Recovering Data from a Crashed Hard Drive: Immediate Steps to Take After the Crash

Hard drive crashes are inevitable. It will happen to you eventually if you hold on to your computer long enough. Not many people prepare for this occurrence, believing that it will never happen to them, but it does. So its important to know the initial steps to take should your hard drive crash.

The very first thing that you should do is to detach the hard drive from the computer and attach it as a secondary drive on an alternate computer. If your data is accessible from another computer then you know that the problem does not lie with your hard drive. However, if it is your hard drive that has crashed, you have options. There are a few ways to go about recovering data from a crashed hard drive. The first option is to download recovery software; if it is a simple software corruption issue then recovery software should do the trick. However, if the problem with your hard drive turns out to be more serious and/or physical then its time to look into data recovery services.

The following article Recovering Data from a Crashed Hard Drive: Immediate Steps to Take After the Crash was initially seen on Hard Drive Recovery Group Blog

Easily Restore Deleted Files? Of Course!

 

Ever been the new guy at a company and been given a huge project to work on? Your nerves are probably shot and your hands are probably shaking. You can’t afford to screw up but it’s more likely that this is when you will. Maybe you’re diligently working away on the Johnson file when you accidentally delete a file. No big deal, right? You can just recover it from the recycle bin. Except when you go in to recover it your shaky hands slip and you end up permanently deleting the entire file. Before you start panicking and wondering when you’ll get fired don’t lose hope! There are programs available to help you save your butt, and your job:

Few tech disasters can send your stomach into free fall quite like realising you’ve deleted something important from your laptop or phone, with no obvious way to bring it back. Luckily, if you find yourself scrambling to restore your deleted files, there’s still hope. Free tools and apps are widely available to help you recover your deleted data no matter what platform you’re using. Here’s what you need to know.

On most modern forms of storage, deleting a file doesn’t actually delete it — it usually just tells the operating system in charge that the space the file is using is free for other data. If you can get in quickly enough, it’s possible to bring your file back from its digital grave before something else has rushed in to take its place, so speed is of the essence.

Back up, back up, back up

[…]

If you want to stick with local file storage for your backing up needs, then OS X has Time Machine and Windows has File History, and of course there are a ton of third-party options to choose from as well. If you buy an external hard drive or networked drive, it will often come with a backup program included.

In the case of Dropbox’s apps, for example, load up the web interface, then click Deleted Files to see a list of recently erased files and folders. Click Restore next to any entry to bring it back. Deleted files are kept for 30 days or a whole year if you’ve signed up for Dropbox Pro and the Extended Version History add-on.

Windows and Mac

If your files are gone from the Recycle Bin or the Trash, then you need a dedicated third-party tool to search for and recover your erased files. Recuva is one of the best and most well-respected options for Windows, while DMDE and PhotoRec are both worth considering as alternatives for undeleting your data.

Via: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/06/how-to-restore-deleted-files-on-any-device/

Alright, have you caught your breath now? You’ll notice that there are options for every kind of operating system, so even if you’re doing work on your Android tablet and manage to royally screw up you should be relatively safe if you followed the steps in the article.

With this secret weapon in your back pocket you should be well on your way to moving up that corporate ladder.

Easily Restore Deleted Files? Of Course! is republished from Hard Drive Recovery Group Blog

Deal With Ransomware Attacks Like A Pro

There’s a new way to take hostages and it doesn’t involve your pets. Hackers now find a way onto your computer systems and hold your entire digital world for ransom. Unless you pay X amount of dollars by a certain time all your information is going to be deleted and you’ll lose that paper you were working on for your class or all your customer’s personal data will be made public. It seems no one is immune to these attacks but that doesn’t mean you have to be afraid of them. It’s important to know what to do to prepare and prevent ransomware from infiltrating your system and accessing your information:

You've likely heard all about "crypto ransomware," or simply "ransomware," a specific type of malware that attempts to hold your digital existence hostage by encrypting personal files and then offering decryption keys in exchange for payment. When the malware first takes root, it shows no outward signs that anything is wrong. Only after the malware does its nefarious work in the background are you presented with the ransom, typically via demands for Bitcoin or other forms of digital currency.

