How to fix Data Recovery

Disk imaging basically means copying the entire contents of a data storage device or data storage medium and shifting it onto a similar device or medium. In other words, data imaging involves creating a duplicate copy of the hard disk drive including not just the data but also the programs, setup data and so on. This information is compressed and stored in a special file format.

The Purpose Of Disk Imaging
Disk imaging attempts to provide a quick and reliable duplicate of the data as well as the system of a computer. This proves extremely useful in the event of loss of data due to a disk crash. A disk crash could occur due to a virus attack or any other accident and in such a scenario; a replica of the crashed system is extremely useful for effective data recovery.

Disk imaging is also useful when a system set-up needs to be duplicated onto another computer for installation or when it has to be moved to another hard drive. As disk imaging creates back-ups of not just the data but also the configuration and system, it is extremely helpful in such a scenario.

Disk imaging software actually creates an entire ‘image’ of the computer system with its structure, software, registry programs and so on. Data recovery with this disk is easily facilitated as it can be used for smooth reinstallation of the system in the event of a crash. The otherwise complicated procedure of installing software and resetting the settings etc can be adroitly avoided with the help of disk imaging.

Disk imaging software is also beneficial for systems administrators in charge of several computers with similar configurations. Transferring data and system configuration information can be easily carried out by creating a replica of one computer system and installing it onto the other computers.

How Does Disk Imaging Help In Data Recovery
With disk imaging software, an exact replica or an exact ‘image’ of the disk at a particular point of time is taken. In case the data is lost from the system due to any catastrophe such as a virus attack, system failure and so on, data recovery is made extremely simple with the help of the disk image. The disk image makes a copy of the file systems and partition tables. Disk imaging also involves the creation of a Ghost Image where even the minor details regarding the operating system, the device drivers and the system settings are included in the disk image. Data recovery carried out with the ghost image thus helps in restoring the crashed disc to the exact system configuration and desktop as it was before.

How Can A Disk Image Be Created
Disk imaging is an essential tool for data recovery and in the event of system failure; it can be used many a time to recreate the entire storage device to what it was at the time of crash. It is thus a very popular method of data recovery.

Disk images are usually created with the help of specialized software. Such software is easily available on the Internet and can be downloaded. Software in the form of freeware and shareware is available on the Internet and in certain cases; limited edition trialware can also be downloaded. The disk image has to be stored on a separate media from the one that is being protected from loss of data. Disk imaging usually results in a large file consisting of several megabytes of data. Ideally the disk image should be stored on a removable storage media such as CDs or DVDs.

Data recovery from the disk image of the stored data is usually done with the help of the same software that was used to create the disk image. Clear cut instructions for data recovery are usually specified in the manuals of the disk imaging software. One of the most popular disk imaging software is the Norton Ghost created by the Symantec Corporation.

Although there are many reasons for data to get corrupted or lost, there are as many or more methods to effectively recover the lost data. Let us initially discuss the ways in which a MS word file could get corrupted and the effective methods of data recovery.

Data Recovery For MS Word Files
A word file usually gets corrupted due to various reasons such as power fluctuations, software crashes, unexpected system shutdown, virus attacks and numerous other such reasons. MS Word comes equipped with an in-built recovery utility which can be utilized to recover files which have only minor corruptions. MS Word also has a facility whereby a backup copy of the work is created each time a file is saved. This backup file can be easily accessed in case the .doc file is damaged or corrupted.

For example, assume you are working on a file abc.doc after enabling the backup option. Automatically a backup option of the file called “Backup copy of abc.doc” gets created. In case there is any corruption to the .doc file, the backup file can be accessed.

This option can be enabled with the following steps:

Click Tools > Options and click the Save tab. Select the Always Create Backup Copy checkbox.

AutoRecover Utility Of Office XP
The AutoRecover feature that is present in Office XP is extremely useful for data recovery. This utility constantly saves the data that you are working on. The next time the application is opened, MS Word restores the data that has been saved last and provides the recovered file. A “Document Recovery Window” with the list of recovered files is opened on the left side of the document screen. Double click the appropriate file or right click and select Save to save the file.

