Identity Theft by Selling a Used Computer

Selling a Used Computer and Identity Theft

Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime over the last few years. The amount of data stored on computer systems is an ideal repository for criminals to attempt identity theft. When someone either discards or sells a used computer system, hard drive, or external storage device most people do not appropriately sanitize the media, but rather delete or format a disk falsely believing all the data is gone.

A friend of mine recently bought a new fancy rig costing $2,000 or so. When I asked him what he did with his old system, he said he sold it on craigslist for $550 to help fund the new purchase. "Did you put in a new hard drive?" "No, but I reformatted it."

There is a misconception among those unfamiliar with the inner workings of computers that deleting files and formatting hard drives removes data completely. Think back and try to remember all the files you deleted over the past 10 years. Did you ever delete financial data, such as accounting spreadsheets, bank numbers, credit card data, or personal information? How about scanned documents, such as mortgage paperwork, driver's licenses, birth certificates, or pay stubs? What happened to those computers or hard drives with which you think you deleted those files from? Did you sell the PC like my friend, donate it to an organization, or just throw it away? Who has used that computer since, and what may they have found? These are all important and scary questions.

I recall a thesis paper written by some graduate students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that outlined this very threat. They had purchased 150 or so used hard drives from eBay to study how much personal data was left on old systems. They reportedly found medical records, email correspondence, corporate financial data, illicit personal photographs, thousands of credit card numbers, and even an ATM drive with numerous bank accounts. This is a very real concern for every computer owner, especially my friend now that the system is out of his possession.

What Deleting and Formatting Really Does

I proceeded to give my friend a little education on how computers store information and what deleting and formatting actually does. Basically, the hard drive is broken down into sectors in which the data is stored. In the figure below, suppose File A is a Tax return for 2007. 2008 comes around and you delete 2007's record and the file appears gone. All that has happened is the Operating System (OS) has marked those sectors as available and removed it from the user's view. It is still easily recoverable through a variety of software. The file still exists and is in just as good of shape as before you deleted it.

Online Backup and the Consequences of Data Loss For Business

Online backup, why is it so crucial?

Most companies, business corporations and organisations nowadays are totally dependent on their computer data; and the value of that data is not easy to cost. However, the cost of a data loss to any business is very significant, not only in the man hours that it would take to recover it, if recovery were possible; but also financially.

What price can be put on lost invoices for goods and services, records of monies owed to the company and lost details of every customer and supplier. Add to that the records stored of every product a company may stock, the quantities on stock, the amount on order, the supplier of that product and the cost and selling prices. How much would it cost your company to manually reinstate that lot if your data was lost? Online backup is the most cost effective way to prevent against data loss.

Just to emphasise how vulnerable your data is, how many times recently have you read in local newspapers about businesses being broken into and computers stolen. Apparently there were over 20,000 computers stolen last year. What happened to the companies who were affected by that? How many closed their doors forever, how many gave up shortly after; total data loss is as disastrous as that. If only they had chosen online backup.

Then there was the even bigger list of companies who suffered total hard disc failure, had viruses, fires on the premises and flood damage.

So how do you back up your records, disc, tape; and how often do you back them up; religiously every night, or when you remember? The beauty of online backup is it saves your data as you write it. If you backed up your data the night before, how much information has been input if your hard drive fails at 4.00 pm? How much crucial information and how many total man hours of work will have been lost during that period?

Data loss can happen to organisations even with good backup protection; but will all items be on the tape or disc, such as contacts, email messages and other important items perhaps stored in folders in Exchange, Outlook, Domino and GroupWise. They would if you were using remote backup and elected to back them up as part of your online data backup.

Who do you call if you back data up yourself to tapes etc and you can not restore your data; a very expensive IT expert? Customer service and assistance with data restoration, comes free with all good online data backup companies.

On line backup companies offer the most reliable and cost-effective solution for bringing your business back online, in the event of any data loss or disaster scenario.

So, I hope that I have managed to emphasise the importance of online back up; and how critical it is in this computer age, to every business and organisation, from large conglomerates down to the one man business. You will be very fortunate if one day disaster does not strike your data system and if you are not fully protected by online backup, why not look into it now before it is too late.

How to Backup Your Computer Hard Drive

In life, you always need to have a backup plan, in case your initial idea wouldn't work out exactly as expected. The same principle applies when you work on your computer. Because a huge number of people today depend highly on their computers to get their work and business up and running, you can only imagine how vital maintaining files can be. Back then, humans depended on floppy disks and hard copy print outs to store their documents, but today, there are easier options of keeping files for you. Note this: It is very important to keep reminding yourself to backup your computer hard drive.

First of all, why is there a need to backup your computer hard drive? Computer experts cannot stress enough how valuable it is to regularly do this. If you have tons of very important files on your PC, such as documents, photos, web pages, spread sheets, presentations, and others, you wouldn't want to lose them, right? Creating a back up of the contents of your hard drive will save you the woes of finding for ways to recover them, especially after a disaster like a computer crash or a nasty virus.

So how do you go about it? If you are running on Microsoft Windows as your operating system, it has a built in wizard that automatically does the backup for your. This backup can be restored by you at a later time, or whenever you need to retrieve your files. You can invoke this option from Microsoft Windows by going to the Accessories menu from your Program Files. Select System Tools and click on Backup. Follow the instructions on the wizard and you're ready to go.

However, that is only one option, and not too many people look to it as their main choice for backup. The best thing you can do is to purchase an external hard drive for your computer. Typically, you can get an extra 300 GB or more to save your stuff when you use an external hard drive, which conveniently connects to your PC via USB. In some stores, you can purchase external hard drives that can hold as much as 1 terabyte, or 1,000 GB.

When you backup your files, ensure that they are sorted out into appropriately labeled folders, so it can be easy for you to find them later on. Some people zip their folders first before doing so, while protecting with a password is a must for specific files. Creating a backup is just a matter of making a copy of all your files, and saving them onto your external hard drive. It's simple, but a very necessary chore.

Backing Up Data on CD's and DVD's

Most people have some or many documents on their computer that they just cannot afford to lose. That is why backing up your important files on a CD or DVD disc may be a good idea.
Today, our computers are very high tech, and a lot of them have some sort of data recovery tool installed. However, in some cases our computers do not work as they are supposed to and something goes wrong. This is why backing up data on CD or DVD discs could be a smart move. If your primary backup fails, or something happens to your computer, you have an external copy of the files.