Some early ransomware was riddled with software bugs that made it possible to recover encrypted files that had been held hostage, but newer variants that use robust symmetric and asymmetric encryption are much more troublesome. (Symmetric encryption is typically used to rapidly scramble files, and the asymmetric encryption can then be applied to the original symmetric keys so data can only be recovered by cybercriminals with the appropriate private keys.)

Some of the latest ransomware variants are also designed to punish payment procrastination, and they double or triple their ransom demands as stipulated deadlines pass. The ransomware threat is very real, but proactive individuals and organizations can protect themselves.

Protection against ransomware attacks all about backups

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to duplicate corporate files, and regular, systematic backups are an effective strategy to combat ransomware. Of course, backups are useful only if they're created before a malware attack, so it's a good idea to immediately and regular backup important files.

Unfortunately, simple file backups aren't always enough. Some backup implementations are vulnerable to crypto malware, and backup archives can also be encrypted by cybercriminals. Some cloud-based file synchronization services replace good files with corrupted versions. So the capability to roll back to specific points in time for data recovery, and the duration of time backups are stored — as well as the amount of time and resources it takes to access stored files — should be crucial considerations for people and organizations that want to prevent ransomware complications.

Via: http://www.cio.com/article/3085164/backup-recovery/how-to-prepare-for-and-prevent-ransomware-attacks.html

There are three specific strategies that the article mentions such as using dedicated backup software, NAS backups and cloud backups. It’s important to read each strategy and determine which one works best for your life or business. You can prevent ransomware attacks if you are proactive instead of reactive.

Don’t get caught between a rock and a hard place. Cover your butt.  Your home life and your business will thank you for it.

The blog post Deal With Ransomware Attacks Like A Pro was originally published on http://www.harddriverecovery.org

Destroying Hard Drives 101: The Acid Test

Look at the news today and you’ll probably find at least half a dozen articles on a data breach somewhere. Between Sony, Ashley Madison and the Department of Homeland Security (ouch) it feels like no one is safe. I mean, if these big guys can’t keep your digital information safe how are you, average Joe/Jane supposed to do it?

Well there are ways to protect your data that you might not have thought of before. You can throw your hard drive in the ocean, you can smash it to pieces with a cinder block or you can just not store data digitally ever again. But there’s one other thing you might not have thought of before:

The more information you put online or in the digital space, the more opportunities there are for nefarious types to get at it. You can hardly go a day without reading about another massive data breach. How is the average person supposed to protect their sensitive documents and photos not of their genitals? Well, change your crappy password. Right now. It’s bad. Second, destroy, physically destroy hard drives containing sensitive information before disposing of them. You could use a hammer, but why not acid?

YouTuber NurdRage is here to help. In his latest video, the voice-modulated scientist shows us what will happen to a hard drive when placed in hydrochloric and nitric acids. Hydrochloric acid is nasty stuff. It’s the reason why your stomach lining has to be replaced every few days. It will get through most materials. The strong acid makes short work of the hard drive motor and casing, but the platter remained intact. So NurdRage decided to put the platter in both hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. The former handled the aluminum in the platter and the latter erased the thin film of data from the disk. Problem solved.

Via: http://nerdist.com/no-one-can-read-your-hard-drive-if-you-destroy-it-with-acid/

How bad-ass is that? Bet you never thought of melting your no-longer-relevant hard drive with acid. If that doesn’t scream evil genius I’m not sure what will.

The important thing to remember is that you are responsible for your own information. If you don’t want people to potentially get their hot little hands on your discarded data you need to do everything you can to keep it safe.

If you’re going to go the route of using acid to remove traces of your data you may want to make sure you have the proper safety training and equipment on hand. You don’t want to end up in the hospital for burning off your fingers because you were trying to erase proof of your embarrassing high school photos.

So be smart and safe about it. Okay, now we’re done acting like your mom.

