is lost as a result of natural calamities or man-made problems such as terrorist attacks. Thus, disaster recovery is a holistic process of recovery while data recovery is a refined and focused method of salvaging limited amount of data.
Causes
Data loss or failure usually is small with far-reaching impacts. Data loss is usually caused by the operating system, hard drive and software failures. Therefore, it becomes imperative to have knowledge about the workings of a computer. One is easily able to recognise the type of data loss being incurred, and has the expertise and knowledge to deal with it. Data loss can be catagorised into two types:
General data loss where data can be recovered simply by using the data recovery tools available on the desktop of the computer.
Specific data loss where the individual experiencing data loss is unable to retrieve the data using computer data recovery tools and has to consult data recovery specialist agencies such as MASTERLINK.
Data loss usually occurs when:
The computer fails to reboot
Excessive sun exposure to the diskette
The diskette is carelessly tossed about in water or in any other beverage leading to surface contamination and damage
The diskette has inaccessible drives and partitions which could cause virus contamination leading to hard drive failure
The data stored is corrupted or in strange inaccessible characters which may lead to an inability to load and run the computer.
Data loss forms a small but integral part of Disaster recovery programs. Disaster recovery is mainly used by businesses to protect themselves against loss of data, business and marketing information including strategies. Disaster recovery programs come into play when there is:
Man- made disasters of terrorism and theft
Natural disasters of fire and flood
When these disasters do happen, businesses are likely to lose their entire vault of information and become paupers in the global market. Thus, it is highly imperative for every business to have a business disaster or contingency plan. These plans must follow a few golden rules to be effective:
Business Contingency plans have to be workable and reliable. They should not be out of the working reach of the organisation. Contingency Plans in this regard have to:
Be devised in accordance with the current market situation. The plan must be able to guide the business in terms of profit, loss, employee retainment, market competition and production in the The plan should also be built keeping in mind the organisational structure. This includes the organisational hierarchical tree, the number of employees and organisational goals.
Contingency plans must advocate the path of containment of the disaster as well the way to future business growth and development. It must outline marketing strategies, learning methodologies, profit and demand structures, employee training and recruitment methods.
The contingency plan must outline a backup plan or site which enables organisational members to salvage important crucial business facts for future growth. However, it must be kept in mind that organisations seldom follow these guidelines. More than 53% of businesses have unworkable outdated contingency plans. Out of this 53%, 23% are often required to use these contingency plans. And ultimately only 6% of organisations manage to survive these disasters. In contrast, more than 88% of businesses face some amount of data loss. According to MASTERLINK, management companies usually have backup files to deal with data loss. Data loss is not permanent and data can be retrieved after some time. Companies such as Quartz, Hewlett Packard and Dell employ computer trouble shooting experts to combat problems of data loss. The necessity of these contingency plans comes to the fore owing to changing market climate.
Reasons
Growth of technology: The global market is increasingly becoming technologically oriented. Organisations and businesses now increasingly rely on information technology to store crucial business information. Thus, data loss and ultimately any sort of disaster have the potential of devastating effects. It can destroy the organisation of any opportunities for growth and development. In such a scenario, it becomes important for every organisation to depend on personnel to document and store important information in paper files.
A business also has to safeguard against fires and flood which can rip the entire business structure apart. It has to constantly update any contingency plan and inform its employees. Employees need to be aware of any problems that might arise. Every organisation ought to maintain a storage accessible area away from the main organisational structure. This ensures backup.
However, the suitable measure for any business is to have a contingency plan to protect itself against any data loss and disaster. It is important to remember that information is power. And if information is lost, power, authority and success fall in jeopardy.
Recovering Data from USB Drives
A USB flash drive is a data storage device. To this device is attached a universal serial bus interface that protrudes out. While the flash drive (that is a small printed circuit board) is encased in a plastic or metal cover, the bulging USB interface is capped over.
This storage device is better than other portable storage devices as it is lightweight, has more storing capacity and can be rewritten on repeatedly. The USB memory stick is available in different varieties with storing capacity ranging from 32 megabytes to 64 gigabytes. The more the storage space, the costlier is the flash drive.
Data can be accessed from the flash drive by just connecting it to a computer. It plugs in the USB port and does not require accessories or batteries to run. This feature makes the durable storage media easy to transport.
Uses of USB Memory Stick
The most common use of a memory stick is storage of information. A 2GB drive can store information equivalent to that contained in 710 floppy disks.
A USB memory stick can easily transfer recovery and anti-virus software to infected PCs. It thus plays a useful role in troubleshooting.
The applications carried in the flash drive can run on the host computer without any extra installation.
Some USB flash drives are converted to digital audio players after being given sound output.
Different Varieties of USB Memory Stick
Different makers of USB memory sticks have created different models that are radically different in their very construction and software.
Exterior Variations
The difference begins right from the very casing. Some USB flash drives have a dotted cover for easy handling while some popular mid-sized models have a transparent plastic body (Transparent casings enable partial visibility of the parts fastened inside.) Other models have a strong and sturdy plastic body.
The neck strap is encased on the body while some USB memory sticks have a neck strap attached to the cap. If the strap is attached to the cap it is easy to uncap it, but this is not much preferred. For, the body of the USB flash drive might easily fall down.
The Light Emitting Diode (LED) flashes in some USB drives while data is being transferred. In some models the LED is on one end of the drive. This allows the user to view it from any angle.
Some USB models also have a slot to insert the custom label for easy identification.
Write protection switch is available in some pen drives. In the absence of such a switch the host computer can make data changes in the USB drive.
Some USB drives have very low read write speeds. But, they are popular for they are inexpensive and have a stylish exterior.
Hardware/Software Alterations
Some user-friendly pen drives have an easy to use interface that allows drive partitioning and offers password protection.
Running the software is slightly difficult in some varieties of USB flash drives, for it has to run from an InstallShield wizard. This slows down the computer especially when data is transferred over interconnected computers.
Common Faults in a USB Memory Stick
Like any other flash memory device this can be written over and erased only for a limited number of times. Mid-range of the flash drive can tolerate many attempts. But, increase in the number of attempts slows down the writing process.
The write protection device is absent in some USB flash drives
This storage device is vulnerable to physical damage which causes data corruption.
Data Recovery from USB Memory Disk
Data may be lost from the USB drive due to virus attacks, accidental deletion, file corruption, damage, and power outage or by the user forgetting the password. Data thus lost, can be recovered from the pen drive by using non-destructive read software only.