CD's are very cheap and they can store up to 700 MB of data. This should be enough for regular files. If you need to backup lots of music and/or video files, you may want to consider using DVD's which regulary stores about 4.7 GB of data.
Both CD's and DVD's come in two formats CD-R and CD-RW (or DVD-R and DVD-RW). CD-R discs are cheaper, but they can only be used once. CD-RW (the RW stands for re-writable) discs can be used as many times as you wish.
Do some research before you buy your discs. Some computers may not be able to burn DVD's.

All you need to do now is to burn your selected files to the disc you have chosen and voila, your files are backed up, ready to be restored if anything goes wrong with your computer.

Restore Deleted Data

Right now, you could be reading this this article because you or someone in your family has deleted a file on your computer system that you want to restore. Deleting files by mistake is a common problem, but it does not necessarily mean that your file, or files, are gone forever. Based on how much you have used the computer since the file was deleted, there is a chance that you might be able to retrieve it.

When someone decides to delete a file, the hard drive doesn't actually delete it in that sense. Once you decide to delete a file and you even empty your recycling bin the computer doesn't delete the file, it just makes the computer aware that the file can now be overwritten if that is needed. If the computer has not been used much since the file was deleted and therefore has not overwritten the file yet, you should be able to restore it.

The software you need to perform an operation like this can be found on the internet for free, although most of these software programs costs a few dollars. Upon downloading a file recovery program there should also be a guide to that specific program that will guide you through the actual process. Keep in mind though, that the file may have been overwritten during installation of other programs after you deleted it.

In some cases the hard drive itself has been damaged physically. In that case, you should contact a professional service online, or in your local area to help you or to guide you through the process. In general, it is safer to let an expert retrieve lost files, than trying to retrieve it yourself.

Data Recovery - 4 Things You Should Know About Hard Drive Crashes

As I talk to people about data recovery, I find that they certainly do not have all the facts. Most people are only aware of a few options for something as important as their data. If you are anything like me you store photo memories, work information, personal emails -- All those things that are hard to replace.

So, I've put together a list of 4 things EVERYBODY ought to know about data recovery.

1. Just because it was deleted does not mean it is gone forever.

When you lose important data, it is still possible to recover it. In fact, even if something has been written over, it may still be possible to recover that data. The US Department of Justice has said that a purposefully deleted piece of information, in many cases, has to be written over 7 or more times before it is completely gone. The bottom line here is that just because it may seem that it is gone, doesn't mean that it cannot be recovered.

2. Your Drive Will Wear Out.

Physical damage can occur to a hard drive because of mechanical failures such as motors going bad, or head crashes. Physical damage to the hard drive will almost always lead to data loss. In addition to the data loss, it is likely that damage to the logical structure of the hard drive will also occur. Most of the physical damage on a hard drive cannot be repaired by the end user. The mere opening of the hard drive in the normal environment can result in dust settling on the surface which results in further damage to the platters.

3. Data Loss Can Be Difficult in Many Ways.

Losing data from your hard drive can be devastating for many reasons. If you use the computer for business, perhaps all your client files, accounting files, etc. are there. For personal users, you may have your entire family photo album there, in addition to all family contact information. Perhaps there are important emails from family members stored on the computer. In any case, this information is extremely important to you. In addition to regular backup sessions a good data recovery software can be helpful. This software can be useful to a personal user, and it can help you to recover important data, and save you hundreds of dollars along the way. There are many to choose from, but you'll want to make sure what you buy can do what it says it will do.

4. Data Recovery Services are an Option.

When taking your hard drive to a specialist for data recovery, they will evaluate the drive and inform you of the problem, as well as the cost for recovery. Once you have this quote, you may think the price is too high. The real question you need to ask yourself then, is how important the data is. As I mentioned previously, there are data recovery software programs available, but if your data is very critical, you should consider the price quoted to you by the data recovery service. When you attempt to do it yourself, it will almost always lead to permanent loss of your data. A professional can recover most, if not all of the data in question. If your data is that important, then it is well worth the cost involved. Always remember too, that much of the headache can be avoided simply by backing up your data regularly. I can't tell you how many times this has saved my butt!

There you have it! 4 Things that everyone should know about data recovery. There are many more but I just wanted to touch on the most important.

SQL Data Recovery - The Role of This Software Tool

Even with the intrinsic data protection available in an SQL server database system the requirement of SQL data recovery cannot be entirely avoided. Even with the provision of other data security measures such as RAID (redundant array of disks), hard disk crashes, power-related and other inadvertent failures can result in corruption of the master data file and even the backup file of an SQL database.

During such occasions, the job of a database administrator becomes even more critical. He must ensure that the database must be up and running again as early as possible. The database administrator of a company knows that the occurrence of a database crash with partial data loss cannot be tolerated by the company. This is especially so when that data especially affects its business bottom-line and its relation with its customers.

Most database administrators are aware of the havoc that even partial corruption of the master data file of a database can cause. The database management system (DBMS) has enough safeguards as backup strategies to protect the company's critical data stored in the database. However, it still is possible that even the transaction logs and the backups become corrupted.

So, intelligent database administrators always consider the role of commercial SQL data recovery software. They already have in place the software that helps recover almost all data from corrupted .mdf files and .bak files of the database.

Such software is available in the market in the form of an on-the-shelf or customizable package from data recovery consulting companies. It is also available from some companies in the form of software as a service. The latter form is hosted on a Web site of the company that develops it. The Web-based software is especially useful for businesses that have large databases and work in the distributed environment.

With the use of such specialized software it is possible to recover data from the following.

It can help recover data from damaged RAID hard drives, deleted or corrupted indexes, deleted or damaged tables, table data or partially corrupted schema. It can help in recovery from deleted or damaged primary or foreign keys or a locked database or .mdf (master data file) file. It can help do so from missing triggers or deleted stored procedures. It can also help recover data from lost or dropped tables, accidental deletion of tables or volumes.