Third party utilities such as Kernel Word Recovery are extremely beneficial for easier and more cost effective data recovery. A Demo version of the Kernel Word Recovery software can be downloaded for free to evaluate the functionality and features of the software. This software supports data recovery of files from Word 97, 2000, 2002, 2003, XP.

Data Recovery For MS Excel Files
Data recovery of lost or deleted Excel files can be effectively carried out by making use of the inbuilt recovery utilities of MS Excel. The Excel files normally get corrupted due to virus attacks, registry corruptions, power failures etc. and the in-built recovery procedures of MS Excel are effective in recovering the data in most of the cases. In the event of corruption of an Excel (xls) file due to power failure or unexpected system failure, MS Excel displays a Document Recovery window, whenever the application is next launched. You can select the file that you require and the last saved data will be instantly recovered.
The manual process of recovery can be carried out if the file is not automatically recovered by MS Excel in the following way.

Open a new Excel worksheet and select Open option from the File menu. Click on the .xls file that you wish to open in the Open dialogue box and select Open and Repair option. Click on the Repair button to initiate the recovery process. The Extract Data button can be used to extract data if MS Excel was unable to repair a previous workbook.

Other methods of data recovery include saving a backup copy, opening the file in MS Word or notepad, opening the file on another computer system or hard disk and also using third party utilities. Third party utilities such as Kernel Recovery for Excel can be effectively utilized to repair and recover data and .xls files. This utility supports recovery of data from most versions of MS Excel including MS Excel 2003, 2000, 97, and XP.

Laptops are still considered rather unreliable when it comes to suddenly dying on you. Really, you never know when a laptop will die and never start up again. The best thing to do to avoid losing the data stored on your laptop is to back up the data onto a flash drive, CD, or separate, safe hard drive. Because laptop hard drives can become scratched from the moving of the laptop while the computer is writing on the hard drive, the damage may lead to a hard drive failure. In the case that you are missing files or information that you did not in fact back up , if your laptop hard drive dies due to hard drive failure, then there’s nothing you can do to get your data back. However, if your laptop is simply dead (battery problems, or something related to that), then do not despair-that information is not lost forever! It is, in fact, possible to retrieve old data out of a dead laptop. Read on to learn how!

The first thing you will need to do is buy a Laptop Hard Drive Adaptor Kit; this will enable you to plug the hard drive of your laptop into a normal desktop PC. Next, you need a functioning desktop PC that is able to read the file system of the laptop that died. A NTFS or FAT file system can be read by both Windows (2000 or XP) and Linux; however, if your laptop uses the EXT3 file system, then only a Linux desktop will do. Plug in your laptop hard drive to the adapter, and then plug the adapter into your computer as a second hard drive disk. You should now be able to access the information in the laptop hard drive by using windows Explorer on the desktop PC. Open up the folder that contains the files connected by the adapter, and you will have found your missing laptop files! Drag the ones you want and drop them into a folder on your desktop computer. This way, you have recovered lost laptop information!

There is, however, a second method to retrieve data from the hard drive of a dead laptop, in the case that the first method does not work out. For the alternative method, you will need to buy a 2.5″ universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 or a Firewire drive enclosure. Next, you need to find a working desktop PC with an open Firewire or USB port (depending on which one you chose to use) and plug in the cable. Be sure, as above, that you are using a desktop computer that can read the file system of the laptop. Next, wait for the tones emitted by the PC, and then you can move the data from the laptop drive to the main hard drive of the desktop PC.

What’s nice about this is that the laptop hard drive disk can now be used as a second hard drive disk for the desktop PC. And in addition to that, you’ve recovered all the info you needed from the laptop hard drive!

The feeling that you get when you accidentally loose an important file is not one that most of us want to experience. No matter if you are the culprit, or your hard drive crashes or nasty spyware takes over your computer, the result is the same. You’ve lost your file and you desperately need to get it back. Whether you’re on a deadline or you just don’t want to lose that important file, quick action is essential to restoring it.

In the hours directly following an accidental deletion, the odds are very high that you will be able to restore the file. The longer you wait, the worse your chances get of ever finding it again. While all of us know how important it is to make backups, it can be easy to forget or you may not have time. No matter what your situation is, data recovery software can make it much easier to get your file back.