The USB drive is plugged in the USB port. The data recovery software is downloaded from the internet and run on the pc. This software retrieves lost data.
The USB memory stick is a durable and easily transportable flash drive that can store plenty of information. However, stored information is always subject to loss due to power outage, virus attack or accidental deletion. Data recovery is possible by using the data retrieval software.
This storage device is better than other portable storage devices as it is lightweight, has more storing capacity and can be rewritten on repeatedly. The USB memory stick is available in different varieties with storing capacity ranging from 32 megabytes to 64 gigabytes. The more the storage space, the costlier is the flash drive.
Data can be accessed from the flash drive by just connecting it to a computer. It plugs in the USB port and does not require accessories or batteries to run. This feature makes the durable storage media easy to transport.
Uses of USB Memory Stick
The most common use of a memory stick is storage of information. A 2GB drive can store information equivalent to that contained in 710 floppy disks.
A USB memory stick can easily transfer recovery and anti-virus software to infected PCs. It thus plays a useful role in troubleshooting.
The applications carried in the flash drive can run on the host computer without any extra installation.
Some USB flash drives are converted to digital audio players after being given sound output.
Different Varieties of USB Memory Stick
Different makers of USB memory sticks have created different models that are radically different in their very construction and software.
Exterior Variations
The difference begins right from the very casing. Some USB flash drives have a dotted cover for easy handling while some popular mid-sized models have a transparent plastic body (Transparent casings enable partial visibility of the parts fastened inside.) Other models have a strong and sturdy plastic body.
The neck strap is encased on the body while some USB memory sticks have a neck strap attached to the cap. If the strap is attached to the cap it is easy to uncap it, but this is not much preferred. For, the body of the USB flash drive might easily fall down.
The Light Emitting Diode (LED) flashes in some USB drives while data is being transferred. In some models the LED is on one end of the drive. This allows the user to view it from any angle.
Some USB models also have a slot to insert the custom label for easy identification.
Write protection switch is available in some pen drives. In the absence of such a switch the host computer can make data changes in the USB drive.
Some USB drives have very low read write speeds. But, they are popular for they are inexpensive and have a stylish exterior.
Hardware/Software Alterations
Some user-friendly pen drives have an easy to use interface that allows drive partitioning and offers password protection.
Running the software is slightly difficult in some varieties of USB flash drives, for it has to run from an InstallShield wizard. This slows down the computer especially when data is transferred over interconnected computers.
Common Faults in a USB Memory Stick
Like any other flash memory device this can be written over and erased only for a limited number of times. Mid-range of the flash drive can tolerate many attempts. But, increase in the number of attempts slows down the writing process.
The write protection device is absent in some USB flash drives
This storage device is vulnerable to physical damage which causes data corruption.
Data Recovery from USB Memory Disk
Data may be lost from the USB drive due to virus attacks, accidental deletion, file corruption, damage, and power outage or by the user forgetting the password. Data thus lost, can be recovered from the pen drive by using non-destructive read software only.
The USB drive is plugged in the USB port. The data recovery software is downloaded from the internet and run on the pc. This software retrieves lost data.
The USB memory stick is a durable and easily transportable flash drive that can store plenty of information. However, stored information is always subject to loss due to power outage, virus attack or accidental deletion. Data recovery is possible by using the data retrieval software.
Reason for Hard Drive Failure
There are various reasons owing to which data loss occurs. But the prime one among them is that of hardware failure which accounts to more than 40% of the cases.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
Reason for Hard Drive Failure
There are various reasons owing to which data loss occurs. But the prime one among them is that of hardware failure which accounts to more than 40% of the cases.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
Reason for Hard Drive Failure
There are various reasons owing to which data loss occurs. But the prime one among them is that of hardware failure which accounts to more than 40% of the cases.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
John, a senior scientist and researcher with one of UK’s top-notch pharmaceutical companies, was working on a major project. He had documented all his works and stored them on his computer. Everything was going fine when, one day, to his dismay, he realised that the hard disk on which he had all the documents stored crashed without notice. John was broken.
It was then that Andrew, John’s close friend and colleague, told him about the data recovery services that could fetch data from the disk. John was lucky, they were able to restore the data, thus saving all of his precious work.
Reasons for Hard Disk Failure
Some of the causes for hardware failure are as follows:
Head Crash Within the drive, there are numerous platters that rotate at high speeds. Even the smallest of disturbance in these platters can cause the entire disk to stop functioning. Even the smallest of jerks can disturb the arrangement within. It is also noted that dust that settles on the head can cause the disk to malfunction.
Hard Disk Controller Failure The hard disk controller is a circuit or an interface that facilitates data transfer between the processor and the hard disk. Today, the hard disk controller is seen integrated along with the hard drive. When the hard disk controller fails, you may receive messages such as HDD Controller Failure during the boot process.
Electrical Failure The hard drive circuit board is located at the bottom of the hard disk. A faulty component in this circuit or a short-circuit that damages the hard disk circuit board can eventually cause the disk to malfunction.
Environmental Changes It has also been observed, at times, that temperature variations in the surrounding environment can cause the media to malfunction and eventually lead to the loss of data. It is also of prime importance that you keep your disks away from humidity because these can seriously affect the magnetic surface of the medium.
Prevention of Hard Disk Crash
Even in the event of a disk crash, data can be recovered from them in almost 90% of the cases. However, it will be a better idea that you prevent your hard disk from crashing by adhering to a simple plan as follows:
Always ensure that your computer is not subjected to any kind of sudden movement. This usually happens when you move your computer is in transit. Sudden movements can cause the misalignment of the rotating discs that are vital to the functioning of the hard disk as a whole.
Ensure that you place your computer in a dry place which is subject to nil or minimum temperature or humidity variations. You also need to ensure that the environment in which your computer is placed is free from dust.
It is always recommended that you do not place your computer amidst a strong electrical field. This may in turn play havoc with your hard disk which is primarily a magnetic medium.
Data Recovery Companies in the UK
Of all the data recovery services, the most outstanding of them all that is recommended by 90% of customers is the Fields Data Recovery services. Some of the salient features of this company which make them stand out from the rest are as follows:
While most companies charge for the inspection of the media, the Fields group provides you a free evaluation service of your media accompanied by a free analysis report.