Further, the software can help to recover lost data from almost all versions of SQL server. The normal data recovery time taken for data recovery is usually from 1 to 4 days. This depends on the severity of the data corruption and the cause of the database crash. The SQL data recovery software tool therefore serves as an effective bulwark against the incidence of power failures, inadvertent operations and database crashes.

How to Create an Offsite Data Backup and Restore Plan

Once a business accepts the need for regular remote backups, the IT department requires a written backup and restore procedure. Creating such a plan doesn't have to be difficult and will reduce confusion so that your data storage system is protected.

Creating a Backup Plan

When creating a backup plan, decide what data should be included in the backup. Backup space costs money. Nightly backups of files that haven't changed in over a year may not be the most cost effective solution. Isolating particular directories or file types can reduce the size of the backup while still protecting important data.

Any backup plan should include multiple copies in case the backup file happens to be damaged at the same time the main server is corrupted. It is even possible for the system to crash during the backup operation, losing both your server and the backup. If you are overwriting your lone backup at the time, you just lost everything.

The simplest redundancy plan is to have two backups and alternate between them, however many companies have more. A common practice is to have one backup for every weekday so there are five backup files, one for Monday, one for Tuesday, and so on.

Finally, your offsite data backup plan should include a schedule of test restores. It is always possible you are backing up to a corrupt destination and none of your backups are intact. Ideally you should restore a few files every backup so you know the operation went through successfully.

Don't Forget the Restore Plan

It's easy to remember to create the backup plan since it is a procedure that affects your company every day. However what happens after disaster strikes? After major equipment failure, the department is likely to be in confusion.

There is pressure to get the data restored as quickly as possible as company operations can't continue until the system is running again. Imagine how much worse if the failure is due to a disaster like a fire. A detailed step-by-step restore plan is an integral part of a comprehensive offsite data backup procedure.

A solid restore plan makes it that much easier to get your business running smoothly again after disaster. You may need multiple plans for different contingencies. Bad sectors on a hard drive might require restoring just a few files, while a catastrophic incident could involve fully reformatting and restoring your entire server.

For best results, all offsite data backup and restore procedures should be fully tested by the personnel who will be performing the operation. This may reveal missing steps or inaccurate instructions. Tests will have to be conducted during a time the files involved aren't in use, which usually means IT staff coming in after hours.

When testing, make local backups of the files to be tested in case the restore procedure goes wrong. Though it may require a bit of time to create an offsite data backup and restore plan, once you have a systematic, documented system in place offsite data backups will become a simple part of the regular routine. If and when disaster strikes, it will be well worth the effort!

A Guide to Backing Up Your Business Data Online With a Bare Metal Server

Traditional offsite data backup involves storing discrete files that can be restored as needed. This is fine when replacing a few files because the originals were corrupted. However in the event of a major disaster that requires a complete system rebuild, restoration is a tedious process of installing the operating system, installing each application, then restoring the data files.

Luckily for IT managers, there is another way: bare metal recovery.

What Is Bare Metal Backup and Recovery?

Bare metal recovery allows an IT administrator to easily restore a system from scratch, even if a catastrophe has reduced the system to "bare metal." Rather than restoring individual files, the entire system drive is restored in one operation. Not even the operating system needs to be installed.

In the early days of PCs an application called Ghost was the first consumer-oriented disk cloning software produced. For a long time it was the only option and to this day the idea of "ghosting a hard drive" means making an exact duplicate that can be restored easily.

Since those days, other options have appeared and there are now several ways to perform a total system restore and backup. Many online backup services now offer dedicated servers to be used for disk cloning, a technique now called bare metal recovery.

Does Your Organization Need Bare Metal Online Server Backup?

The short answer is "Probably." Traditional online server backup is an important tool and is certainly a valid component of an overall disaster recovery plan. It is more likely that a disaster will destroy a few files or even a data drive rather than the entire system.

However, major disasters happen. A fire, flood, or other incident can physically destroy an entire computer system. Every minute your system is down is a minute your organization is losing money because no one can work. Today's businesses are dependent on their computer systems and can't function without them. The faster a system can be restored, the faster the company is running at full speed.

How Do Bare Metal Operations Work Online?

Server backup to an online provider can't be done by direct ghosting. However online providers are still an important step in the system recovery plan. Perform your bare metal backup using the software of your choice, which will create a disk image file. This image can then be saved through your online server backup provider just like any other file, thus backing up the backup.

Your organization has the protection of a complete disk image, allowing data restoration in the event of complete system destruction, combined with the protection of a redundant, offsite copy of your data. This operation will require a computer separate from your server.

After a disaster, the second computer can quickly be brought up with a bare bones operating system and your online restoration software. It pulls the disk image from the online server backup, which is used to restore the main server.

Why to Buy Online Data Back Up Services

Whether you use your computer for personal or business use, your data loss can be extremely disastrous in whatever way. Your information is something that you need to keep secure! This is the reason why you should avail regular data backup! There are several data backup plans available on the Internet for you to select from. Whichever plan you buy, you must back up your computer system for a minimum one time in a week. In spite of making use of traditional methods like storing data on an alternate hard drive, USB drive, zip drive or DVD/CD writer, simple leverage the benefits of online data back-up services.
Online data back-up is preferred by a lot of computer users and has emerged as one of the most excellent alternatives for data backup. Given below are a few of the causes why data back-ups are the best for safety of your data:

Data protection

If you make use of an online data back-up service, you do not have to bother yourself thinking about losing your data or your data being damaged. You can keep it safe at all times and be certain that your every important piece of information is secure and safe.

24x7 Accessibility

If you make use of online data back-up services, you can access your data round the clock, no matter where you are located. You can be seated in your house or at business place, and access your data all time!

Ease of Quick Sharing

Online data back-up services allow you to share your data with business clients or also with your friends and family without undergoing any trouble. You can share whatever info you might have stored, whether it is important papers, or your precious photographs!
It is advisable to take care while choosing your password when availing online data back-up services. Never make use of something like your birth date, the state or city you stay in, your family name or also your social security number. As such, online tech support resources respect your confidentiality and never misuse it or pass it to anyone else.

Diagnostic Tips For Hard Drive Data Recovery

You will be able to decide on recovery options only if you know what exactly is wrong with the disk. There are a few things you can do which would give you a reasonable idea about the nature of the hard disk problem.

