Before You Take the Plunge Essential Information For Users Considering Data Recovery

Know what you're dealing with

The world of data recovery is a big mystery for most consumers and even some IT professionals. This is largely because hard drives themselves are complex devices and their technological specifics are not generally well known. Data recovery companies thrive on their customers' lack of information and often get away with charging obscene rates for any recovery, regardless of complexity. I hope this article will be a helpful resource for consumers and professionals alike. I provide some basic information about data recovery by shedding some light on how hard drives work, how they can fail, what are the chances of successful recovery and how much the user can expect to pay. This information will enable the user to make an informed decision when choosing a data recovery company.

A bit about Hard Drives

A computer hard drive stores data on metal oxide platters which spin up to 10000 revolutions per minute. An actuator arm contains the 'head' which reads and writes the data in the form of magnetic charges one millionth of an inch above the surface. Any given drive can have multiple read and write heads and each head can 'crash' independently. A head crash occurs when the read/write head comes in contact with the platters of the disk (more on head crashes below). As manufacturers strive to cram more space on hard drives without increasing their physical size, the data gets written increasingly closer together, making for very difficult recovery should one or more heads crash. The brain of the hard drive is its controller board and this is unique for each individual hard drive. One other detail worth a mention is the service track of a hard drive. This is an area located on the outer part of the disk platter and it contains the drive's firmware zone. The firmware of a hard drive is the information used by the computer to communicate correctly with the drive. These are the main components that make a hard drive work, now let's talk about what can go wrong.

There are many ways in which a hard disk can fail

Hard drives are extremely fragile and can suffer failures in many different ways, leading to a loss of data. The five most common types of drive failures are: logical errors, mechanical failure, electronic failure, firmware corruption, and bad sectors, or any combination these. Least severe of these is usually data loss due to logical errors.

Logical errors are often the simplest and sometimes the most difficult problems to deal with when recovering data. They can range from an invalid entry in a file allocation table, a simple problem that needs little work; to severe issues such as the corruption or loss of the entire file system. Logical errors can be spotted when files become inaccessible, there is a delay in starting up the computer, and programs do not run properly. Logical errors are often seen as simple because there is nothing wrong with the physical drive leading users to try recovering it themselves by using third party software. This is quite risky, however, as running such software on a damaged drive can result in total loss of data. The most effective way to prevent logical errors on your hard drive is to regularly use the Disk Defragmentation tool in your operating system. For more comprehensive information on preventing data loss, visit the tips section of our website.

Recovering a drive with logical errors can be simple and quick, however if the problem requires manual bit-by-bit reconstruction of the data, it can also be quite complex and time consuming. Normally, logical errors are in the lower end of the price range as they do not require manual disassembly of the drive, however there are cases when logical failures end up in the higher end of the price range. The bottom line with logical errors is the sooner they are caught and the less a user tampers with the drive, the better the chances for a quick and thorough recovery.

Mechanical failures are often much more serious than any other failure and frequently lead to a partial or even total loss of data. The most common type of mechanical failure is a head crash, which is when the read/write head comes in contact with the disk platter. Head crashes can be caused by a variety of reasons, including physical shock, static electricity, power surges, and mechanical read/write failure. Mechanical failures are detected by a constant clicking or grinding noise coming from the drive. If you suspect mechanical failure, you must immediately shut down your computer and call a data recovery company for advice.

Mechanical failures are usually the most severe and most challenging to recover from. All mechanical failures require physical disassembly of the drive. The replacement of a read/write head is one of the most complex and costly procedures that can be performed by a data recovery engineer, especially with larger capacity drives. The chances of recovery depend entirely on how much damage the drive has sustained, however they can be quite good. A crashed head does not mean that all your data is lost! Once again, the sooner you catch a mechanical problem and turn off your drive, the more of your precious data is likely to be rescued.

Electronic failures are most common after a power surge or due to some other electric problem, and the most common type is control board failure. A power surge can knock out the control board, making the drive undetectable in the BIOS. Because each drive is fitted with a unique control board, recovery of this type is relatively complex. However, the good news is that normally once the control board issue is fixed, the data is usually 100% recoverable.

Recovering a drive that has suffered from an electronic failure can be time consuming, mainly because the specific problem takes some time to diagnose. Once diagnosed, though, the recovery is usually not tremendously complex and would probably land in the mid-range in terms of price. Most of the time, we are able to achieve a 100% recovery from drives that have suffered an electronic failure.

Firmware corruption is caused by logical problems or physical damage to the firmware zone on the disk platter. When the firmware becomes corrupt, the computer is often unable to properly communicate with the hard drive, and drive is not recognized in the BIOS. Fortunately, when the drive fails due to firmware corruption, the data is usually fully recoverable once the drive has been repaired.

Recovering a drive that has suffered from Firmware corruption is possible with the use of our proprietary technology. Because the firmware information is isolated on the outer rim of the disk, most of the data can be recovered successfully. The complexity of recovering a drive that has suffered from firmware corruption depends on the amount of damage suffered by the service track on the disk's platter. Expect the cost of this type of recovery to be in the mid- to high-price range.

Bad sectors are a common fate of all hard drives.

Eventually, all drives develop areas that are no longer functional and when this happens, they are isolated by the operating system. Bad sectors are very much like bumps in the road, areas which are avoided by the read/write head and which are no longer accessible to the user. If mission critical data exists on the drive, we recommend to backup as soon as possible, as the formation of bad sectors often indicates the impending demise of the drive. Finally, and most importantly, do NOT under any circumstances run the ScanDisk or Chckdisk utilities when data becomes inaccessible. These utilities are designed to fix only file system errors and not any other types of errors, so if your hard drive has suffered from bad sectors, these utilities only make things worse.