In the event that you are not happy with the quote, they offer you free return shipping of the media.
The data recovery services are performed by highly skilled technicians who have vast experience in this industry..
The data recovery services are approved by most of the leading hard drive manufacturers that include Samsung, Iomega, Seagate, LaCie, WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, IBM and numerous cell phone brands.
They have a turnaround time of less than 3 days.
What is Data Recovery?
Data Recovery is a process by which data that cannot be normally accessed from damaged media storage devices is retrieved by using special software and devices.
Modern businesses rely on information technology to increase their efficiency. Printed paper is increasingly getting replaced with printed circuit boards. Digital databanks are taking the place of shelves spilling over with paper files. All this is possible because of digital storage devices that harbour large amount of data critical to the operations of today’s enterprises. When such media goes bad, it cripples the entire organisation. The impact of total data loss on entities like commercial banks, research institutions, airlines and accounting firms can put their survival at stake.
Every company that loses critical data is willing to pay arnking’s ransom to somehow get it back so that its operations continue unaffected. To fulfil this need, a multi-million-dollar industry has grown up that specialises in recovering data from non-functional storage devices. Data recovery is also essential in the fields of computer forensics, cyber-crime, intelligence gathering by investigative agencies and industrial espionage.
Why does Storage Media Gets Damaged?
The need for data recovery arises when the storage media becomes defective and cannot be read by normal means, that is, it stops responding tornrequests for data access. This happens due to two main causes – mechanical (hardware) failure and logical (software) failure.
1. Software Failure – The data often gets deleted accidentallyrnby the user, leading to much anxious wringing of hands. Another prominent cause of data loss is a virus attack or power surge which may vaporise the data or make it inaccessible. A logical fault arises when the partition and file systemrnof a hard disk get corrupted, rendering the data unreadable, or if the drive carrying data has been re-formatted inadvertently. Logical failure is a tricky situation and the data recovery process in such cases is time-consuming.
2. Hardware Failure – This arises from actual physical damage to the components of the storage device. In a hard drive, this may be caused by a defective spindle motor or controller card, damaged head or head stuck on the platter. The drive may have gone through physical abuse like fire or water damage, impact trauma (fallen hard to the ground) or even sabotage.
The success rate of data recovery is higher in cases of logical failure.
How is Data Recovered?
Data recovery operations are carried out, inside, what is called a “clean room.” It is an enclosed space having a controlled environment designed to eliminate or drastically reduce microscopic particles. Usually, clean rooms are Class 100 standard, which means that they do not have more than 100 particles of 50 microns or higher floating in a cubic feet of air. Some data-recovery companies may even have a Class 10 clean room which is ten times cleaner than a Class 100 room. Clean rooms are required because even a spec of dirt inside a storage media like a hard drive can cause a kill defect and irreversibly damage the hard drive.
The following steps are involved in recovering data from a defective storage media:
The faulty hard disk drive is shipped to the data-recovery company which sends it to its clean room for evaluation.
Technicians carefully open the disk and give it an inspection to determine if it is a mechanical, electrical or logical failure.
Once the correct cause of the failure is diagnosed, the procedure to recover the data is decided. Other issues ascertained include how much data can be retrieved, how much time it will take and how much will it cost the customer.
A variety of proprietary software and specially designed devices are used to process the disk. In cases of hardware damage, faulty components like drive motors or head assembly are replaced or repaired. The individual drive platters are closely examined to judge the extent of surface damage and each drive is tackled separately for repair.
In cases where the disk damage is logical, a non-destructive process is used. In this, a mirror image of the drive is created by carefully scanning the drive surface. All recovery work is done on the clone, leaving the original disk undisturbed. The data is then analysed, the logical structure of partitions and files determined, and essential repairs carried out.
Once the data is recovered, it is handed over to the customer in a media of one’s choice, like a new hard disk, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
Data recovery mostly deals with a range of hard drives, tape drives, RAID, email servers, relational databases, CDs, DVDs, compact flash disks and even cell phones and Blackberries.
Modern businesses rely on information technology to increase their efficiency. Printed paper is increasingly getting replaced with printed circuit boards. Digital databanks are taking the place of shelves spilling over with paper files. All this is possible because of digital storage devices that harbour large amount of data critical to the operations of today’s enterprises. When such media goes bad, it cripples the entire organisation. The impact of total data loss on entities like commercial banks, research institutions, airlines and accounting firms can put their survival at stake.
Every company that loses critical data is willing to pay arnking’s ransom to somehow get it back so that its operations continue unaffected. To fulfil this need, a multi-million-dollar industry has grown up that specialises in recovering data from non-functional storage devices. Data recovery is also essential in the fields of computer forensics, cyber-crime, intelligence gathering by investigative agencies and industrial espionage.
Why does Storage Media Gets Damaged?
The need for data recovery arises when the storage media becomes defective and cannot be read by normal means, that is, it stops responding tornrequests for data access. This happens due to two main causes – mechanical (hardware) failure and logical (software) failure.
1. Software Failure – The data often gets deleted accidentallyrnby the user, leading to much anxious wringing of hands. Another prominent cause of data loss is a virus attack or power surge which may vaporise the data or make it inaccessible. A logical fault arises when the partition and file systemrnof a hard disk get corrupted, rendering the data unreadable, or if the drive carrying data has been re-formatted inadvertently. Logical failure is a tricky situation and the data recovery process in such cases is time-consuming.
2. Hardware Failure – This arises from actual physical damage to the components of the storage device. In a hard drive, this may be caused by a defective spindle motor or controller card, damaged head or head stuck on the platter. The drive may have gone through physical abuse like fire or water damage, impact trauma (fallen hard to the ground) or even sabotage.
The success rate of data recovery is higher in cases of logical failure.
How is Data Recovered?
Data recovery operations are carried out, inside, what is called a “clean room.” It is an enclosed space having a controlled environment designed to eliminate or drastically reduce microscopic particles. Usually, clean rooms are Class 100 standard, which means that they do not have more than 100 particles of 50 microns or higher floating in a cubic feet of air. Some data-recovery companies may even have a Class 10 clean room which is ten times cleaner than a Class 100 room. Clean rooms are required because even a spec of dirt inside a storage media like a hard drive can cause a kill defect and irreversibly damage the hard drive.
The following steps are involved in recovering data from a defective storage media:
The faulty hard disk drive is shipped to the data-recovery company which sends it to its clean room for evaluation.