Logical problem - if there is something wrong with the boot sector of the hard drive rendering it un-bootable. Boot from a floppy and do a read only scan of the disk. You will be able to decide on an appropriate strategy for fixing the master boot record. If the boot sector is lost then you should be able to decide how to go about recovering the data. If there are bad sectors in the master boot record, then attach the hard drive to another working computer as a secondary hard drive and try to recover data using software hard drive recovery.

Electrical problem - where the circuit board on the hard disk has been damaged due to a higher than allowed electrical current passing through it. Open up your system's ATX cabinet box, take out your hard drive, and closely examine the circuit board under the hard drive. Do not touch the board as static discharge can damage the disk's head. If there are telltale signs of a burnt circuit board or burnt components, then you can decide for sure that it is a board problem.

Mechanical problem - where the head that reads the data stored on the different platters arranged inside hard drive damage or the alignment of the platters themselves affected. The sure sign of a mechanical problem is the clicking sound that you will hear from the hard drive when it is trying to spin up or spin down. If this click sound is coming, then the problem related to mechanical trouble inside the hard disk platter assembly.

Data recovery protection with reasonable degree of success is perfectly possible from a damaged hard disk or other kind of storage media. As long as you have access to internet, so the best policy is to backup the important data on your hard drive so that, you are not left with the costly and time consuming option of data recovery in case of damage to storage media.

PleaseHelpMe.com - Online Computer Help and Computer Support services for Data recovery protection, hard drive data recovery and software hard drive recovery that perform necessary tasks remotely.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Estorgio

Understanding Data Loss and Data Recovery

Losing data is the worst thing that can happen to someone who is too attached to computers. It is not a question on "how attached" a person is, it is a question on how much a person earns out of his data. In other words, for beginner computer users, losing files is like losing common documents, but for developers, it means losing source files. Source files are projects developed with the use of certain complex application. Losing them is close to losing a career!

Data recovery is the solution to lost files. Data do not just disappear in one click but some of them are stored and could be recovered. The means of data recovery depends on the diagnostic and troubleshooting on how the functioning of the computer started.

It is not easy to determine problems in the computer for a novice, but for experts, events with PC sounds, speed change, temperature and booting problems are just some signs and symptoms of a lingering problems which could lead to data loss. Corrupt files occur when there is direct disturbance changing the data properties. When a project file can't be opened, it is possibly corrupt. Latest softwares have the capability to recover files in one execution.

Simple documents have high potential possibility of destruction. Complex applications involving vectors with larger project files, when corrupted, have the least chance of recovery. Examples of which are computer aided design applications, graphic arts editor, video editors and programming applications.

What are the kinds of flaws that trigger data loss?

Physical Defect Of Peripherals - hard disk damages show signs of file corruption before affecting the raw data. Upon knowing the sign of hard disk failure, it is important to make back-ups to avoid losing current and past data. Accidents and unavoidable circumstances can also cause peripheral damages in a PC, which can lead to data loss.

Overheating of the CPU can lead to chain reaction and shut of the computer. Constant crashing without proper shutting down procedure is one of the harshest of data destroyer. Usually the current file being worked on before the big crash happened is the one rendered useless afterwards.

Virus Attack - computer intruders will not give computers any benefit. Virus is always created to destroy data. By installing an effective anti-virus, this problem can be avoided or can be resolved easier than not having one. Careless downloading of any freebies in the Internet is harmful. It is important to understand how adwares can harm your local file in just one click. Virus propagators in the net are using advertising tools to gain access remotely to any private data.

On the onset of viral attack, do not do anything in the computer or leave it on any further. The more it is left functioning, the more the virus will spread and destroy the system. If you suspect your PC has been attacked, give it an instant cold boot. Do not use it unless the purpose is data recovery and diagnostics.

Accidental Format - A person could be too drunk booting the PC and accidentally executing the format command! Formatting is the greatest mortal sin one can execute to a disk rich with important data. It is the last resort when a disk has too many garbage needing a good overhaul. Formatting a disk is erasing the entire disk for good. Some good utilities have means to UNFORMAT and regain back the lost data in a formatted hard disk.

Bob is the owner of All Electronics which is an up-to-date, informative electronics website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Janeway

File Recovery - 3 Ways I Prevent Hard Drive Crashes

I say it time and again. It cannot be stressed enough really. BACKUP YOUR DATA. Data backup is the number one prevention measure that you can take to safeguard your data. Most home users think that it isn't necessary that they perform regular backups. The truth of the matter is that backups are necessary, unless the data is just not that important to you. It's best not to decide that it is important, however, after the system has crashed.

At any rate, you are here to read about the 3 tips I have on file recovery. Just the basics are what you will find here. It's the basics that will prevent you from having to recover the data to begin with.

1. Backup Your Data Regularly (see, there it is again).

This is the single, most important step you can take. There is software available that will perform automatic backups for you. If backing up your data is too much of a hassle, then get this software. It can even backup your files to a remote location (the best option). That way, you don't have to worry so much over it. It makes no sense to backup your data, and save it to the very drive you are backing up though. It takes away from the automation. Now you have to burn a disk daily, or at least however often you have scheduled your backup.

2. Listen for Weird Noises

If the hard drive is making strange clicking and clunking noises when you start up the PC, then turn it off immediately. This is an indication that your drive is about to take a serious nosedive. It's best to get the drive to a professional for checking. It will make file recovery easier in the long run. Trust me when I tell you that if your hard drive is making these noises, it is indeed about to die.

3. Consider Data Recovery Service Companies

Although there are a number of software programs available out there for data recovery, it really is not in your best interest to try to recover data from a drive on your own. Ultimately, you can and most likely will destroy critical data by trying to do this on your own. You are far ahead, when you hire a professional to do this for you. It can be quite costly to the average person, but as I have said time and again, if you need to recover data from the drive, then the cost is worth it.

Finally, The cost of data recovery can be avoided when you regularly do as I have mentioned in tip number one, backup your data regularly. You will not believe how many headaches become non-issues when you complete this one simple task on a regular basis.

