HasYour Computer Hard Drive Ever Crashed? Are You Challenged by Backups?
The following scenario's have probably been repeated thousands of times, on computer systems of all kinds and sizes, operated by all levels of users from complete novice, to expert user.
You log on and your computer will not boot to your operating system.
You have installed some piece of new hardware, or some new software, your computer cannot find your operating system.
In more than 20 years of using personal computers, I have experienced all kinds of computer/operator failures. Some were caused by equipment failure, others by me doing something dumb. It really makes no difference, when your computer does not work, the only thing that matters is getting it up and running, and saving as much data as possible
All mechanical devices, will at some point fail, there is no timetable that tells you exactly when they will fail, however it is usually when you can least afford the time lost or the cost of repair, or of course immediately after the warranty has expired. Current computer hard drives are very reliable, they work for hours on end and keep right on ticking, they are however partially mechanical, as such they are subject to unannounced failure. They could fail in 5 minutes, or in 5 years or even longer.
As computer users we have all been admonished time and time again to backup our work on a regular basis, as insurance against losing data. Data can be lost in other ways of course, but if you do have a current backup you will only lose whatever you created or changed just before the failure.
My first experience with a hard drive failure was the classic computer will not boot. My first course of action was to call tech support from the manufacturer. The customer service rep stayed on the phone with me for about 4 hours, as we tried to diagnose where the problem was, after trying every thing she knew to try, she said they would send a technician to replace my hard drive. Of course none of my data was easily retrievable, and I did not have a current backup. Immediately after this episode I began to backup my data frequently. However at this particular time, backup software was not real easy to use, and choosing the media to backup to required the installation of more hardware. I quickly fell out of the habit of frequent backups.
I have experienced logon failures after adding or changing hardware or software many times. Usually followed by a call to customer support, which you most likely will have to pay for. Your support call may be transferred to a foreign country, your support person may or may not be highly qualified, there have been many instances where I felt that I knew more than the support person. There have been many instances that I managed to fix the problem myself, while waiting for support to get back to me. Sometimes I lost information, sometimes it was there but hard to find etc. The times that were most successful were when I did have a current backup.
Backup software has evolved, there are very easy programs to use, they are very easy to automate, the media options are many and easy to set up.
In my current setup I use Norton Ghost 9.0 as my software of choice, and I send my backups to a removable USB 2.0 hard drive. The advantages of this system are an extremely easy to set software program that can do anything form complete backups on whatever schedule you choose to complete copies of hard drives. The speed and safety of using a removable hard drive would be hard to beat. Because of the "set it and forget it" nature of this system, I now have complete backups always at hand.
Peace of mind is a wonderful thing
Jim Newell
Please visit http://www.edotmall2000.com/backup.htm for more information on these products and other solutions to backup and storage problems.
Jimmie Newell is an experienced computer user, and web publisher with many articles to his credit. Jim is the webmaster for http://www.edotmall2000.com an online shopping destination.
MORE RESOURCES:
SubRosaSoft.com Announces Version 7.5 Of Their Data Recovery Products prMac (press release) [prMac.com] Fremont, California - SubRosaSoft.com Inc., a software company focusing on data recovery and system utility software, announces the immediate availability of version 7.5 for the entire Salvage line. FileSalvage, CameraSalvage ... |
 Social Barrel | Megaupload: Is time running out for data recovery? Social Barrel Because the servers are of hosting companies Carpathia and Cogent, the decision about data recovery depends upon them, prosecutors highlighted. Meanwhile, while reacting to matter Carpathia has said that they don't have and never had access to contents ... Megaupload, Megavideo Data Recovery Secret: How to Save Files Before Erasure ... |
How To Recover Files Using Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery MicrosoftFeed If you are looking for brilliant file recovery program, then today I am going to tell you about Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery and how to recover files using Disk Doctors Windows Data Recovery. It is much more than simple undelete software or a ... |
Xerox Expands Cloud Services, Data Recovery for SMBs Channel Insider The cloud backup and data recovery services are designed to provide the recovery of data, applications and operating systems. Digital print solutions specialist Xerox released a suite of cloud services aimed at small to medium-size businesses (SMBs), ... |
 ComputerActive.co.uk | Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Home Edition ComputerActive.co.uk If your backup has failed in some way, though, Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery could help recover files that have been deleted or corrupted. Besides a disc containing the software, a startup CD is also included for when your PC won't start up normally. Stellar Team up to Showcase Mac Data Recovery 5 at Macworld Expo 2012 |
The cloud reduces data recovery downtime Kroll Ontrack Cloud computing is not only a valuable tool for flexibility, it also has valuable uses for data recovery and business continuity. If information is stored in the cloud, it means recovery from a disaster can be in minutes rather than hours or even days. |
Leichhardt extends StorageCraft data recovery offsite Government News The actual data recovery using the software only took two hours, Ms Wilcock said. “We were able to restore the hard disks and rebuild the database with absolutely no data loss,” she said. She said the council also uses StorageCraft ShadowProtect ... |
Aware Bear Computer Repair Pittsford New York DELL Laptop Service and Repair ... PR Web (press release) Aware Bear Computer Repair in Pittsford New York specializes in DELL laptop hard drive replacement and data recovery services in Rochester New York. Aware Bear Computer Repair in Pittsford New York can extract and backup any data stored inside a hard ... |
 Lifehacker Australia | Australia trails behind UK with data recovery Kroll Ontrack Despite experiencing severe flooding last year, Australian businesses are still trailing behind the US and UK when it comes to data recovery. The Acronis Global Disaster Recovery Index polled 6000 IT professionals around the world and found that ... Retail industry the worst in IT disaster practices, not ready to change |
Are Data Recovery Services Safe? PC Magazine The survey, commissioned by DriveSavers, polled individuals in the US who have experience with data recovery services for their companies. Most of those in the final sample set have supervisory responsibilities, and the collection of companies involved ... DriveSavers Reveals Overlooked Threat in Security of Data Recovery Operations ... Can you trust data-recovery service providers? Companies prove careless when enlisting data recovery services |
Did You Loose Your Windows XP Password? What Should You Have Done Before it Happened?