Bad sectors are accessible

We are able to recover drives with bad sectors using our proprietary mirroring technology. The process often involves manual mirroring bit-by-bit, which can be time consuming. The price of this type of recovery will generally be in the mid-range of the pricing schedule.

I hope the above explanations are of some use to all computer users. The basic fact is that data loss happens to everyone. Every hard drive crashes, and often when you least expect it to. Backup is essential for end-users and business users alike, and there are many excellent ways to back up your data. But if you've lost data, attempt to understand the problem before calling a data recovery company. Be informed, save your money, get your data back.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer Forensics

Computer forensics has become an important of litigation. Computers have become an important part of your lives. This does not exclude criminals who have the technical know how of hacking into computer network systems. Electronic evidence has played a role in court but obtaining can be difficult.

There have been issues of authenticity concerned with this type of evidence. Nonetheless it still used today with the help of legal standards to make them admissible in court. Computer forensics is beneficial but it also has disadvantages.

Computers are the most dominant form of technology. It has been used in variety of purposes which has made digital and electronic evidence important. However there are still setbacks to this field.

Pros and Cons

The exchange of information is taking place everyday over the internet. Although this may be convenient for us, it can also pose as an opportunity for criminals. Phishing, corporate fraud, intellectual property disputes, theft, breach of contract and asset recovery are some of the situations wherein computer forensics can be used.

Apart from the technical aspect, legal issues are also involved. Computer forensic analysts make their investigation in such a way that the electronic evidence will be admissible in court.

There are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to computer forensics. This field is relatively new and criminal matters usually dealt with physical evidences. This makes electronic evidence something very new. Fortunately it has been a helpful tool wherein important data needed for a case that has been lost, deleted or damaged can be retrieved.

Computer forensics' main advantage is its ability to search and analyze a mountain of data quickly and efficiently. They can search keywords in a hard drive in different languages which is beneficial since cyber crimes can easily cross borders through the internet.

Valuable data that has been lost and deleted by offenders can be retrieved which becomes substantial evidence in court. Legal professionals are able to produce data in court that were previously impossible.

The first setback when using electronic or digital evidence is making it admissible in court. Data can be easily modified. Analyst must be bale to fully comply with standards of evidence required in the court of law. The computer forensic analyst must show that the data is tampered.

His or her own investigation must also be fully documented and accounted for. Computer forensics must also training of legal standard procedures when handling evidence.

The main disadvantage is the cost of when retrieving data. Computer forensic experts hire per hour. Analysis and reporting of data can take as long as 15 hours but it will also depend on the nature of the case. Another one is that when retrieving data, analyst may inadvertently disclose privilege documents.

Legal practitioners involved in the case must also have knowledge of computer forensics. If not they will not be able to cross examine an expert witness. This also applies to the judge, solicitors and barristers. Computer forensics is still fairly new and some may not understand it. The analyst must be able to communicate his findings in a way that everyone will understand.

Although computer forensics has its disadvantage, this can be solved by the party involved. Evidence on the other hand can only be captured once. The use of computers and the rise of cyber crimes also call for an equally high the method of stopping it.

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computer-forensics

What is Computer Forensics?

Computers have radically changed the way we live your lives. Everyday living as become easier and technologically advanced decades ago. It has changed the way we work and the way we live in our houses. Children to day are sometimes even more technologically aware than their parents. Mobiles phones have gotten smaller and laptops have gotten slimmer.

With the launch of the Iphone that used the touch screen technology it will only be a matter of time when this idea permeates into other devices and appliances. Unfortunately, technology also makes it easier for criminals to their dirty job. However, computer forensics makes sure that technology is put to lawful use.

Everyone keeps up with the times, even the criminals. The internet is a public place which makes it vulnerable for fraud. Criminals often take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Law enforcement agencies have incorporated computer science in their investigation process to aid them with computer savvy criminals.

Crime and computers

We have seen a lot of Hollywood movies about hackers stealing from financial institutions. We have also seen two parties making their deals through bank transfers with a bunch of computers. Although these are not possible in real life, there are other ways that criminals can use computers.

Computer forensics is basically applying computer science to assist in the legal process. It entails the technological and systematic inspection of the contents of a computer system for evidence. Individuals in this field are called by different titles such as digital media analyst or computer forensics investigator. These people scanned a computer thoroughly to find out if they have used for a civil wrongdoing or criminal act.

The skills required are more than just normal data collection and using preservation techniques. Other definitions include the use of special tools to meet the Court's criteria and not just a thorough examination of a computer for potential evidence. This definition is similar to Electric Evidentiary Recovery or e-discovery.

Most of the time computer forensic investigators investigate hard drives, portable data devices and data storage devices. These devices include USB Drives, Micro Drives and external Drives.

The first task of the computer forensic investigator is to find sources of documentary or digital evidence. The next step would be to preserve the evidence so that it could be analyzed later on. When dealing with computer systems, important files or data can be quickly lost.

The investigator should take the necessary test because data retrieval can be time consuming and costly. The investigator would then analyze the collected data for potential and supportive evidence. The final step would be presenting the findings. The investigator will render his opinion based on the examination and make a report.

The process of using computer forensics must comply with the standards of evidence that are acceptable in court. This field is both technical and legal. The investigator should also have a complete understanding of the suspect's level of sophistication. If they don't the suspects are assumed to be experts.

Investigators then presume that the criminal have installed a countermeasure to render forensic techniques useless. The computer will then be shutdown completely to prohibit the machine from making further modifications to its drives.

Computer technology has changed the way we live, work, and for others - commit crime. Although the internet may seem like a very convenient place users should always be wary for seemingly innocent offers.

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