Visit us to get more free information regarding File Recovery. You'll find this and much more at http://www.harddrivedatarecoveryexperts.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sydney_Johnson

Recovery of Data - Tips

The hard disks today are designed from primary components, as the base (foundation), around which other components are built. For example, improvements in research and development in magnetic data storage require improvements in research and development in design heads. These designs require electronics are "made to measure" for the device. The hard drives were "adjusted" to the properties of storage media heads and read / write - in a way similar to how a radio conforms to a specific radio frequency; hard drives are in line to complement the signals read data from the dishes.

Manufacturers of hard drives are lots of very many devices so that there are similarities between models of devices. However, the Code Review (software disk read-only property of the manufacturer that is used by the electronics to manage and operate the hard disk) changes frequently within the same model and lot. Innovation in the hard disks requires that the devices are updated constantly. All this requires extensive training in electronics and computer to work with these storage devices, not to mention the challenge of finding adequate mechanical components.
Hard Drives

Despite the obvious importance so that these devices have in their systems, many users neglect to maintain their hard drives. Its hard drive is very likely to be damaged by many causes. Therefore:

* Protect your unit and rattling blows. Too often, when someone installs, moves or reconfiguring hard drives, so inadvertent hits them thus damaging equipment that can cause data loss. Damage to the internal hard drives are not always immediately perceptible

* Beware of electrostatic energy. Static electricity, an invisible enemy, can wreak havoc on the wiring of chips and transistors Inside Your Computer. Since it is so easy to cause a discharge of static electricity by touching a hard disk.

* Acclimation of the room in which the equipment is stored. Check the temperature, humidity, altitude and vibration. All these variables can lead to permanent or intermittent failure of hard drives.

* Carry out regular reviews of their hard drives. The software from Ontrack Data Advisor conducts periodic reviews of its system, notice of potential problems. It is recommended that run Data Advisor once a month. (Get a free version).

* Place your hardware in a safe place. When changing the location of your computer (a table to the ground, or a vertical to a horizontal position) should always make a backup of your hard drive. An accidental blow in that unit could make the heads operate differently with the result of failures read or write on the disc.

RAID Systems

The RAID controllers add a new level of complexity and potential loss of data through its automated tools to rebuild. All RAID controllers have their proprietary software contains functions to perform different types of RAID reconstruction if a device fails or parity becomes incoherent. These reconstructions can be very dangerous and can cause data become irrecoverable once they are implemented.

A faulty driver sometimes can be replaced with another of exactly the same type without causing damage, but any subsequent reconstruction regardless of make or model of the controller may cause a severe loss of data, as described above.

By far the worst tool RAID is a scrub or low-level formatting. Some centres RAID manufacturer's technical support suggested to be used by default this kind of reconstruction to create a new 'array', but once it has implemented the tool normally there is no possibility of recovery, because each bit of each device will been reorganized. Generally there is an alternative to low-level formatting or scrub equally good at running a RAID reconfiguration, in which case it will still be option for recovering data if they later need exists to obtain data originating.

The best advice is to be very careful when a fault occurs RAID and not go beyond a single reconstruction of a device failed. Bug reconstruction initial attempts to carry out additional reconstruction or reconfiguration, or forcing the devices on-line. generally only contribute to a higher loss of data.

Remote Backup Service, A Cure To Never-Ending Cases of Permanent Data Loss

Remote data backup is more important nowadays. If you fear another incident of data loss on your PC or server, it is time to consider a remote online backup. Traditional methods of backup are becoming stale, and gradually replaced by automatic nature of remote backup solutions. This article reveals why you should get an online solution and how you can benefit from using a remote data protection system.

A remote backup service has a lot of advantages over old methods. One of the solid reasons is cost effectiveness. Manual backup and recovery require you to invest a lot of capital in purchasing equipments for data storage. These include hardware, backup software and labor work in executing the backup work. Much time, which can otherwise be spent in more resourceful area, is taken on the routine backup work. Thus, a remote storage service is your reliable partner to protect your precious data. Indeed, with an online system, you can access your files anywhere with internet connection, whereas traditionally, the backup data is restricted to one place and stored offline. In addition, you can benefit from more secure backup services which cannot be replicated with an offline backup service. Moreover, online services allow automatic backup schedule. You have full control and monitoring over the system. There is no need of worries about data loss again.

To avoid your files from being mismanaged by an inferior service, you should look for a service that satisfies following criteria. Security is the first thing that requires your attention. You should look for the measures taken by firm to ensure your files being accessible by authorized parties, such as data encryption method. Next, the server for storing your data must be stable. It has to be powerful to maintain your data intact. Your files should be online around the clock.

Backing Up Business Files Online

As computers are now used by virtually everyone, backup services have sprung up everywhere. Businesses, as well as individuals, have their crucial documents protected from computer disaster by services which back up data remotely.

These services are now established solutions to the problem of storing valuable computer files safely. As computers are at risk of all sorts of incidents, people who use computers for business or private use count on these services for the protection they are capable of providing. The backing up of data remotely has been found to be superior to traditional methods of storing software. Everyone from small businesses and corporations to individuals use remote backup in order to be sure that there is safe storage of their files.

When a virus infects a computer, or the computer is put at risk by natural disasters like earthquakes or fires, recovering the files stored on a computer may prove impossible. Remote storage facilitated online is, in this case, a huge benefit, because the files remain in existence even if the hard drive does not.

Of late, some people are backing up their files remotely. Benefits of this method include the fact that it is simple to implement, and can be billed, at the user's preference, annually or monthly. The fact that one is spared of dealing with the details of storage and manipulation means that it often proves to be well worth the price.

People who use such services can download software that enables them to use it easily. Such software is installed quickly, and with it users can find and download important stored files. Backing up files can be done automatically, according to a pre-set schedule. Storage, then, can be done speedily and unobtrusively, so that you can focus on other things.

Key benefits of backing up one's files online includes convenient and easy access, and simple distribution of files to many users. It also allows large amounts of workers to have access to their files regardless of where they are physically, and this can increase their efficiency dramatically.

When computers experience crashes, or acquire viruses, key data can be lost permanently from the hard drive. This can be avoided through remote data backup; more students, companies, and other individuals are gaining peace of mind by having these copies available.

Effectively Utilizing Novell Backup Software

Novell backup software is created by Novell who is one of the biggest names in the field of open source software; and for that matter, the entire IT world. This company is the manufacturer of the popular Suse operating system, as well as Novell NetWare. Novell backup software is among the best choice out there for the IT professional and the less skilled person who needs to maintain storage backups for a few servers on a small office network alike.