 

The following blog article Destroying Hard Drives 101: The Acid Test See more on: HDRG Blog

Data Recovery Tools You Should Look To

There’s nothing worse than spending four hours on a final assignment for school or an important project for a big client than having your data suddenly disappear. This is a common issue and it affects more people than you’d think. It’s important to ensure that you’re backing up your data and there are several ways to do that. Some options include regular backups to a cloud program or scheduled backups to an external hard drive.

There is an important thing to remember though: there are essentially two types of hard drive failure (read more here: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/hard-drive-failure.html) and not all options work for both.

You’ve got your logistical failure which means a program or software is no longer working the way it’s supposed to. This can corrupt your data and make it hard to read. If this is the case, check out these programs that can help you recover what you’ve lost:

Data recovery can be an expensive business, which is why it's no substitute for backing up your key documents, photos and other data on a regular basis. But that's of little comfort to anyone – even those with good backup regimens – who suddenly find themselves confronted by the stomach-churning feeling of data loss.

As soon as you've become aware of data loss, it's critical you stop using the drive affected immediately. Whether the drive itself is failing or you've simply deleted a file accidentally, this is the golden moment when you may be able to get your data back without an expensive purchase or trip to a data recovery specialist.

We've cherry-picked five of the best free data recovery tools in the business. Just pick the one closest to your requirements and with a bit of luck (and no small measure of help from the app involved), you could yet save your files.

1. DMDE Free Edition

The most effective way to recover files from a dead hard drive

Our favourite free data recovery tool is often overlooked. DMDE Free Edition scores major points because it's capable of recovering data from a wide array of drives, including 2TB+ drives rescued from a fried external drive enclosure with proprietary formatting (it's a long story).

Via: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/best-free-data-recovery-tools-1321723

There are four other programs in the list aside from DMDE. Recuva, which is great for recovering those files you accidentally delete from your recycle bin, PhotoRec, which assists in the recovery of all types of file formats, MiniTool Partition Recovery Free, which can help recovery an entire drive or partition and finally Paragon Rescue Kit 14 Free Edition (say that ten times fast) which can help you if you’re having issues booting Windows.

All of these programs have an extensive list of pros, but remember we said earlier there are two types of failures?

The second type of failure is a physical failure. This means that a physical part of your hard drive is broken. These software programs aren’t going to help you recover anything if it’s a physical failure. You can identify a physical failure by the sounds your hard drive is making. Does it sound like it’s clicking? Maybe it’s making a whirring sound. These are signs of a physical failure and you’d be doing yourself a favor if you checked out what not to do in the event of a physical failure before downloading a bunch of programs that won’t help you.

In the meantime, happy computing and don’t forget to back up your work!

Data Recovery Tools You Should Look To See more on: Hard Drive Recovery Group Blog

Here’s A Quick Way To Speed Up Your Computer

It’s agony to wait. Whether you’re waiting for the next episode of your favorite show to come on, waiting for your food to finish cooking or waiting for your computer to just turn on, it can feel like torture.

No one likes waiting and people are getting more and more impatient than they ever have before. They want to be able to find the answer to their question five minutes ago not five minutes later. Admit it. You may just be one of those people.

Computers require maintenance and if you use something often enough you are going to be faced with wear and tear. This is going to lead to a loss in speed. Which sucks.

You might think that you need to buy a new computer every two years or so because technology is advancing and you need a new one to keep up and keep those speeds where you like them. This is where you’d be wrong:

No matter how much money you spend on a computer, if you don’t maintain it regularly, it can become noticeably slower in a fairly short period of time.

Properly maintained, there’s no reason your computer shouldn’t perform reasonably for at least five or six years, if not longer.

Keep in mind that the more time you spend on the internet, the more your computer is exposed to unwanted programs and malware that can have a big impact on your machine’s performance.

There are plenty of do-it-yourself steps you can take to help improve performance, but if those don’t yield the kind of improvement you’re looking for, having you computer serviced instead of replacing it will still be your best bet.