Technicians carefully open the disk and give it an inspection to determine if it is a mechanical, electrical or logical failure.
Once the correct cause of the failure is diagnosed, the procedure to recover the data is decided. Other issues ascertained include how much data can be retrieved, how much time it will take and how much will it cost the customer.
A variety of proprietary software and specially designed devices are used to process the disk. In cases of hardware damage, faulty components like drive motors or head assembly are replaced or repaired. The individual drive platters are closely examined to judge the extent of surface damage and each drive is tackled separately for repair.
In cases where the disk damage is logical, a non-destructive process is used. In this, a mirror image of the drive is created by carefully scanning the drive surface. All recovery work is done on the clone, leaving the original disk undisturbed. The data is then analysed, the logical structure of partitions and files determined, and essential repairs carried out.
Once the data is recovered, it is handed over to the customer in a media of one’s choice, like a new hard disk, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
Data recovery mostly deals with a range of hard drives, tape drives, RAID, email servers, relational databases, CDs, DVDs, compact flash disks and even cell phones and Blackberries.
Logical Data Recovery
The data stored on a computer’s hard disk drivecan become inaccessible due to two factors – mechanical failure or logical failure. Mechanical failure relates to defective or damaged hardware. In this,components like controller cards, spindle motor, bearings, read / write headand platters may develop snags due to short-circuiting, electric surges,physical trauma, water or fire damage and normal wear and tear
In logical failure, all components of the storage device work fine but the software content it stores gets damaged. The user may accidentally delete the data, the hard disk may be reformatted or wiped clean, the file system and partition may get corrupted or there may be a virus attack that makes data unreadable. The storage media in such cases stops responding tor equests for data access. This is where the process of data recovery steps in.
Causes of Logical Data Failure
Logical data failure usually results from file system corruption. It is far more prevalent than mechanical failure, either by user error or system error. The following are common reasons for logical data failure:
Power outages that abruptly halt the storage device midway when it is writing data
Sabotage by disgruntled employees
Hard disk reformatting
Operating system malfunction due to deletion or corruption of key components
Electrostatic discharge
Amalicious virus attack
Corrupt software
Deleted partitions
Corruptfile system structure (FAT, NTFS or HFS)
Accidental deletion of files by the user
Cross-linked files which share the same allocation in the FAT file system
If a hard drive has failed due to logical errors, the computer will recognize the drive but will be unable to boot from it. In mechanical failure, the system usually does not recognize the drive at all. Common user errors like accidental deletion of files or formatting of the hard disk can be taken care of by running off-the-shelf data recovery software. In casesof serious logical errors, the services of data-recovery professionals may be needed.
Logical Data Recovery
In logical data recovery, the damaged files have to be reconstructed from scratch or the file system corruption has to be repaired. There are two main methods used in logical data recovery:
Checking for Consistency – This process is used by utilities that come loaded with operating systems (like Check Disk for Windows) to check for and repair minor logical errors present on the disk. In this, the software undertakes a scan of the disksurface (or its image) to read the logical structure and ensure its consistency. This is done by ensuring that all files present on the disk have properspecifications, that is, they have their own individual directory entries as well as entries that point to their parent directory. The programme corrects the specification of each file so that the logical structure of the disk becomes consistent. This method of correcting logical errors is not of much use if the logical structure has been heavily damaged.
Building Files From Ground Up – This is the only alternative for files that cannot be recovered by merely doing a consistency check. In this, the software scans theparts of the logical structure that are intact. By studying the file system structures, it painstakingly tries to deduce what the missing parts or clusters should look like (taking into considering the allocation of other files) and builds the damaged files step by step. This method is thorough and time-consuming, but the only practical way to recover files that have been damaged heavily.
However, logical data recovery is not a magic wand. There are certain cases in which the data may be permanently lost or the recovery becomes very difficult.
Fragmentation: A small data file on a disk is spread across a single cluster or several consecutive ones. Many of these clusters mayget damaged due to a logical error, thus making the file unreadable. The data recovery software assumes or guesses many of these clusters to rebuild the file.If the file size becomes too large, its clusters get spread all over the disk surface and the data gets fragmented. The larger and more fragmented a file, the more difficult its recovery. Small files that do not exceed a single cluster can be perfectly recovered, but large and fragmented ones, though they exist on thedisk, cannot be reconstructed by the data recovery software. Keeping the file size small and regularly running the disk fragmentation utility provided with Windows can greatly increase chances of data recovery in these cases.
Overwriting: When you delete a file on your computer, the disk clusters taken by it are freed by the operating system foruse by other data. If you create and save another file and these clusters get overwritten by the new data, there is no practical way the data recovery software can rebuild the previous file. To prevent the lost file’s allocation being overwritten by new data, you should cease work immediately on the computer. Even browsing the Internet can download data and overwrite clusters crucial for file recovery. This is why it is recommended that the data recovery software should be run directly from its CD and not loaded on the hard disk so as to avert the risk of the disk clusters being overwritten or destroyed. Most data can be recovered in Forensic investigations.
In logical failure, all components of the storage device work fine but the software content it stores gets damaged. The user may accidentally delete the data, the hard disk may be reformatted or wiped clean, the file system and partition may get corrupted or there may be a virus attack that makes data unreadable. The storage media in such cases stops responding tor equests for data access. This is where the process of data recovery steps in.
Causes of Logical Data Failure
Logical data failure usually results from file system corruption. It is far more prevalent than mechanical failure, either by user error or system error. The following are common reasons for logical data failure:
Power outages that abruptly halt the storage device midway when it is writing data
Sabotage by disgruntled employees
Hard disk reformatting
Operating system malfunction due to deletion or corruption of key components
Electrostatic discharge
Amalicious virus attack
Corrupt software
Deleted partitions
Corruptfile system structure (FAT, NTFS or HFS)
Accidental deletion of files by the user
Cross-linked files which share the same allocation in the FAT file system
If a hard drive has failed due to logical errors, the computer will recognize the drive but will be unable to boot from it. In mechanical failure, the system usually does not recognize the drive at all. Common user errors like accidental deletion of files or formatting of the hard disk can be taken care of by running off-the-shelf data recovery software. In casesof serious logical errors, the services of data-recovery professionals may be needed.