You can use most file recovery programs on a CD, DVD or even a USB drive. This is very helpful if you also lost a back up, or deleted a file that had not yet been transferred to your computer. This type of software can really be a life saver in this situation.

Although you can purchase data recovery software after the fact, it makes a lot more sense to have one on hand. This will help your chances at finding the file and make it easier to restore it completely. Once you have your data recovery software in place, it will begin searching for your lost file.

The File Recovery Process

The first place it will look is the recycle bin on your computer. If you just hit the delete key, the odds are pretty high that the file can be found in here. If you’re missing a Word file, the backup that Word automatically creates may also be found in this folder. After it has scanned the bin, it will move on to other likely locations.

The tool will then begin scanning your hard drive to see if it can find your data. Most software packages will allow you to view the process, which is a lot better than biting your nails and wondering. You’ll be able to watch the scan in real time as it looks for your file.

At this stage, if the file can be found, you’ll be able to access it. Keep in mind that only a partial copy may be able to be restored, but this is better than losing the entire file. Once you have the file found, immediately make a back up of it. Then, you can easily get back to work.

Data recovery software is a vital tool for any computer owner. We all make mistakes, and as spyware becomes more prevalent, it can be really easy to lose your important data. Don’t wait for a disaster to occur before you start thinking about it. Find a data recovery software tool today while you have the luxury of seeing which one will be best suited for your needs.

While ideally, all data files would be backed up on a different disk whenever they are created, this is not exactly a practical method for using a computer. Backing up data is still extremely essential, however, since that’s the only way that you’ll guarantee a complete recovery of the files that you had in case the hard drive dies, or the files are lost in other ways. If the hard drive of the computer completely dies on you, there is no way at all to save all your files except to have backed them up beforehand-thus, it is very important to back up all important files, and all files that you will need in the future.

However, in the case that it was not hard drive failure that caused your files to disappear (for instance, if you accidentally deleted it in a manner that it bypassed the Recycle Bin), then you may need a piece of data recovery software in order to recover your data. However, data recovery software has its pros and cons. The good thing is that this software will be able to locate all of the files still remaining in your unused hard disk space; the bad thing is that unless you have an experienced computer technician helping you (or you are an experienced computer technician), then it’s possible for your to make the problem even worse.

How is this possible? Well, there are certain times when you should never attempt to use a data recovery software. This includes instances where the hard drive has been physically affected to damaged; in that case, you will want to take the computer to a technician to see if anything can be done. Also, do not attempt to use data recovery software in the case that the hard disk is making clicking sounds when it reads the drive-this means that damage is likely being done to your hard disk. Moreover, if the hard disk is making strange noises or getting very hot, do NOT attempt to install recovery software-take it to a professional. If the computer hangs when you’re reading the hard disk drive, then there is a problem with the hard disk and running data recovery software is not recommended. These instances are in cases that the hard disk is damaged, corrupted, or being damaged-in case of such physical issues, do not attempt to install new software.

Also, when you do install data recovery software, do not install it on the same hard disk from which you’re trying to recover files, as the installed software might overwrite the files you’re trying to recover. Instead, install the software on a hard disk connected by USB, or onto a CD-something other than the hard disk you’re using! Data recovery software is recommended if you have a clone of your hard disk drive, or when you’ve deleted files or had a virus that damaged files. It can also be used after your drive has been formatted. However, again, be sure not to install or use data recovery software when your hard drive has been physically damaged.

Sometimes, though we don’t realize it, it’s pretty important to back up our email files. In case something happens, such as your deleting an email that was more important than you believed, you want to be able to access the email again-but it’s gone! There are many ways to lose email and the contacts from your Address Book; however, if you’re using Microsoft Outlook, that problem may be remedied. While this step-by-step process doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you can recover everything (or anything), it’s definitely worth a shot; I’ve used it successfully a few times. However, this method only works for Outlook Express, as far as I know.

First, you want to be able to view hidden files and folders. To do so, click on My Computer (from the Start Menu or your Desktop) and then click on the Tools drop-down menu at the top of the screen. From the list, choose Folder Options, and click on the view tab; then, scroll all the way down and uncheck the “do not show hidden files and folders” and check “Show hidden files and folders”. Also, remove the check from the “Hide extensions for known file types”, and then click Apply.

