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.