Logical Data Recovery
In logical data recovery, the damaged files have to be reconstructed from scratch or the file system corruption has to be repaired. There are two main methods used in logical data recovery:
Checking for Consistency – This process is used by utilities that come loaded with operating systems (like Check Disk for Windows) to check for and repair minor logical errors present on the disk. In this, the software undertakes a scan of the disksurface (or its image) to read the logical structure and ensure its consistency. This is done by ensuring that all files present on the disk have properspecifications, that is, they have their own individual directory entries as well as entries that point to their parent directory. The programme corrects the specification of each file so that the logical structure of the disk becomes consistent. This method of correcting logical errors is not of much use if the logical structure has been heavily damaged.
Building Files From Ground Up – This is the only alternative for files that cannot be recovered by merely doing a consistency check. In this, the software scans theparts of the logical structure that are intact. By studying the file system structures, it painstakingly tries to deduce what the missing parts or clusters should look like (taking into considering the allocation of other files) and builds the damaged files step by step. This method is thorough and time-consuming, but the only practical way to recover files that have been damaged heavily.
However, logical data recovery is not a magic wand. There are certain cases in which the data may be permanently lost or the recovery becomes very difficult.
Fragmentation: A small data file on a disk is spread across a single cluster or several consecutive ones. Many of these clusters mayget damaged due to a logical error, thus making the file unreadable. The data recovery software assumes or guesses many of these clusters to rebuild the file.If the file size becomes too large, its clusters get spread all over the disk surface and the data gets fragmented. The larger and more fragmented a file, the more difficult its recovery. Small files that do not exceed a single cluster can be perfectly recovered, but large and fragmented ones, though they exist on thedisk, cannot be reconstructed by the data recovery software. Keeping the file size small and regularly running the disk fragmentation utility provided with Windows can greatly increase chances of data recovery in these cases.
Overwriting: When you delete a file on your computer, the disk clusters taken by it are freed by the operating system foruse by other data. If you create and save another file and these clusters get overwritten by the new data, there is no practical way the data recovery software can rebuild the previous file. To prevent the lost file’s allocation being overwritten by new data, you should cease work immediately on the computer. Even browsing the Internet can download data and overwrite clusters crucial for file recovery. This is why it is recommended that the data recovery software should be run directly from its CD and not loaded on the hard disk so as to avert the risk of the disk clusters being overwritten or destroyed. Most data can be recovered in Forensic investigations.
Fujitsu Hard Drives
Fujitsu offers a complete package of high intensity, performance-oriented hard disk drives.
The Fujitsu hard drives are specially used in IT businesses and manufacturing industries. The hard disk drives possessr a storage capacity of more than 75 GB per inch square. Fujitsu manufactures the following:
2.5 inch, RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 4200 RPM Mobile hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 5400 Mobile hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 10k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 15k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
Handy Drives
Fujitsu Hard Disk Drive Failures:
Mechanical Failure – This type of failure usually goes unnoticed for some time as the computer remains functional even after the write heads of the disk drive collide with the rotating platter surface of the drive. The failure comes into focus when there is a ‘head crash’ of the entire system and the computer goes blank.
Another common problem area is the speed at which the drive spins. Fujitsu drives spinrnat a fast rate causing the head to bounce against the drive and consequently destroying the drive’s magnetic coating.
Electronic Failure – The Fujitsu hard drive suffers data loss when the computer undergoes an electronic failure. There is a power spike or power surge which causes the drive to read effectively. Fujitsu hard disk drives have two main electronic concerns:
Temperature variations causing a short circuit and computer failure
Defective circuit board causing the hard drive to fail and not read data
Logical Errors – Fujitsu hard disk drives are vulnerable to the type of information stored on them. The hard drive fails to read and store data when faulty, defective and problematic data is stored on it such as a faulty file allocation table. The Fujitsu drive also fails to store information in cases of reformatting and overwriting.
Human Error – More than 75 percent of failure of Fujitsu hard drives occur solely on account of human error like exposure to adverse climactic conditions, holiday injuries, inadequate protection of the drive, no backup.
Data Recovery:
1. Ontrack
According to Ontrack Team Data Recovery, the Fujitsu drive faces some particular faults which are not common to other disk drive formats:
IDE Cable Malfunction
Power Connector Problems
Inappropriate BIOS configuration
Computer Virus Attack
The Ontrack team believes that the occurrence of any of the above faults in a Fujitsu disk drive can lead to several negative consequences:
Primary or Secondary hard disk failure
Inability to access drive ‘X’
Boot drive becomes inaccessible
Computer experiences failure to read keyboard commands
Electro-mechanical failure causing grinding and clacking sounds
Corrupted data
Lost data
Permanently deleted files
Ontrack Data Recovery Management Software:
This software has two primary purposes:
Maintain the computer system – in other words, the software ensures that the computer is functioning and not suffering from any type of failure.
Prevent data loss and damage
In this regard, the team recommends a few initial steps by the user before starting the data recovery software.
Erase or delete sensitive and confidential data
Make a preliminary report about the computer’s status after disk failure
Data recovery tools include:
Ontrack Disk Manager
Ontrack Data Advisor
2. Data Clinic Data Recovery :
Usually, users prefer personal handling of the disk drives. However, the Data Recovery support and technical team recommends that the user come to the centre’s helpdesk and explain the problem. According to the support team, a Fujitsu hard disk drive can only suffer due to:
mechanical hard drive failures
platter damage caused by a head crash
dish reformatting and overwriting
deleted files due to disk partitions
liquid damage caused by water, coffee or any beverage
virus contamination
software corruption
physical damage caused by fire or flood
electrostatic discharge
The support team lists the various steps involved in data recovery.
Defective drive is logged into the computer system of the company
Free evaluation of hard disk drive to ensure the amount and severity of data lost
A copy of the defective or corrupted data is made
User is upgraded on the initial assessment of the disk drive
Amount or fees incurred is charged to user
Data recovery software tools are used
On recovery, data is transferred onto another media format to ensure safety and data usability.
Fujitsu hard drives are increasingly being used on laptops and other handy devices. These miniature drives are ‘bus powered’ with a 2.0 interface.
The Fujitsu hard drives are specially used in IT businesses and manufacturing industries. The hard disk drives possessr a storage capacity of more than 75 GB per inch square. Fujitsu manufactures the following:
2.5 inch, RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 4200 RPM Mobile hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 5400 Mobile hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 10k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 15k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
Handy Drives
Fujitsu Hard Disk Drive Failures:
Mechanical Failure – This type of failure usually goes unnoticed for some time as the computer remains functional even after the write heads of the disk drive collide with the rotating platter surface of the drive. The failure comes into focus when there is a ‘head crash’ of the entire system and the computer goes blank.
