Lost data? Your next steps are critical!

To avoid permanent data loss, follow these important guidelines:

• If your drive is making clicking, grinding or whirring sounds, shut down your computer immediately. These sounds could be the read/write heads hitting or scraping the platters. Severe or complete data loss could result.
• Unplug the power to the computer before removing the hard drive and handle the drive carefully. Hard drives are extremely sensitive to static electricity and physical jarring or jolts.
• If your data is critical, make sure you choose a reputable recovery firm that can properly recover data from physically damaged drives. Even the simplest recovery attempts on a physically damaged drive could render your data unrecoverable.

The first recovery attempt is always the best recovery attempt. At DriveSavers, our engineers use the safest methods available to insure your data is not lost from repeated recovery attempts.

When disaster strikes:

• If possible, back up the data immediately
• Do not use utility software if the drive makes scraping, tapping, clicking or humming sounds
• Do not power up a device that has obvious physical damage or is making unusual sounds
• Shut down the computer to avoid further damage to the drive and its data
• Do not attempt recovery yourself on severely traumatized drives (i.e., turning the computer off and on, using over-the-counter diagnostic tools). This may cause further damage or permanent data loss
• If you’ve lost critical data, DriveSavers recovery service is your best and safest option
• Never assume data is unrecoverable
• DriveSavers has successfully recovered data from hundreds of thousands of drives with extreme physical and logical damage

Preventing data loss

Everyone should adopt strategies to ensure critical information is protected from corruption and loss.

Best practices:

• Never upgrade any system without a verified backup
• Use up-to-date hardware and software utilities for data security, such as firewalls and virus protection
• Scan all incoming data for viruses, including packaged software
• Use ventilation, fans and/or air conditioning to keep servers at the proper operating temperature
• Connect systems to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against power surges
• Power down and take extreme caution when moving computers
• Avoid static discharge when touching or handling the media, especially in excessively dry environments

Backup strategies:

• Invest in redundant backup systems
• Establish a structured backup procedure to make copies of all critical data files, using software compatible with the operating system and applications
• Periodically test the backups to verify that data, especially databases and other critical files, are being backed up properly
• Keep at least one verified copy of critical data offsite

Recover Lost Passwords For MS Office Programs

If you have lost or forgotten a password for opening a Microsoft Office document (Access, Excel, Word) or a password for saving changes to a Microsoft Word document, you can use Office Password Recovery Pro , it is one of the best products on the market and it has been around for a while. With the program you can easily remove password protection and retrieve passwords within minutes, you will never have to worry about forgetting or losing a password ever again.

So for those of you who thought all hope was lost and that you could never access that particular file again, think again as this software is the answer to all your problems. Microsoft Word Document Password Recovery has never been easier!

The best part about the Software is that it Free To Download, so give it a try today and see if your passwords are recoverable at no cost!

Office Password Recovery is an "all-in-one" password recovery solution for Microsoft Office applications. It can find all types of lost or forgotten passwords used to open and modify files. It also supports earlier versions of Microsoft Office, including 2003, and instantly retrieves all formatting and editing restrictions, locked cells protection, and shared protection passwords.

Here are some of the Products Main Features:

* Effectively recovers passwords of any length and complexity

* Offers multilingual support and can recover passwords in Latin, Cyrillic characters and hieroglyphs

* Uses powerful attacks fine-tuned (BruteSearch, SmartSearch, and dictionary-based), applying them one by one and in combination with each other to make sure all passwords are recoverable.

Symptoms of Hard Drive Failure Leading to Data Loss

There are some tell-tale signs that your hard drive may be failing and you could therefore end up losing your data.

Boot Failure: Sometimes, it is possible for one to switch on the computer and it refuses to boot. This may occur as a result of the hard disk containing bad sectors in some disks and/or even corrupted boot record data. Most of the time, booting is done from the hard disk and if there is a problem with the hard disk, then it would be difficult to have a proper boot.

