RAID System Failure: What To Do When Your RAID Drive Fails - Technology

More and more small businesses are relying on the use of RAID technology for their storage needs. RAID systems provide users with increased storage capacity, greater reliability -- or both. But no computer technology is completely fail-proof. Power surges are one cause of RAID system failure. You should know what to do in the event of a power surge and failure in order to prevent catastrophic data loss.

But let's start with the basics: What is RAID?

What is RAID? RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and refers to the storage technology used, in this case, redundant combining of multiple disk drive components. RAID is commonly used as an umbrella term for computer data storage schemes that can divide and replicate data among multiple physical drives.

The software to perform the RAID-functionality and control the hard disks can either be located on a separate controller card (a hardware RAID controller) or it can simply be a driver. Both Windows NT 4 and 2000 include a software RAID solution. Hardware RAID controllers cost more than pure software but they also offer better performance.

RAID systems can offer users an increase in storage capacity over traditional single hard disks. In addition, many RAID configurations offer data redundancy which provides protection of the data in the event of a system failure. But as is the case with other data storage mechanisms, RAID systems are susceptible to failure; if your business runs on a RAID server, you want to have an on-staff or outsource RAID data recovery service provider available in the event of an emergency.

Why RAID Systems FailA RAID system can fail for a variety of reasons. One of the top reasons RAID systems fail is power surges. These can be caused by storms, overheating, or simply voltage fluctuations if you plug your RAID server into an outlet without a surge protector.

A power surge can destroy the external electronic circuitry of any hard drive and cause irreversible damage to the delicate components inside the drive. What is known as a "head crash" occurs when the read/write arm inside the hard drive crashes down on the magnetic platters that house data and damage the platter surface.

If either of these things have taken place, you will most likely experience signs of failure, including:

- clicking sounds

- loss of power to the drive

- A message stating the drive is not recognized by the Operating System (OS)

It is possible to rebuild data after a RAID failure, but expert assistance is highly recommended. Data might be corrupt, petitions could be missing, or deleted files may be difficult for anyone but a

RAID data recovery expert to access.

RAID Drive Failure: Steps to Full Data Recovery

So, what should you do if you experience RAID failure? Number one: stop using the system in order to avoid permanent, catastrophic data loss.

Turn off your RIAD server to ensure no data may be written over any data you want to attempt to recover. Be sure to document the series of events that took place leading up to the RAID failure and make a note of anything you did to try to prevent it. Keep discs labeled in the order that they are removed from your system.

Regardless of the cause for RAID failure, it is critical to call a trained RAID recovery technician to recover your RAID drive to avoid permanent data corruption. If you takematters into your own hands, you could overwrite parity data, making RAID recovery more difficult.

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EASEUS Saves Yourself from Data Loss Disaster - Technology

Ever emptied the Recycle Bin only to realize that you just deleted something you meant to keep? Ever formatted your D: drive by mistake instead of E:? Ever suffered from a malware which led to your computer crash? Have you ever been inaccessible to your drive and it popped up "Disk not formatted, do you want to format now?" Data Recovery Wizard will save your data out of all these disasters.

EASEUS Software - the innovative, dedicated data recovery software provider - offers insight into data loss disaster, and provides affordable data recovery software for computer users to rescue their precious data from disaster just by simple mouse-clicks.

Data Recovery Wizard, only $69.95 for a single-user license, will save computer users from all data loss disasters under Windows 2000/XP/2003/VISTA. With its powerful search function, Data Recovery Wizard will work its miracles and prevent your life from going into a downward spiral when the data disaster strikes. It recovers deleted files emptied from the Recycle Bin, or rescues data from a lost or damaged partition, formatted hard drive, software crash, virus infection, unexpected shutdown, or other unknown reasons.

Data Recovery Wizard is highly recommended by its users: "I've downloaded about 3 or 4 software recovery tools. Yours by far was the easiest to use and the fastest to recover."

The type of file system doesn't really matter as Data Recovery Wizard recovers from all of them: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS/NTFS5, and that's just for starters! The program supports IDE/ATA, SATA, SCSI, USB, Firewire (IEEE1394) hard disk and other media, such as floppy disk, USB flash drive, or digital camera. All hardware RAID is supported.

Data Recovery Wizard Professional delivers all the features of Data Recovery Wizard, while adding some advanced data recovery capabilities: recovery from dynamic disk and EXT2 and EXT3.

Pricing and Availability

20-percent discounts for buyers of two or more licenses are available. Licensed customers get lifetime technical support, free updates and free file repair service. More information on this data recovery software:

About CHENGDU YIWO Tech Development Co., Ltd.

The company specializes in data recovery and partition manager software for Windows OS. Its major products are Data Recovery Wizard, Partition Table Doctor and EASEUS Partition Master. For more information, visit

All trademarks and service marks are the property of the respective parties.

NEWS SOURCE: EASEUS Software

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Computer Forensics Certification Programs: What You Need To Know - Education - Online Education

Reports of major institutions, such as government bodies and large corporations, being attacked by online criminals are prevalent nowadays. Hackers and online thieves are armed with the sophisticated equipment as well as superb knowledge on penetrating the defenses of computer systems. A computer certification program levels the playing field as it imparts knowledge to aspirants on how to defend against hackers and follow digital trails leading to the identities of the perpetrators.

What is Computer Forensics?

Computer forensics, like with the forensic department of the police, covers the thorough examination of data in relation to online crimes and recovering data from corrupted computer systems. This IT field is diverse, touching on various disciplines, which include following a chain of custody ("digital paper trails"), different ways to back up files and examining various types of data.

Computer forensics experts are employed not just by the police, but also organizations that maintain computer systems. This means a specialist can get work from almost any industry, and the best part is, knowledge in computer forensics is an integral component of industry leaders. Stiff competition on the market leads to online espionage, and the forensics expert stands as the figureheads of computer-based defense.

Learning Computer Forensics

Extensive computer forensic training programs are offered by respectable institutions, with the courses facilitated by highly trained professionals. The different areas of learning are systematically distributed, so the learning curves of students are positively influenced. Since hackers are often well versed with computer systems and online security, the programs teach different strategies to counteract a possible attack, combining theory with hands-on practice.

Data analysis and data recovery are two of the most important aspects of computer certifications, and they take center stage when you enroll in a reputable program. At the end of the course, you can dissect vast amounts of data, extract snippets of code or data signatures and eventually identify the source/s of an online attack. Moreover, a course on Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) will teach you all the ways to recover lost data. A sudden surge of electricity, for instance, causes a lot of damage to a computer system. A computer certifications expert can successfully extract information from the damaged system. He or she will also create several backups to the system even before disaster occurs as a means of safety and security.

Picking a Computer Forensics Program

Given the high demand for computer forensics, lots of educational institutions offer programs on the subject. Apart from state colleges and universities, independent organizations - run by computer experts - provide computer forensics certifications programs. These trainings are focused, holding topics like data integration, data analysis and data recovery in high regard. The short courses do away with unrelated academic subjects, so students can place prior focus on the necessities.

In a 40-hour course, you can pick up more than just the fundamentals of computer security and how to trace online crimes, provided that you combine your studies with a lot of practice. You'll be awarded with a certificate - which signifies your skills and knowledge on the field - and the assurance of a high paying job after the program. Just browse through the Internet, read a few forums, check out the offerings of various websites and you'll end up with an excellent CHFI program. Enrolling in a multi-awarded program often leads to profitable results in the near future.

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