Novell NetWare is one of the best known tools which offers backup solutions to the system administrator. One thing to keep in mind is that NetWare is designed to work with the Novell NetWare file system drivers, so your servers will need to be running this system in order to use this solution. There are also third party vendors offering high quality Novell backup software which can be used to preserve the data integrity of your network in the event of disaster. Having proper backups is essential, as anyone who has ever suffered a server crash without a copy or backup in place could tell you.

Another option, if you already run Linux on your servers is to use Novell's Linux-based operating system on your servers. Suse also has robust backup capabilities, including backups to other servers, veritas hard drives, even old-style magnetic tape if needed. There is, however a bit of a learning curve involved for your IT department, particularly if they are migrating from a Windows-based system.

Regardless of which software you choose for your Novell systems (i.e. shareware or not), you do have the security and peace of mind that comes from knowing that Novell is one of the most respected names in the business and that thousands of IT and network security professionals swear by their products. In the world of data security, that means a lot. Your servers and workstations are critical to the continued operation of your business and in most cases contain information which would mean nothing less than disaster should they be lost.

A well planned, regular schedule of maintenance and backups for all of your important data is key to any business that relies on their IT infrastructure - and in this increasingly wired age, that's all of us. Having Novell backup software to keep your important files safe can make all the difference between a crash being a mere annoyance and a near-total catastrophe.

Backup Reporting Relieves Executive Anxiety

Backup reporting serves to reduce executive anxiety about business continuity. With this function, businesses can back up all of their crucial data on various computer systems. The best way to ensure proper backup security is to use a third party or independent entity to test, validate and optimize your backup files.

Reports are useful for monitoring media usage, device status, errors, vault coordination and other information about the backup process. The more paperless this society becomes the more need you will have to back up your data files in a safe place that is easily accessible, yet independent from your computer system.

You will begin your backup storage solution with advanced software. This solution can store your files online. Some popular web backup storage solutions include VERITAS NetBackup, VERITAS Backup Exec, Tivoli Storage Manager, EMC Legato NetWorker and HP Data Protector.

Regardless of the storage solution software that you choose, you will need an independent backup manager to perform your backup reporting. Once you know that your computer data is safely stored away, you can rest assured that will not be losing data that is crucial to running your business.

When you decide which software to use and what backup managing service to use, all that will remain for you to do is to decide which data is crucial enough to back up and to decide how you want to arrange and organize the files.

Aptare provides web-based enterprise software that makes it easy for storage administrators to achieve maximum data protection.

Should I Back Up My Current Registry Before I Clean My PC

Anyone who has a computer has with time saved information that they may consider important; and if it is lost then they would have a hard time getting it back and would not know where to begin to look. So if you are asking the question "should I back up my current registry before I clean my PC" well the answer is yes. You never want to take the chance of losing anything of value that you will never be able to retrieve again. This article is going to discuss some important steps that you want to take when you clean your system.

First of all if you decide to use a reputable registry company; they will do a lot of the things for you. You should not have to worry about almost anything; the type of service you can expect to receive from a reputable company is:

1. They will ensure that they back up your current registry.

2. The registry cleaner will remove any remaining uninstalled software from your system.

3. It will correct and allow you to manage which programs are run when the operating system begins.

4. Checks to make sure that all the i.e. paths to the programs are valid and working.

5. Will walk you through the entire process step by step so that you feel comfortable with what you are doing.

You should not have to worry or be wondering should I back up my current registry before I clean my PC because most of the reputable companies will automatically do this for you. However if you are using a free registry cleaner that you find online then you must understand that you are using it at your own risk.

Yes you can find several free registry cleaners online; however I would not recommend using one. Any time that you are dealing with something as sensitive as your PC's registry; you want to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable company. As you know the registry holds all the information to your computer and is the backbone to the system. Without it you may as well get a new computer because it will be useless.

We are not in anyway telling you that you should not use a free service if that is what you want to do; however you must first know that most of the free services that are available to use will not provide any type of customer support. You can expect to have to do everything on you own without being able to ask for help if you should need it. It may be less expensive in the long run to stick with a reputable company that will be there for you when you need them.

If you found this article on "should I back up my current registry before I clean my PC" helpful; visit our site below. Easily find one of the most reputable registry cleaner services online; you can even run a free PC scan to ensure that nothing is affecting your computer. Give you computer that much needed boost with the free PC scan today.

A Guide to Using a Remote Recovery Data Facility For Your Business

Many companies have begun using a remote recovery data facility center to provide comprehensive data protection. This is especially useful if something goes wrong with your data access at your primary location and this should be part of your existing plan to recover from the problem. To decide if this method of remotely protecting data is right for your company, you need to look at several factors: how these facilities work, the advantages and disadvantages of using such a service, and how to select the right remote recovery data facility for your needs.

Understanding how these facilities function should be a key part of whether or not you choose to use one for your data. Most work in two phases. First, a backup of your data must be made either continuously or at scheduled intervals through the company's software. The data is then remotely stored so it will be protected from problems onsite. When necessary, however, the data can be sent back to your location electronically. Obviously, this type of service can provide a number of advantages.

Choosing to use this type of data recovery has several advantages. For one, the offsite storage of your data means it has even greater protection. A fire or flood, for example, that destroys your computer equipment will not destroy the backup copies of your data. Also, your data will be managed by people who are experienced in this area and understand how to properly handle it. However, there are some disadvantages.

Clearly, there are good reasons to use a remote recovery data facility but there are also drawbacks. One drawback could be security. While most people do not have access to the stored data, other employees may be able to access them if they are not encrypted properly in advance before being encrypted again for the transfer. Also, if the data facility does not have proper environmental controls in place your data could be damaged during storage. Of course, these disadvantages just mean one must be careful about selecting a provider.

If you are trying to select a data facility, make sure to look for the following features. For one, you want a location that will has a full-time staff prepared to care for your stored data. You should also ask about the environmental controls in place. You may also want to ask about online access to the data in case you need it.

Summary

Hopefully, your business will never need to use a recovery data facility center. But you should have the plan in place on how to utilize one before the need arises. When planning remember to ask questions before choosing the correct remote recovery data facility for your data.