Start with boot times

Start your evaluation with the length of time it takes your system to boot up from a cold start. The longer it takes, the more likely your computer has been loaded with programs that have inserted themselves into your startup routine.

Not only does this cause your computer to take forever to start, it hogs up valuable working memory (RAM), which makes everything slower.

You can do a quick test by opening the MSConfig utility and switching to the “Diagnostic startup” mode, which tells the computer to only load the basic necessities at the startup.

Via: http://wtop.com/consumer-tech/2016/06/column-tips-speeding-computer/

Also, have you ever heard of defragmenting your hard disk? It’s a super easy process that you can access through the Windows Disk Cleanup utility. You should probably do that at least once a month. It’ll definitely help get rid of all those files that you don’t use.

Warning: do not defragment your SSD drive... For one, it is not necessary. Also, an SSD drive accesses all data directly, and isn't subject to the same access issues that a regular HDD is. The main reason you want to avoid this is that SSD drives, if continually exposed to writing and re-writing (exactly what a defragment does), will fail. Read more about this here: http://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/recovering-from-ssd-failure/

These are all simple steps that anyone with super basic computer knowledge can do. If you aren’t sure if you’re running the right tools you can ask someone you know to show you how. Once you get in a routine you’ll be able to keep your system running smooth and quick, just like you wanted.

Isn’t it nice to not have to wait fifteen minutes for a cat video to load?

The following blog article Here’s A Quick Way To Speed Up Your Computer was originally published to The Hard Drive Recovery Group Blog

Laser Data Storage: The Future Is Now!

We are a generation of impatient people. We want everything, at our fingertips, as of thirty seconds ago, without expending a lot of energy to get it done. It’s not that we’re lazy; it’s that we’re constantly looking for ways to make our lives more efficient. No one remembers random facts of knowledge any more when it’s that much faster to just ‘Google it’.

Storing and retrieving our data needs to follow the same vein; it needs to be fast and easy. There has been some research into making the process faster for us and one of the surprising tools used to achieve this is: lasers.

Not shooting-out-of-your-eyes lasers but lasers nonetheless. Read on about how this came about:

As we use more and more data every year, where will we have room to store it all? Our rapidly increasing demand for web apps, file sharing and social networking, among other services, relies on information storage in the "cloud" – always-on Internet-connected remote servers that store, manage and process data. This in turn has led to a pressing need for faster, smaller and more energy-efficient devices to perform those cloud tasks.

Two of the three key elements of cloud computing, microchips and communications connections, are getting ever faster, smaller and more efficient. My research activity has implications for the third: data storage on hard drives.

Computers process data, at its most fundamental level, in ones and zeroes. Hard disks store information by changing the local magnetization in a small region of the disk: its direction up or down corresponds to a "1" or "0" value in binary machine language.

The smaller the area of a disk needed to store a piece of information, the more information can be stored in a given space. A way to store information in a particularly tiny area is by taking advantage of the fact that individual electrons possess magnetization, which is called their spin. The research field of spin electronics, or "spintronics," works on developing the ability to control the direction of electrons' spins in a faster and more energy efficient way.

Shining light on magnets

I work to control electrons' spins using extremely short laser pulses – one quadrillionth of a second in duration, or one "femtosecond." Beyond just enabling smaller storage, lasers allow dramatically faster storage and retrieval of data. The speed comparison between today's technology and femtosecond spintronics is like comparing the fastest bullet train on Earth to the speed of light.

In addition, if the all-optical method is used to store information in materials that are transparent to light, little or no heating occurs – a huge benefit given the economic and environmental costs presented by the need for massive data-center cooling systems.

Via: http://phys.org/news/2016-06-lasers-storage-faster.html

Seriously, is that not cool or what? It’s good for the environment, helps with our increasingly real struggle of finding actual space for all our data. It’s a process that would obviously occur behind the scenes but you’d get to imagine the tiny lasers hard at work storing all your important data.

In the meantime, we're still working with good ol' platter and spindle and the fairly new SSD drives. Times are changing, but maybe not fast enough!

Laser Data Storage: The Future Is Now! was initially published on HDRG Blog