After enabling the viewing of hidden files and folders, you need to go to Documents and Settings on the C drive, and click on it (this only applies to Windows XP). Find your username and double click it, and then click on Local Settings, and then Application Data. Here, you should find a listing for Identities (may be hidden file or folder, so it’s slightly transparent and grayed out). If the identities are not there for some reason, click Microsoft, and then Outlook Express, and the identities should appear.

The number of identity folders that your computer has will vary-some have only one or two, while others have much more (ten, fifteen). If you have many folders, it’ll be easier to find which identity folder will be correct. Open each Identity file and search for all the folders; if they’re not listed, then you have the wrong identity file. Click on different identity folders until you find the one with all of the folders; then, write down the numbers for that Identity. Then, close everything and open up Outlook Express and, from the drop-down file menu, select “Import”. Then, highlight messages. Choose the program that contains your lost messages. If you are using Microsoft Outlook Express 6, you will need to select Outlook Express 6 as your program, and then click Next. Now, you have to use browse to select the Identity folder with all your folders, and once you’ve found the correct folder, Outlook Express should then import all the folders and messages, and you can now read them!

However, if this doesn’t work, you can go to My Documents and create a folder, and go back to the Identity location where the missing email folders are. Select all the files, and copy and paste into the newly created folder, and try to import again, but this time select “Import mail from an OE6 store directory”. This should work, and you will have your email messages back!

Computers are usually fairly reliable, and files stored on them are relatively safe-however, it’s very essential to back up your files, just in case. If you are certain that your files have been deleted, then don’t worry! Your files can be found once again if you use the appropriate file recovery software. As long as quickly take steps to remedy it once you find that the files are missing, then you will most likely be successful. Even if your files have been overwritten or corrupted, or if you’ve lost the files but don’t know how that happened, it should still be possible to recover your lost files.

We’re going to focus mostly on deleted files. If you deleted a file, it is usually not erased from the hard disk-it’s instead moved to the Recycle Bin. If the file is in the recycle bin, it can be recovered with very little problem at all, so the first place that you’ll ever want to look for a deleted file is the Recycle Bin. However, if you’ve emptied out the Recycle Bin, or somehow deleted the file to bypass the bin, don’t panic, because the file will usually still be recoverable. When you delete a file from the Recycle Bin, then that clears up disk space for you to use; however, since you don’t immediately need or reuse that disk space, the file that you deleted from the Recycle Bin will still be there, unless you’ve used up the space it occupied. Thus, unless the disk space is reused, the data that used to exist there (or the file you’re looking for) will most likely still be intact.

There’s a common misconception that the “System Restore” program will recover deleted files, but this is untrue. System Restore will help you restore system files back to its original state (which is useful when an update of software, or an installation, has had an unpleasant effect on the system), but it will not change your files, because it would be quite irritating if you used System Restore, and then it removed all of your newly created documents, letters, and files, and recovered the old ones to restore the computer to the state it was in a few days ago. That would be no help at all!

Unless your hard disk was erased, the chances of recovery are pretty high as long as you are trying to recover a fairly recent file and have not yet used up the once-occupied file space. However, the chances of recovery decrease the longer you leave the file deleted, because you’ll be more likely to have used up the disk space; also, if you have done a disk defragmentation since the file has been deleted, the chances for recovery are severely decreased. In order to undelete the file, you will need to use a third-party recovery software (not included with Windows) such as DiskInternals Uneraser, which is a very powerful program that has a viewer that allows you to see recoverable files before recovering them. Using this, you should be able to successfully recover your lost files, given that not too much time has passed.

Digital photos are becoming more common these days as digital cameras allow people to skip out on film. However, digital photos require storing on the computer, and that’s a generally less safe option than film, because film is physical and is sure to be there. Unfortunately, therefore, digital prints can end up lost or accidentally deleted. Because the digital camera stores only one copy of the pictures, you want to copy, not cut, pictures out of the camera; this way, you’ll have a set of backup files still in the camera in case you mess up a bit in real life, and delete something accidentally.