There is a common problem that happens with lot of computer users. This problem is the loss of a password.
Want To Beat The Odds? Disaster Recovery Planning is Essential
Statistics show two out of five businesses go out of business within five years of experiencing a major disaster.These statistics are staggering.
Protect Yourself Before Your Hard Drive Crashes
Almost everyone who has used a computer has experienced a hard drive problem at some point. Are you prepared to lose your data? If your hard drive crashes right now, do you have an action plan to follow?Most people get complacent about protecting the data on their computers.
Computer Data Recovery Options
Losing files on your computer can be a frightening experience if the files are of importance to you personally or professionally. Computer data recovery techniques include the most simple of operations, like simply retrieving an accidentally deleted file, to very complex file retrieval procedures that only professionals should attempt to do.
Learn How To Make Data Backup Over The Internet!
Why should you backup your data on the Internet?There are several reasons.* The backup is located at a secure place for away from your computer.
Bill Gates Made Data Recovery Easy
Bill gates provided a ready made option in Microsoft windows, which is very useful for data recovery.Several time we make mistakes unknowingly and we lost our data, then we need to recover the data.
How to Survive an Operating System Crash
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows could not be accessed or located."It happens to the best of us.
HasYour Computer Hard Drive Ever Crashed? Are You Challenged by Backups?
The following scenario's have probably been repeated thousands of times, on computer systems of all kinds and sizes, operated by all levels of users from complete novice, to expert user. You log on and your computer will not boot to your operating system.
Big Time Disaster Recovery Solutions Available for the Little Guy
There was a time - not too long ago - that Data Disaster Recovery solutions were available only in the domain of multinational corporations and big business in general. However, with the proliferation of high speed internet access and the ability to store large amounts of data in a much more cost effective manner due to plummeting storage costs, the ability to perform a secure backup of data to a remote location engineered specifically for the purpose of securely storing massive amounts of information is now in the reach of the general public.
Computer Data Backup - Data Backup Solution Will Give You A Peace Of Mind
Imagine that you have been working on a file for the entire day and there was a power surge that caused your computer to 'black out'. It would have been a frustrating experience for us as we had put in a lot of time and effort into it.
The Seven Golden Rules Of Data Backups
Backups of company data are carried out for two main reasons. The first is to cater for those times when a document is inadvertently deleted or damaged and you wish to recover the original document; the second is as part of a disaster recovery plan in case something catastrophic happens to your computers (e.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Reducing Your Risk Profile
Like all plans, there is an ultimate goal to achieve. The goal in a business continuity plan is simply that: to continue your business in the face of a disaster or a disruption.
Do I Really Need To Backup?
Okay, computers a machine, right? Okay, maybe not yours. You have this special relationship, but that a subject for another article.
The Importance Of Email Backup
Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!Most home computer users don't need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back. Togeder with documents and pictures, it's a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails.
Computer Data Backups: Test Now or Cry Later
If you're like most small business owners, your computer data backups are one of those things that you rarely pay attention to. Computer data backups are kind of like flossing your teeth and eating low-fat, high-fiber foods? everyone knows what they're supposed to do? but how many REALLY do these things religiously?!?Unfortunately when it comes to your computer data backups however, complacency can be very dangerous.
5 Simple Tips to Prevent MS Access Database Corruption
It's important to understand that any time an Access client disconnects unexpectedly, it may set a "corruption flag" in the .mdb file indicating that the database is in a corrupt state (regardless of whether any data has actually been corrupted or not).
Backing Up Personal Computers
Backup on business computers is typically not the user's concern unless it's a small business. A business should have a policy in place for managing backups especially due to Sarbanes - Oxyley.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Selecting A Business Continuity Strategy
The risk analysis and business impact analysis have identified risks to key business functions. Also, the potential impacts and probabilities of these risks as well as the costs to prevent or mitigate damages and the time to recover will have been established.
Data Recovery - You Can Get It Back!
Data recovery is a process whereby you can save data and files you accidentally deleted, had eaten by malicious software or viruses, hardware failures, corporate espionage and many more scenarios. Most people believe that when the hard drive crashes their world ends also, but that's not usually the case.
Data Backup for Beginners
It's 10pm. Do you know where your data is?Data.