Backup Solutions to Save Your Important Laptop Data

When working on a crucial project, there is always concern that your stored data is not completely protected. The solution to this is advanced laptop backup. It should be effective regardless of Internet connection, and should boast simplicity, speed, functionality and security.

The use of laptop back is quite simple; once you connect to the server that will sync you up, you can utilize a WAN-based backup that is safe and smooth. After choosing the proper provider of these services, you can also choose a procedure for scheduling, and choose the appropriate bandwidth.

It is quite often that consumer complaints are heard regarding poor quality backup utilizing WAN. Because of this, early techniques of laptop backup were criticized, but the solution sand technology has advanced quite far since then. The advance of the Internet and related technologies have made the product worlds more advanced than it was, and the WAN optimizer is simply one of the features - of which there are many more - that is prepared to increase and develop the popularity of such products, and will increase the efficiency and functionality of WAN products exponentially.

The type of support that was offered was also discussed, and new products have been capable of providing support for locked Outlook files, and those for other such programs - this wide range of support in terms of file types is one of the selling points.

Laptop backup, then, appears to your best option for ongoing protection. Advanced options make it possible to save multiple versions of a single file, which provides greater support in the case of several changes.

Restoring Deleted Files

Sometimes, you will find that you have deleted a file unintentionally, and wish to have it back. All is not lost if this is the case. There is still a chance to recovered deleted files even if your recycle bin has been emptied, or been bypassed altogether in the deletion, as long you have deleted the file fairly recently.

Immediately after deletion, the file reference is removed by Windows, but the actual file remains. The section of the hard drive previously containing the file has been freed for overwriting, but that is space that is not immediately used. Because of this, after recent deletions the files remains and is recoverable, but the chance that the file has been overwritten becomes greater as more time passes. If your hard drive has been defragmented since deletion of the file, it has similarly probably been overwritten.

Luckily there are tools which can recover these deleted files which are not present in the recycle bin, but unluckily such programs do not accompany the Windows operating system when it is installed. A third party program which understands the way the computer stores files on a disk, is then needed to restore them. The hard drive's unassigned space will be read by the program, and the deleted files will be found there.

These software programs can restore files of many types, including video, music, image, document, and even compressed files, on computers as well as flash drives, digital cameras, and some mp3 players.

To avoid this problem altogether from now on, be sure to backup all files. A removable hard drive, CD, or flash drive are all options. Most do not back up their files until it is too late - try to be one of the people who are thinking ahead, and are thus prepared for any event requiring data recovery.

How to Recover Data From a Damaged CD

It is supposed that a notion of data recovery usually has to do with restoring information from hard drives, internal computer memory, etc. But not everyone takes into consideration the fact that today CD data recovery is also a widespread case of information restoring that in most cases can be easily done thanks to some professional software.

The point is that as an information carrier, Cds are convenient to save all the necessary data we need to. But in many cases they are not so reliable especially if the matter is to back up valuable information, as they may be corrupted very easily. Some of reasons that can cause damage of CD-R, CD-RW, or DVDs are the following:

1. Virus attacks - sometimes viruses still can spread a computer even though it is protected with reliable anti virus program. And in turn, it may damage the files on CD.
2. Configuration errors - they usually happen in the configuration process and surface afterward.

We could go on with this list. But let's talk about the main matter: how to recover the corrupted files from CD. In this case you can find 2 main solutions on the modern market that can help you solve your CD data restoring trouble.

1. Bad Copy Pro - This software will automatically rewrite the lost files back to the hard drive. It will retrieve corrupted or lost data from documents, images, etc you have on your CD. The program is not expensive and is considered to have the rate of more than 80%.
2. Multi Data Rescue - This software is used by many specialists to do the necessary data recovery of their corrupted Cd's.
3. The Multi Data Rescue program can be used to recover files from:
   1. CDs and DVDs
   2. Digital media
   3. USB devices
   4. Memory cards.

Kiss Your Data Goodbye!

Still not backing up your data on a regular basis? Kiss your data goodbye!

Not having a back up can change or worse ruin your business. The odds and chance of you loosing everything is high because problems like computer failure, destruction or loss by viruses, fire, or theft occur when you least expect it.

To prevent an unintentionally loss of information on your computer you need routine backups. Each day without a backup you risk ALL your valuable information. There are many storage options to explore when considering where to put your backup. The one place you don't want to keep it is on the very computer you are backing up.

No CDs.

No DVDs.

No external hard drive.

No time.

No problem, online backups to the rescue!

Online backups allow you to encrypt (scramble) and store files in a secure, remote location that's only accessible to you -- from anywhere. In most cases, you download and install a small software application on your computer that works quietly in the background looking for new and changed files that need to be backed up.

With online backups you don't have to think about it. The backup can be set up once, then work automatically. The backup application is smart enough to only back up data that's not already been backed up, only back up parts of a file that have changed, and is able to back up open and locked files.

With online backups restoring your data is easy. Restore any file or folder from your backup with just a few clicks as often as you want or need. You can recover lost files to a new computer by visiting a website. You can choose to retrieve your restore via download or, have it burned on DVD then shipped to you.

Do you have too many client files clogging up your hard drive? When deciding what to back up, consider all highly critical information to your business. Anything you cannot replace easily like emails, contacts, calendar entries, documents, spreadsheets, pictures, audio files, bookmarks, all customer data and your databases.

Enjoy peace of mind in knowing that your data is encrypted, stored in a safe and at remote location.

The free versions are a great way to begin, if you outgrow it, you can migrate to the for-pay plans easily. No more excuses these services have no risks because they are totally free.

A Guide to Implementing Backup HIPAA Data Offsite Guidelines

With new regulations in play more and more companies are considering backup HIPAA data offsite solutions. In some cases it's the law and in other's our health records are one thing most of us want to keep private. The reason for this consideration involves the HIPAA legislation, its effects on the health care industry, what those effects mean for data storage, and what medical offices need to consider. By reviewing this information on backup HIPAA data offsite storage, you may be better prepared to make choices about your storage solutions.