If, however, you do end up losing a few of the pictures, and you want to get them back, the process isn’t actually so bad. If you accidentally deleted a picture while going through and looking at your pictures, the photo should be in the Recycling Bin when you first go look for it. When deleting, always change your settings to delete into the Recycling Bin; in the future, in case something goes wrong with deletion, there is at least a way for recovery. If for some reason, the photos are not on the hard disk, you can use certain software such as Flash Recovery in order to find it again. If you delete the file by accident and it’s not on the recycling bin, you can use the separate software known as Uneraser to recover the file.

Sometimes, however, you burn an image to a CD and, for some reason, the CD can no longer be read. This happens when the CD is corrupted or perhaps the burning of the CD did not work very well, or the file system makes the CD unreadable due to the software. In any case, if you are burning a CD of digital images, it is best to burn one full disk at a time; otherwise, you run a greater risk of corrupting the compact disc.

But don’t worry-just because your CD is corrupt does not mean that your files are not recoverable or lost forever. Indeed, there are plenty of programs that allow you to recover files from a broken CD. A CD and DVD recovery tool such as CD & DVD Recovery is specialized for reading the file system on the compact disc, and can bypass the many problems that usually occur and keep Windows from accessing the CD files. In this way, this software is more likely to find lost images, and thus more likely to recover them without corrupting them.

However, it’s really best to avoid this problem with CDs in the future-if you have photos that you value a lot, burn two copies and don’t delete them from the computer until you make certain that both copies work. Try to burn one CD at a time, and not multiple session CDs. Also, don’t use rewritable CDs, because those are more easily corrupted. While photo recovery may be fairly simple with the right software, you can’t guarantee a recovery-so avoid the problem in the first place!

Data loss and the subsequent hassles of retrieving the lost data is every person’s nightmare. Although storing data on your computer may seem the optimal solution, there is always a chance that an accident may happen and all of your data may be lost. It is here that data recovery and its many tools play an important role.

Basic Causes For Data Loss
The most commonly stated causes for total loss of data are:

• Operating system failure
• Mechanical malfunctioning of the hard drive and
• Software failure

An operating system failure is shown as a failure in recognizing the operating system and is manifested at startup as a Disk Boot Failure error message. To rectify this problem, boot your PC from the floppy disc or CD. Once the A:> prompt appears on your screen, change drives by switching to C: and list the data on your hard drive by entering “dir”. Take a backup of any critical data and then reinstall your operating system.

Generally mechanical malfunctioning of the hard drive gives warning signals by making unexpected noises in the process of data access. Such a situation is normally due to mechanical failure of any one of the components of the hard drive. When this happens, data recovery should be undertaken by the manufacturer rather than attempting to service the machine yourself.

Software failure is usually a problem with the software that is connected to the hard drive which is commonly caused because the backup battery on the motherboard dies. The settings on the PC that control the hard drive are lost. Data recovery in this case can be done by replacing the battery on the motherboard and then manually re-entering the settings at boot-up.

How Can Data Recovery Be Done Effectively
Data recovery is a specialized process which has to be carried out with the correct techniques as well as the right software and hardware. In almost 90% to 100% of the cases, there is complete recovery of lost data from a defective hard drive. If the fault lies with the electronic control panel, it can be easily rectified by replacing it. Data recovery is slightly more difficult in the case of a mechanical fault. Any problem related to the file system is recoverable using data recovery software. If there is any physical damage to the drives, they will need to be sent to a specialist for recovery.

Helpful Tips For Effective Data Recovery

• Use recognized software tools for data recovery. Make enquiries about the proper software either through friends or with online research on Google on data recovery software.

• Hard disk irregularities which are manifested as unusual or rattling sounds may need data recovery services of specialists.

• In the event of a hardware crash, never try to save or recover the data as this may lead to loss of other saved data as well. Instead, try normal shut down procedures or pull out the plug.

• Slave disks: By connecting the drive as a slave to another system, it may be possible to recover the entire data.

• Try and locate corrupted partitions with the help of the F disk command or by booting from the floppy or CD drive.

• In the event of a server crash, it is not advisable to recover data on the same server.

• If database files of SQL or Microsoft Exchange are corrupted, do not attempt data recovery on the corrupted files. Instead, make a copy of the database files and then carry out recovery of data.

If you have experienced data loss, don’t panic.  Chances are good that you can recover most if not all of your data with a data recovery software program.  Or, if all else fails take your system to a data recovery services specialist.