Another common problem area is the speed at which the drive spins. Fujitsu drives spinrnat a fast rate causing the head to bounce against the drive and consequently destroying the drive’s magnetic coating.
Electronic Failure – The Fujitsu hard drive suffers data loss when the computer undergoes an electronic failure. There is a power spike or power surge which causes the drive to read effectively. Fujitsu hard disk drives have two main electronic concerns:
Temperature variations causing a short circuit and computer failure
Defective circuit board causing the hard drive to fail and not read data
Logical Errors – Fujitsu hard disk drives are vulnerable to the type of information stored on them. The hard drive fails to read and store data when faulty, defective and problematic data is stored on it such as a faulty file allocation table. The Fujitsu drive also fails to store information in cases of reformatting and overwriting.
Human Error – More than 75 percent of failure of Fujitsu hard drives occur solely on account of human error like exposure to adverse climactic conditions, holiday injuries, inadequate protection of the drive, no backup.
Data Recovery:
1. Ontrack
According to Ontrack Team Data Recovery, the Fujitsu drive faces some particular faults which are not common to other disk drive formats:
IDE Cable Malfunction
Power Connector Problems
Inappropriate BIOS configuration
Computer Virus Attack
The Ontrack team believes that the occurrence of any of the above faults in a Fujitsu disk drive can lead to several negative consequences:
Primary or Secondary hard disk failure
Inability to access drive ‘X’
Boot drive becomes inaccessible
Computer experiences failure to read keyboard commands
Electro-mechanical failure causing grinding and clacking sounds
Corrupted data
Lost data
Permanently deleted files
Ontrack Data Recovery Management Software:
This software has two primary purposes:
Maintain the computer system – in other words, the software ensures that the computer is functioning and not suffering from any type of failure.
Prevent data loss and damage
In this regard, the team recommends a few initial steps by the user before starting the data recovery software.
Erase or delete sensitive and confidential data
Make a preliminary report about the computer’s status after disk failure
Data recovery tools include:
Ontrack Disk Manager
Ontrack Data Advisor
2. Data Clinic Data Recovery :
Usually, users prefer personal handling of the disk drives. However, the Data Recovery support and technical team recommends that the user come to the centre’s helpdesk and explain the problem. According to the support team, a Fujitsu hard disk drive can only suffer due to:
mechanical hard drive failures
platter damage caused by a head crash
dish reformatting and overwriting
deleted files due to disk partitions
liquid damage caused by water, coffee or any beverage
virus contamination
software corruption
physical damage caused by fire or flood
electrostatic discharge
The support team lists the various steps involved in data recovery.
Defective drive is logged into the computer system of the company
Free evaluation of hard disk drive to ensure the amount and severity of data lost
A copy of the defective or corrupted data is made
User is upgraded on the initial assessment of the disk drive
Amount or fees incurred is charged to user
Data recovery software tools are used
On recovery, data is transferred onto another media format to ensure safety and data usability.
Fujitsu hard drives are increasingly being used on laptops and other handy devices. These miniature drives are ‘bus powered’ with a 2.0 interface.
Importance of Computer Security for a new business
Computer Security is a means to develop a secured environment to carry on the computer-related activities so that the sensitive information available on the network is not accessed, tampered or misused by any unauthorised source.
Are you getting a headache deleting the numerous spam-mails that you receive in your official inbox? Have you spent months developing a new technology and just before you could release it, your competitor comes up with the same technology and gets it patented? If any of these problems is a common occurrence at your work, do not just blame it on your stars. It only means that there is a serious security breach in your computer network and it is time for a more secured model.
Importance of Computer Security for New Businesses
A lot of companies do not realise the importance of computer security while starting a new company. This is owing to the lack of understanding of serious implications that it could pose. A lack of security could even destroy new businesses. Following are some of the points that reiterate the importance of computer security while starting a new business orrnstarting an existing company in a different country:
1. Experts say that in the absence of a secured system, it only takes a few minutes forrnhackers to gain access to the information present on your network. So if your have been waiting to implement a security system, it might be too late.
2. Your competitors might consider it easy to wipe you out early in the competition. So they might hire hackers who can easily get hold of sensitive information in the absence of proper security and use the data to destroy your business.
3. Without spending too much money or time, your competitors could easily steal your business ideas or trade secrets and use them.
4. While starting a new company or a branch of the existing company in a different country, you would be required to hire new employees. Since you do not know the credibility of these employees, it becomes necessary to have a secured system so that they do not have access to vital information.
Cyber laws may vary from country to country. In order to make the best use of these laws, it becomes essential to come up with new policies governing computer security while starting your operations in a new country.
Securing the Network
Having understood the importance of computer security, it becomes essential to learn about effective ways of implementing it. Computers present within an organisation may be connected through an internal network referred to as intranet. Computers present all over the world can be connected through internet. It becomes essential to avoid data theft through both these networks. Here are some of the common threats and possible methods of tackling them.
1. Malware: These are malicious software transmitted through ther internet. Computer virus, spyware and adware are some of the common Malware.
Arnvirus can result in permanent loss of data stored on the system. This can be avoided by using anti-virus software and backing up of important data.
Spyware can gather information from your system and transmit it to the person who has sent them including credit card details of the customers. This can be avoided by using anti-spyware software.
An adware automatically displays or downloads advertisements while connected to the internet. They are a disturbance and can reduce the employees’ efficiency. They can be controlled by anti-spyware software.
2. Hacking: All sensitive information in a company would be stored on the network and can be accessed through intranet or internet. It is not safe to let all the employees in the network to have an access to these details. By using a firewall you can restrict the hacking of sensitive data. In addition to this, you also have computer forensics that allows you to improve computer security.
3. Secured Server: A server is a host computer that responds to the requests of all the other computers connected to it. By securing the server, you can protect sensitive information. They first encrypt the data which can be decrypted only after checking the digital certificate given by the Certificate Authority.
Always use combination of these technologies to secure your network and keep updating them from time to time. This is an important investment that you will never repent for since it can decide the success or failure of your business. For more information read articles on Future Hard Drives or visit our Data Recovery site.