Unusual Sounds: In some cases, when the computer is running, one can be able to note some unusual click sounds (whirring or buzzing), that can either be at regular or irregular intervals. It is advised that once this has happened to contact a computer specialist. This sound may come as a result of a broken actuator arm or failure of a servo motor. The best thing to do is to backup your data immediately and contact a data recovery specialist in case some data may go missing.

Appearance of "Blue Screen of Death": When a computer is running, and a blue screen with a lot of information written on it appears and usually reboots automatically. This is what we refer to as the "blue screen of death". It is usually a crash recovery program that tries to recover data that has been lost. One of the principle causes of its appearance is hard drive failure. Therefore, the next time it appears, check on your hard disk.

No sound of read/writing: Whenever data is read/stored from a storage device, there is usually some sound from the hard drive that signals reading or writing. If there is no sound then that may be a signal that there is a problem with the hard disk drive. Such a phenomenon may be caused by excessive heat emitted by the CPU that causes some components within the hard drive to expand and touch other components within the hard drive.

Retrieving Lost Data - File Recovery Tools

Yep, at some point someone most likely has told you to back your files up. Did you listen? The answer is pretty obvious from where I'm sitting. I'm going to assume that you didn't back those files up, and that's why you're sitting there reading this article looking for information on the internet-yes, I do have to rub it in a bit! Let's see if I can help you get back those lost files!

That's enough of that, we need to start talking solutions!

Before we get into solutions, there is something else we need to cover-preventative measures! Yep, that's right! We're covering all those things you should have done before this problem ever arose. Print and store any printable document before you start backing up anything. A hard copy can be very important during certain situations when electronic copies can't be accessed, like during a power outage or several other scenarios.

As for backing up on the electronic side of things, it's going to be the usual suspects: CD, DVD, USB Flash Drive, and Kevin Spacey...wait a second, that last one wasn't right was it? Oh yeah, you can never rule out an email account-great for backing up electronic files and being able to access them on-the-fly from nearly anywhere!

Power outages, hardware failures, software glitches, and wild nephews can all lead to substantial data loss and insane nightmares which are detailed by trying to recover lost data. Another possible alternative is going through a paid online data storage company, great way to have an off-location "electronic safe."

Okay, let's hit the bricks now, no matter the dreadful situation that has befallen you, we need to get those darn files back! Make sure there not still in the Recycle Bin still waiting to be completely sent to word processor document heaven-believe it or not, this has been the answer to this problem far too many times.

If you'd rather not deal with the situation yourself you could always pay a computer technician a hefty amount of cash to get out his digital shovel and start slinging digital dirt over his shoulders. It'll most likely hurt your bank account, but it'll make his day. One computer repair session and his World of Warcraft account gets an upgrade, more than likely.

If you're going to hand the situation yourself, then you're going to need your own set of data recovery tools! There are many different data recovery software programs online which are being offered for free, but they also come with a lack of support for future upgrades, telephone customer support service, and they're more than likely going to be package with advertisements-developers have to pay for their development costs somehow!

I highly recommend picking up your own set of data recovery tools, something a little popular with a name brand.

How to Protect Against Data Loss From System Crashes

Very often, when a person's system crashes, there is a great amount of data loss as a result of having to format your hard drive and re-install Windows. Few people have the resources to "slave" the drive on another computer and extract their valuable information before redoing the system.

Microsoft has done a wonderful job in designing operating systems, but therein lies the trap! The default is to save your documents, files, photos, music etc in a folder called "My Documents" which is situated in "Documents and SettingsUsers" in the same drive as your Operating System. If your Operating System fails and you have not been methodical about doing back-ups (who of us is that religious about backing up data anyway), you are faced with a major problem - How do you retrieve your data before re-installing Windows?

There are ways of doing this but you need to have access to a spare P/C and not everyone has technical know-how to "slave" the drive with the damaged operating system in order to extract the data, nor does everyone have a "spare" P/C lying around waiting for just such an event. It can also be costly to take your computer in to have your data backed up when all you really should need to do is format your drive and re-load the O/S.