To understand the issue, you may need background on the HIPAA legislation. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, became law in 1996. The purpose of the law was to ensure people would maintain health care coverage if they changed jobs. However, Title II of the law dealt with Administrative Simplification, specifically how to deal with electronic data about health care. Obviously, the passage of the law had a drastic effect on the health care industry. And probably more importantly paved the way for an increase in backup HIPAA data offsite providers.

Because of the Administrative Simplification portion of the law, medical facilities today must take great care when dealing with a patient's electronic files. For example, HIPAA required a hierarchical approach to data access. Physicians might be able to access patient information that would not be available to the nurse. Protecting the data from unauthorized access became crucial. As a result, the law has affected the way data storage backups are handled in the medical field. As a consequence backup HIPAA data offsite services have had to adjust there service offerings.

Today, data storage for these facilities must be carefully controlled. HIPAA requires that all of the data be backed up and that data must be secured with 100% reliability. The government wants to make sure no one gets into your personal medical records. That means, however, that backup HIPAA data offsite storage facilities must take special precautions to ensure the service they provide meets these requirements.

If you're looking for offsite-backup for HIPAA data storage, you should look for a few factors. Make sure to find out if the storage service specializes in this type of data storage. There are many that do. You should also ask about the back up process, security, and storage to make sure you are comfortable with how the data will be handled.

Conclusion
Overall, the HIPAA law has changed the way medical facilities deal with patients' electronic medical information. Remember to do careful research on any storage service before trusting them with your data, especially when you're dealing with this sensitive data. Armed with this knowledge, hopefully, you'll feel confident to make a wise storage decision.

Effectively Using Offsite Data Backup Services For Your Business

The increased awareness around data backups is one reason why offsite data backup services have become such a popular option. Storing and protecting your business's data can be critical. Before committing to one of these services it is important to understand the service, the common features, and their pros and cons. By reviewing this information you'll be able to decide whether or not offsite data backup services are the right solution for your data storage needs.

First, you should understand what offsite data backup services are designed to do and how they work. Basically, the data that is housed on your computer, server, or network drive is retrieved and encrypted on a set schedule through software provided by the service. After the data has been encrypted, it is delivered electronically to off site secure storage. Before choosing a type of offsite storage, it's also important to look at the features each service offers.

Most of the storage services available today offer similar features. For one, you can expect the transferred data to be compressed so it will use up less bandwidth as it travels to the remote destination. Some services allow you to choose continuous backup so you never have to worry about losing any saved data. Other services will give you online access to your stored data. With all of these features, there are some clear advantages to using these types of solutions.

There are a few main advantages to this type of service. For example, you do not have to manually backup your data which means you won't have to worry about forgetting. Having a remote storage site is good because if something happens at the original data's location you could end up losing both the original and stored otherwise. Plus, the security used is usually very high. However, there are some disadvantages.

Using these services comes with some drawbacks. For example, if you have low bandwidth it may take awhile for the data to be restored to your computer. Also, if the backup service goes under your data could end up elsewhere. You may also be worried about losing the encrypted password because it is your only key to your stored data.

Overall, there are many valuable features and good reasons to consider these offsite data backup services. Before deciding, you may want to look at price and security issues in more detail. However, this should give you a starting point for that further investigation into effectively and efficiently using offsite data backup services.

Data Recovery - How to Recover Inaccessible Data

Data recovery refers to the recovery of inaccessible or contaminated data from media that has been damaged in some way. Through the advancement of technology, these days computers are exposed to quite a few dangers and loss of data is common. Therefore, data recovery is being increasingly used.

Most of us have had moments when we have lost some important data due to media damage. There are many reasons why this can happen and some of the most common ways are as follows; dropping it, virus, vibration damage, accidental reformatting of partitions, liquid damage, hard disk component failure, corrupted data, inaccessible drives, and partitions.

With that being said here are several somewhat easy and simple methods to execute windows data recovery. If you want to recover lost data, turn off the computer and then download some computer recovery software on another PC that has Windows XP or Windows 2000 installed on it and take out the hard drive from the computer you were working. You will need a special adapter or cable if you need to connect a hard drive from a laptop computer to your desktop computer. You will need to run the windows data recovery program on the second computer.

If you are using only one computer, shut it down immediately. You can still take out the hard drive of the computer using the previous information. Next you will need to install a new hard drive, reinstall your operating system and use the recovery software that you have on it. In case the drive is damaged it can make recovery process nearly unachievable. Then use the recovery software that you have to retrieve the lost data to your new hard drive. Make sure that the windows check disk utility program does not try to repair the drive when it boots up. Make certain that you have recovered all of the lost data and be sure that your file is protected.

How to Recover Data From Mobile Phones

Professionals increasingly carry data on their cell phones, including email messages, documents, videos and instant messages. Also now the financial transactions can be carried out via the mobile phone, this means that an individual can easily transfer the money from one account to another; pay the bills and much more. This information can belong to different levels of priority; i.e. from personal & confidential information to some very secret information about company deals, etc. This increases the risk of hackers who want to get at that data without your permission, to attack your mobile phone.

To extract data from a mobile phone was not an easy thing to do few years ago. However, with the advancement in the forensic science, many tools exist which help in extracting all the information from your mobile phone. Of course, there are some challenges that are faced during this process. The biggest one is that there are hundreds of models of cell phones, with manufacturers adding dozens of new ones each year. And all those models employ a wide array of BIOS versions, operating systems and software. The other nut to crack is portability.

Mobile forensic experts should always stress on the following as the main sources of evidence:

1. The subscriber,
2. The mobile station, and
3. The network

Some of the other sources for collecting evidence could be:

- Look for the SIM card which provides details regarding the name of network provider and a unique ID number printed on the surface.

- SIM contains a processor and non-volatile memory. So using a standard smart card reader and SIM access software like AgapeMobiTool, one can easily extract all the information from the mobile phone.

- Gather the contacts that are stored in the SIM. Also look out for the SMS sent and received, to get any clue.

- Check the Settings (language, date/time, tone/volume etc), stored audio recordings, images/multimedia files, executable programs (e.g. J2ME), stored calendar events, GPRS, WAP and Internet settings.

- Look out for the calls received and dialed. Even if someone deletes the entries, it can be found out as that memory location is filled with void. So issues related to evidence tampering can also be tracked.

Following these steps can help in recovering the data from mobile phones and hand held devices and can help in investigation.