Are you getting a headache deleting the numerous spam-mails that you receive in your official inbox? Have you spent months developing a new technology and just before you could release it, your competitor comes up with the same technology and gets it patented? If any of these problems is a common occurrence at your work, do not just blame it on your stars. It only means that there is a serious security breach in your computer network and it is time for a more secured model.
Importance of Computer Security for New Businesses
A lot of companies do not realise the importance of computer security while starting a new company. This is owing to the lack of understanding of serious implications that it could pose. A lack of security could even destroy new businesses. Following are some of the points that reiterate the importance of computer security while starting a new business orrnstarting an existing company in a different country:
1. Experts say that in the absence of a secured system, it only takes a few minutes forrnhackers to gain access to the information present on your network. So if your have been waiting to implement a security system, it might be too late.
2. Your competitors might consider it easy to wipe you out early in the competition. So they might hire hackers who can easily get hold of sensitive information in the absence of proper security and use the data to destroy your business.
3. Without spending too much money or time, your competitors could easily steal your business ideas or trade secrets and use them.
4. While starting a new company or a branch of the existing company in a different country, you would be required to hire new employees. Since you do not know the credibility of these employees, it becomes necessary to have a secured system so that they do not have access to vital information.
Cyber laws may vary from country to country. In order to make the best use of these laws, it becomes essential to come up with new policies governing computer security while starting your operations in a new country.
Securing the Network
Having understood the importance of computer security, it becomes essential to learn about effective ways of implementing it. Computers present within an organisation may be connected through an internal network referred to as intranet. Computers present all over the world can be connected through internet. It becomes essential to avoid data theft through both these networks. Here are some of the common threats and possible methods of tackling them.
1. Malware: These are malicious software transmitted through ther internet. Computer virus, spyware and adware are some of the common Malware.
Arnvirus can result in permanent loss of data stored on the system. This can be avoided by using anti-virus software and backing up of important data.
Spyware can gather information from your system and transmit it to the person who has sent them including credit card details of the customers. This can be avoided by using anti-spyware software.
An adware automatically displays or downloads advertisements while connected to the internet. They are a disturbance and can reduce the employees’ efficiency. They can be controlled by anti-spyware software.
2. Hacking: All sensitive information in a company would be stored on the network and can be accessed through intranet or internet. It is not safe to let all the employees in the network to have an access to these details. By using a firewall you can restrict the hacking of sensitive data. In addition to this, you also have computer forensics that allows you to improve computer security.
3. Secured Server: A server is a host computer that responds to the requests of all the other computers connected to it. By securing the server, you can protect sensitive information. They first encrypt the data which can be decrypted only after checking the digital certificate given by the Certificate Authority.
Always use combination of these technologies to secure your network and keep updating them from time to time. This is an important investment that you will never repent for since it can decide the success or failure of your business. For more information read articles on Future Hard Drives or visit our Data Recovery site.
Server Recovery
For someone not familiar with the functions of a server, it might simply be a mystical computer that performs incredible tasks and generally is a hands-off system. But it is not so. What makes the term server doubly confusing is that it can refer to both hardware and software.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
Server Recovery
For someone not familiar with the functions of a server, it might simply be a mystical computer that performs incredible tasks and generally is a hands-off system. But it is not so. What makes the term server doubly confusing is that it can refer to both hardware and software.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
The first computer with a hard drive, named ‘305 RAMAC’, was introduced by IBM on September 13th 1956. The total hard drive capacity was 5 million 7-bit characters which is approximately 4.4MB according to present storage standards. It was 5 feet in height, a little less than 6 feet broad and 2.5 feet deep. The dimension of the drive was more than the size of two refrigerators kept side by side and weighed over a ton. A heavy duty fork lift was used to transport it. This 350 Disk File, having a stack of fifty 24” discs, allowed random access of data without a determined order. It was rented out for an annual fee of $35,000.
50 years hard drives underwent radical changes in their storage capacity and size. Hard drives are now available from 1GB to 500 GB withrnsize dimensions ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches. For a very fast access torninformation they come with an array of spindle speed ranges of 3,600-rpm,rn4,200-rpm, 5,400-rpm, 7,200-rpm, 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm. These hard drivesrnserve a number of diverse application needs. They are used in compact musicrnplayers, digital video recorders, game consoles, residential servers, printers,rncopiers, PCs, Laptops, online servers, business networks and data centres, withrnprovisions to use external USB and other connections.
Venture storage or business storage has most benefited by the changes in the size of the hard drives. Currently, 2.5 inch hard drives are replacing the 3.5 inch hard drives enabling increased server space in a 1U rack. With increased RPM the IOPS (input/output operations per second) correspondingly they offer increased performance. It is assessed that a 2U rack accommodating 2.5 inch drives will offer a 150% increase in IOPS than a 3U rack with 3.5 inch drives. These 2.5 inch hard drives save money on the investment of the number of servers, wiring, switches, UPS rack shelves, with easy mirroring and realistic redundancy.
Hard drives of today even come in 1 inch size and 1GB to 5GB memory offering diversified usages in consumer electronics. They are substituting the flash memory in hand carried music players, offering storage options for digital cameras, video game consoles, routing guidance for cars and application rich programs for mobile phones. The hard drive industry has come a long way in these 50 years from a meagre 5 MB to mega 500 GB.
Hard drives of the future will have to meet superior variety of functions and exacting market standards. The whole scenario is exciting.
50 years hard drives underwent radical changes in their storage capacity and size. Hard drives are now available from 1GB to 500 GB withrnsize dimensions ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches. For a very fast access torninformation they come with an array of spindle speed ranges of 3,600-rpm,rn4,200-rpm, 5,400-rpm, 7,200-rpm, 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm. These hard drivesrnserve a number of diverse application needs. They are used in compact musicrnplayers, digital video recorders, game consoles, residential servers, printers,rncopiers, PCs, Laptops, online servers, business networks and data centres, withrnprovisions to use external USB and other connections.
Venture storage or business storage has most benefited by the changes in the size of the hard drives. Currently, 2.5 inch hard drives are replacing the 3.5 inch hard drives enabling increased server space in a 1U rack. With increased RPM the IOPS (input/output operations per second) correspondingly they offer increased performance. It is assessed that a 2U rack accommodating 2.5 inch drives will offer a 150% increase in IOPS than a 3U rack with 3.5 inch drives. These 2.5 inch hard drives save money on the investment of the number of servers, wiring, switches, UPS rack shelves, with easy mirroring and realistic redundancy.