Most of us have, at one time or another, been faced with this problem. Here's how to avoid the aggravation of losing your data:

Firstly, make sure that your computer has more than one drive. This can be done in two ways:

1. When purchasing a new P/C, ask your supplier to install two separate hard drives. These will normally be labeled "C" and "D".

C: would be used mainly for the operating system and can be a smaller, entry level drive.

D: will be your storage drive and, because of the amount of data one accumulates over time, you would want this to be quite a hefty drive.

2. You can "split" your single drive into separate two drives - C: and D:

Now that you have 2 drives you need to transfer your data that you already have saved on C: to the new drive:

Firstly, create a set of folders on your new (D:) drive in which you wish to store your data. Make these logical directories that you will easily associate with - i.e."Business; Family; photos; music; movies" etc.

Now transfer your files from C: to these folders - this would be a good time to re-organise your data into logical groups - create sub-folders to categorise your information for easier future access. Most of your data will be found in "Documents and SettingsUsers"

Next you will need to modify where Windows saves your work. Most programs will work the same way - here is where you will find the file locations for MsWord, Excell, etc: Click Tools, Options, File Locations, Modify and then Browse to the folder you wish to be the default location (Possibly make this a "Transition" folder as you can then move the files later to the individual folders - Just so long as you save the file in D:)

Lastly, see if there are any other documents filed elsewhere in C: - you can do a search for *.doc and *.xls in Drive C once you have transferred all the above (* being used as a 'wild' search for all documents within the file extension)

Once you have transferred all your documents it would be advisable to Defrag your C: to ensure smooth running of your computer.

Now your computer is safe from Windows crashes and failures but be sure to understand that your data is not protected from a Physical Hard Drive Crash. So be sure to back up your data regularly on C/D or DVD. This will be much easier now that all your data is in one source.

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Data Security & Data Loss

Encryption continues to be the topic on every CIO and IT person’s lips nowadays. No one wants to end up in the news as the next victim of a privacy breach or the next company that didn’t protect its customers’ information. If you conduct a news search using the words “personal data breach,” you’ll be alarmed at the number of instances where personal information such as social security and credit-card numbers have been exposed to possible theft. In a recent breach, a state government site allowed access to hundreds of thousands of records, including names, addresses, social security numbers and documents with signatures.

Whether it’s government agencies, research facilities, banking institutions, credit card processing companies, hospitals–or your company’s computers - the risk of compromising private information is very high. At the recent “CEO-CIO Symposium,” speaker Erik Phelps from the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich described the relationship business has with technology. In his presentation, he stated that since “business relies so heavily on technology today, business risk becomes technology dependent.” The possibility of litigation is part of business. It has always been a risk of doing business, but because technology and today’s business are so intertwined, business risk has a higher threat level. This has prompted many to encrypt workstations and mobile computers in order to protect critical business data.

If you have rolled out encryption, how do you maintain your IT service quality when the hard disk drive fails? How do you plan and prepare for a data loss when the user’s computer is encrypted? These are all issues that should be considered when putting together a data disaster plan. In addition, data recovery, one of the more common missing elements of a disaster recovery plan, should also be factored in because it can serve as the “Hail Mary” attempt when all other options have been exhausted

Protecting Data from Severe Weather

You can protect your data by following some simple precautions. With that said, even the most well-protected hard drives can crash, fail, quit, click, die… you get the picture. So here are a few tips for how to respond when extreme weather does damage your computer equipment.

1. Summer heat can be a significant problem as overheating can lead to drive failures can result. Keep your computer in a cool, dry area to prevent overheating.

2. Make sure your servers have adequate air conditioning. Increases in computer processor speed have resulted in more power requirements, which in turn require better cooling - especially important during the summer months.

3. To prevent damage caused by lightning strikes, install a surge protector between the power source and the computer’s power cable to handle any power spikes or surges.

4. Invest in some form of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which uses batteries to keep computers running during power outages. UPS systems also help manage an orderly shutdown of the computer - unexpected shutdowns from power surge problems can cause data loss.

5. Check protection devices regularly: At least once a year you should inspect your power protection devices to make sure that they are functioning properly.

Responding to Data Loss Caused by Severe Weather

1. Do not attempt to operate visibly damaged computers or hard drives.

2. Do not shake, disassemble or attempt to clean any hard drive or server that has been damaged - improper handling can make recovery operations more difficult which can lead to valuable information being lost.

3. Never attempt to dry water-damaged media by opening it or exposing it to heat - such as that from a hairdryer. In fact, keeping a water-damaged drive damp can improve your chances for recovery.

4. Do not use data recovery software to attempt recovery on a physically damaged hard drive. Data recovery software is only designed for use on a drive that is fully functioning mechanically.

5. Choose a professional data recovery company to help you

Lost Data: to recovery or not recovery

A data loss has occurred - now what? Determining the need to recover lost data can be a difficult one. There are several things to take into consideration when determining if data recovery is required.

Backup, Backup, Backup
Everyone knows the importance of a good backup system, so your first step should be to determine if the data is actually backed up. Many times lost data is stored on a backup tape, backup hard drive, on the network or other various locations throughout an organization.

Unfortunately, locating and reloading the lost information can be time consuming and deplete resources. If a backup is located, it is important to check that the most recent copy of the data is available. Many times backups occur on a set schedule and if modifications to the data were saved after the backup occurred that information will not be accessible.

Re-Creation
Another important option to consider is if the data can or should be re-created. Two items to take into account when considering this option include the type of data lost and the amount lost:

Type of Data - Different data may have different perceived value. Recovering a customer database is (probably) more important than recovering a file containing possible names for a pet goldfish. Is the missing data a high-volume transaction database such as a banking record? This would be nearly impossible to recreate the thousands of transactions that were happening in real time. Other types of data may not be able to be re-created such as digital photos. Understanding the type of data that was lost is imperative to determining your next steps.

Amount of Data - Understanding how much data was lost can help you understand how much time and resources would be required to re-create the data. The more data lost, the more time and resources required to re-create it – if re-creation is even possible.

An additional point to consider is that with strict regulatory and legal requirements, many companies need access to their lost data in order to comply with these requirements. Accessibility to data and the legal requirements surrounding that data are essential to understand when considering if data recovery is necessary or not.

Data recovery costs can be difficult to plan for because they are unexpected. No one wants to lose data just like no one wants their car to break down or to have to call a plumber for a broken pipe. However, to help put it into perspective with other business related costs – vending services and that morning cup of coffee can run between $500 and $1000 every month for a small business office. An average recovery fee for a typical desktop, Windows-based system is around $1,000. Comparing those figures – the true value of data recovery becomes clear

Reasons and Costs of Data Loss

Computer data may be one of your company’s most valuable and vulnerable assets. According to our experience, the primary threats to your data include:

• Hardware or System Problems
• Human Error
• Software Corruption or Program Problems
• Computer Viruses
• Natural Disasters

These five major threats to your computer data share two things in common: they are unpredictable and, in many cases, uncontrollable. Therefore, the precautions taken by IT professionals to safeguard company data cannot always prevent a data loss.

Computer users and many experts often consider lost data permanently destroyed, with no hope of recovery. Information about lost data can be complex, inconsistent or inaccurate, so it’s not surprising that data loss and data recovery are some of the most confusing and misunderstood concepts.

In addition to being a vulnerable asset, computer data is also a valuable asset.

Based on the information below it is easy to see how significant the costs of lost or inaccessible data can be. The following is a summary of the average hourly impact of lost data on a selection of different businesses.