Hard drives of today even come in 1 inch size and 1GB to 5GB memory offering diversified usages in consumer electronics. They are substituting the flash memory in hand carried music players, offering storage options for digital cameras, video game consoles, routing guidance for cars and application rich programs for mobile phones. The hard drive industry has come a long way in these 50 years from a meagre 5 MB to mega 500 GB.
Hard drives of the future will have to meet superior variety of functions and exacting market standards. The whole scenario is exciting.
How to safely destroy data on old disks
Whenever a person has to dispose of his financial statements or other sensitive personal information, he makes sure he shreds it before throwing it away. However, when it comes to disposing of his storage devices such as used hard drives or CDs, he does not seem to show the same care in erasing the details contained on them before throwing them away. It is surprising to see almost the same level of negligence exercised by companies when disposing of used computers containing details about their customers.
According to the Data Protection Act, any company that holds information of a customer should take the responsibility of protecting the information. However, researches indicate that more than 50% of companies do not completely delete the data before disposing of them which could be misused subsequently. Researchers were able to retrieve financial and personal information of the customers from these hard drives.
Dangers of Security Breach
Every computer tends to have some form of sensitive data. A personal desktop might contain information such as a person's credit card details, PIN number, bank statements, etc. A company might hold customer's name, address, social security number, financial statements, etc on the computer. Similarly, a University or School would maintain a database about the students' personal details.
We tend to buy a new computer every few years to stay on par with the latest technology. So, we decide to give away the old computer to charity, sell it off or just throw it away with the rest of your garbage. No matter what option you choose, it could turn out to be dangerous unless you have destroyed the data on it. In a study conducted by researchers to check on the seriousness of the issue, they went ahead to purchase a few samples of used hard drives. They were shocked to find that people had their PIN numbers and credit card details stored on them and had not bothered to delete them while selling it off. The same story was repeated in Universities where the drives contained all student information.
From the sensitiveness of these information details, you would have been able to gauge the amount of damage it could cause. To further reiterate the importance of proper disposal of your storage media, let us discuss some of the dangerous consequences that it could have on you and your family.
Identity Theft: Once a person is able to access your personal information, he can use your identity to involve in fraudulent activities such as accessing your bank account, using your credit card to make purchases, etc.
Kidnapping: With access to all your personal information, the criminals might have sufficient details about everyone in your family including your children and your financial position. This has led to serious crimes such as kidnapping the children for money etc.
Blackmail and Extortion: Studies indicate that people have information of personal details such as their extramarital affairs, etc. stored on their computers. When their hard drive comes in possession in wrong hands, they might be blackmailed for money. They might even be coerced into paying money to the criminals who have sensitive information about them.
Ways of Disposing the Storage Disks
If you thought that by deleting the information or performing an OS reinstallation you have got rid of the data on your storage media, you are mistaken. Even if you think your hard drive has crashed and would not boot to the Operating System, it is still possible to recover the data present on it. There are numerous data recovery services and software available in the market that can help rebuild the information from your hard drive or other removable storage media such as CD, DVD, flash drive, etc.
So the best way of getting rid of the information would be to purchase or download software that are specially available to erase the information on the drive making it safe for you to dispose of them. You could also perform a low-level formatting that can destroy the information. This is different from the normal formatting that you usually perform. Alternatively, you can physically break your hard drive or any other storage media so that no one would be able to recover the data from it.
Do not hesitate to take a little time out of your schedule and spend a few bucks on computer data shredding. Is it not worth paying this little price for the security and peace of mind which could otherwise be jeopardised by data misuse?
According to the Data Protection Act, any company that holds information of a customer should take the responsibility of protecting the information. However, researches indicate that more than 50% of companies do not completely delete the data before disposing of them which could be misused subsequently. Researchers were able to retrieve financial and personal information of the customers from these hard drives.
Dangers of Security Breach
Every computer tends to have some form of sensitive data. A personal desktop might contain information such as a person's credit card details, PIN number, bank statements, etc. A company might hold customer's name, address, social security number, financial statements, etc on the computer. Similarly, a University or School would maintain a database about the students' personal details.
We tend to buy a new computer every few years to stay on par with the latest technology. So, we decide to give away the old computer to charity, sell it off or just throw it away with the rest of your garbage. No matter what option you choose, it could turn out to be dangerous unless you have destroyed the data on it. In a study conducted by researchers to check on the seriousness of the issue, they went ahead to purchase a few samples of used hard drives. They were shocked to find that people had their PIN numbers and credit card details stored on them and had not bothered to delete them while selling it off. The same story was repeated in Universities where the drives contained all student information.
From the sensitiveness of these information details, you would have been able to gauge the amount of damage it could cause. To further reiterate the importance of proper disposal of your storage media, let us discuss some of the dangerous consequences that it could have on you and your family.
Identity Theft: Once a person is able to access your personal information, he can use your identity to involve in fraudulent activities such as accessing your bank account, using your credit card to make purchases, etc.
Kidnapping: With access to all your personal information, the criminals might have sufficient details about everyone in your family including your children and your financial position. This has led to serious crimes such as kidnapping the children for money etc.
Blackmail and Extortion: Studies indicate that people have information of personal details such as their extramarital affairs, etc. stored on their computers. When their hard drive comes in possession in wrong hands, they might be blackmailed for money. They might even be coerced into paying money to the criminals who have sensitive information about them.
Ways of Disposing the Storage Disks
If you thought that by deleting the information or performing an OS reinstallation you have got rid of the data on your storage media, you are mistaken. Even if you think your hard drive has crashed and would not boot to the Operating System, it is still possible to recover the data present on it. There are numerous data recovery services and software available in the market that can help rebuild the information from your hard drive or other removable storage media such as CD, DVD, flash drive, etc.
So the best way of getting rid of the information would be to purchase or download software that are specially available to erase the information on the drive making it safe for you to dispose of them. You could also perform a low-level formatting that can destroy the information. This is different from the normal formatting that you usually perform. Alternatively, you can physically break your hard drive or any other storage media so that no one would be able to recover the data from it.
Do not hesitate to take a little time out of your schedule and spend a few bucks on computer data shredding. Is it not worth paying this little price for the security and peace of mind which could otherwise be jeopardised by data misuse?
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