Type of Business & Average Hourly Impact

When time is crucial and data is mission-critical, data recovery may be the most practical option available. Data recovery professionals recover data from the damaged media itself, providing several advantages over alternative methods of data retrieval.

1) Complete - Data recovery professionals can safely enter the system or media to achieve a comprehensive data recovery.

2) Current - Although many people revert to backups following a data loss, those backups typically contain outdated information or could be corrupt themselves. Data recovery can help you access the most recent version of the lost data.

3) Fast - Every second that passes following a data disaster means time and money lost to your company. Data recovery reduces this downtime by quickly recovering and returning your data.

4) Cost-effective - The expense in time, money, and effort of rebuilding or re-keying lost data can be overwhelming to your company. Data recovery can provide the quickest and most complete data recovery possible.

Test: How Secure Is Your Data?

With the increasing reliance on today’s computer systems and networks for the day to day running of businesses, there is an imminent threat to business continuity. Computer systems can be affected by a variety of sources: power outages, water leaks, systems failures, etc. Most companies have some sort of backup system in place, example UPS for power failure, but fail to take into account other hidden factors. It is no longer a question of if you will experience system or environment failures, but when. The 10-question quiz that follows can assist in assessing your company’s risk of experiencing downtime due to system or environment failures.

1. How many hours of continual data processing does your business do over a 24 hour period?
Threat: The average company’s hourly downtime accounts for $78,000 in lost revenue?
8 hours or less (10 points)
8 to 16 hours (75 points)
16 to 24 hours (100 points)

2. How much downtime can your business afford?
Threat: Computer downtime cost US businesses $4 billion a year, primarily through lost revenue.
1 week to 1 month (10 points)
2 days to 1 week (75 points)
1 day or less (100 points)

3. What is your business system or data worth?
Threat: 43% of U. S. Business never re-open after a disaster experience and 29% close with in 2 years.
$10,000 or less (10 points)
$10,000 to 100,000 (75 points)
$100,000 or more (100 points)

4. How many users does your computer system support?
Threat: The manufacturing industry lost an average of $421,000 per incident of on-line computer systems downtime.
1 to 10 users (10 points)
10 to 100 users (75 points)
100 or more users (100 points)

5. How much down time have you experienced over the last year?
Threat: The average company’s computer system was down 9 times per year for an average of 4 hours each time.
20 hours or less (10 points)
20 to 150 hours (75 points)
150 or more hours (100 points)

6. How many hours is your data center unattended?
Threat: The average company’s hourly downtime costs an average of $330,000 per outage.
1 hour or less (10 points)
1 hour to 8 hours (75 points)
8 hours or more (100 points)

7. What percentage of your systems and environmental conditions (temperature, water, and smoke) are you monitoring with an early detection system?
Threat: Environmental incident’s accounted for 10. 3% of business interruptions in the past 5 years.
90% or more (10 points)
70 to 90% (75 points)
70% or less (100 points)

8. How many hours has your UPS had to back up your system this year?
Threat: Power problems accounted for 29. 48% of U.S. computer outages.
3 or less hours (10 points)
3 to 8 hours (75 points)
8 or more hours (100 points)

9. If your system went down on Friday at midnight, how long would it be before you are notified?
Threat: A 1993 Gallup/GRN survey reported that Fortune 1000 companies average 1.6 hours of LAN downtime per week [that is over 2 weeks per year].
3 or less hours (10 points)
3 to 8 hours (75 points)
8 or more hours (100 points)

10. How many people have access to your main computer room ?
Threat: Human error accounted for 34. 4% of business interruptions in the past 5 years
3 or less (10 points)
3 to 10 (75 points)
10 or more (100 points)

Scoring :

165 and under: Your computer room is either very well protected or computer room down time will not affect your business.
165-799: You have trouble spots in your computer room; proactive steps taken now will help you avoid trouble in the future.
800 and over: Your computer room and quite possibly your job are in serious jeopardy. Look into ways of securing your computer room before disaster strike’s time is ticking.