Data Doctor Recovery

Archive for April, 2009

Carbonite Online Backup clients will be able to get to their online backup from anywhere they can a computer connected to the internet using the new remote file access capability. This tool gives an added level of convenience by permiting you to safely and securely retrieve single files from the Carbonite site. This capability should be available for use as of March 16th.

The Carbonite Online Backup solution over the previous 12 months has advanced its value proposal, by adding additional up-to-the-minute features including a searchable restore drive. Therefore, they will be raising the price of their backup solution and services beside the introduction of the remote file access facility. (Can prices remain the same perpetually? I wish they could! But it looks like they can’t.)

A summary of the new prices are provided below:

- 1 year: $54.95

- 2 year: $99.95

- 3 year: $129.95

Even with the new higher prices, the solution provides an affordable service. Looking at the numbers, the service only went up $5 per year.

Carbonite for Mac is the backup solution for Mac users. Once again the service provides unlimited backup space for the same prices above. Carbonite for Mac like Carbonite for Windows – you just set it and forget it. The Carbonite application runs quietly and unobtrusively in the background, automatically backing up your important emails, documents, photos and other files.

Carbonite for Mac officially launched on March 16th. That concludes the new developments for March. Following is some answers to frequently asked question about the carbonite online backup.

Carbonite online backup uses a blend of encryption methods, with similarity to those utilized by financial institutions – for instance banks, to guard their data. Prior to your data leaving your PC, files are encrypted two times and only then do they leave your computer. Once your files reach the server, they continue in the encrypted state on their servers, producing a virtually impossible environment by which anyone can gain access to your files without your private password. The option is open for a user to provide a personal encryption key.

Carbonite archives all of the files in your Documents and Settings folder (called Users in Windows Vista), including documents, pictures, email and other information files from applications, such as tax apps, accounting programs, etc. When you purchase subscription, music is also added to the list of archive allowable files. Programs, system files, temporary files, videos, or individual files greater than four gigabytes are not included in the default backup. However, you can manually add any of these files to your Carbonite Online Backup when you desire.

S2s Ltd is a UK provider of network consulting and implementation services
that needed data protection to ensure business continuity, even in the event of a server breakdown.
s2s was previously using disk-to-tape to back up all the various systems the business was running on.
Backing up and recovering data was not only a very complicated and time-consuming process, it was also very unreliable. When retrieving data
from the tapes, once they had been delivered back to s2s, a lot of the data from the tapes was irretrievable.
SecurStore’s online solution automatically transfers data offsite in real-time, eliminating the risk of having backups located onsite in case of a disaster or loss of data during transportation to an offsite location. Data is transmitted and stored offsite in a state of the art data centre on a reliable disk subsystem, which is in turn duplicated and backed up onto a second disk sub-system located apart from the primary disk sub-system.
Due to the nature of the business, s2s runs on a variety of operating systems. Most of its servers are Linux-based and some of them are Mac-based,
because many s2s employees use Apple Macintosh machines. It also has the obligatory Windows applications and operates with a SAN architecture. SecurStore also needed to take into account the fact that most of the s2s servers are virtualised and that s2s already had a NAS (network-attached storage) system in place.
The backup service uses many defense mechanisms, such as strong
authentication, data encryption, password protection and client and
system side log legitimate users at s2s to perform a data recovery
when needed.
SecurStore backs up the critical data of s2s (120GB) online on a continual basis, so that from the moment a server goes down, all the data can
be quickly retrieved online. The remaining less critical 80GB of data is either backed up to SecurStore’s Backup Lifecycle Management (BLM) offline service, or backed up by the outsourced provider.

SecurStore is suitable for businesses that need to protect data from a few gigabytes to terabytes. The service ensures that any data held on PCs, Macintosh computers, file servers and application/database servers is securely backed up. SecurStore supports many platforms including Windows
NT/2000/2003/XP along with AS-400 iSeries, Unix and Linux. SecurStore can also protect a wide range of databases including Oracle, SQL, Exchange, Lotus Notes and DB2.

There’s nothing worse for mobile phone users than to realize that they have lost data from the Sim card on their phones. They may, for example, have deleted text messages that they wanted to keep by accident or before they’ve actually read them. They could also simply have deleted the contacts in their phone book by mistake.

Your Sim card, however, holds a lot more information than this. It also, for example, is home to its own key details including an ID number and an IMISI (International Mobile Service Identity) number amongst other data all of which you may need at some point or other.

The most commonly used option when it comes to recovering data from your Sim card is specially designed software and/or a USB based Sim card reader. This solution works by allowing you to hook your phone up to your computer. The software involved then lists all of your relevant data for you to manage and restore as necessary.

This kind of solution, for example, doesn’t just tell you what is currently contained on your Sim card. It can also give you access to stuff (such as text messages) that you have deleted from your phone. So, you can find and restore all kinds of stuff that you may originally have thought was gone forever.

Some solutions here may need you to buy a separate software package and Sim card reader. In some cases it is also possible to buy a stand-alone Sim card USB reader that has software combined with it. Both options tend to offer the same types of solutions in the end.

This kind of data recovery solution also has other advantages that you may find useful. It can, in some cases, allow you to create data back ups and to manage the information that appears on your phone quickly and effectively. You can also use it to set up phone book contacts in many cases which can save time when compared to doing this on your mobile itself.

Some options here will also allow you to set security features on your phone such as fixed number dialing. This makes sure that the Sim is programmed to only call phone numbers that you have pre-selected and approved. This can be useful if you are worried about losing your phone or having it stolen and it can also be handy if you are giving your child a phone but want to restrict their spending/who they call.

Before buying this kind of solution you should put some thought into finding a solution that works. Not every all in one Sim card reader/software solution will work with every model of mobile phone so it is important to make sure that any reader that you use is handset compatible before you buy it.

The software here is less of an issue. All you need to do here is to make sure that you buy a program that will work on your own computer. If the card reader hooks up to your phone OK and works with the software then you’ll be up and running virtually instantly.

Sometimes we do stuff on our computers that we don’t actually mean to do. We press the wrong button or stop concentrating and then everything just goes wrong for us. A lot of the time this doesn’t actually harm our machines but it can cause us headaches.

One of the most common mistakes made by computer users is to delete the wrong file. This is real easy to do. You might, for example, have been working on multiple versions of a specific document and decide to erase the versions that you no longer need. Next thing you know you’ve deleted the version you wanted to keep by accident!

This isn’t, however, the end of the world and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go back and do all of your work again to get the document back up to scratch. The first thing you need to do here is to try and recover your document because the chances are it is still stored somewhere on your machine where you cannot find it without a bit of extra help.

Tip #1 — Go to your Recycle Bin as the chances are your document has been sent there for storage before actual deletion. If you can see the relevant file there then all you have to do is to highlight it and then click on Restore. Your file will then go back to its original location as if nothing bad had happened to it!

Tip #2 — If you find that you have already been real efficient and emptied your Recycle Bin then don’t despair! This doesn’t mean that your file has gone forever. It will be stored somewhere on your computer but it won’t have the normal ‘links’ so you just have to figure out a different way of finding it. In most cases the easiest way to do this is to buy a software program that is designed to find lost and erased files. Load the software on to your machine, set it off and it will give you a list of deleted files and allow you to restore the ones that you want.

Tip #3 — If things have gone a step further and/or if your file deletion occurred because of a physical problem with a component such as your hard disk then a software fix may work or it may not. If things are real bad and you cannot even get into your operating system never mind open any file then you may need to use a data recovery company or a computer expert to help you out here.

In the majority of cases there will be a fix for a deleted file problem. Sometimes this will simply take you a couple of minutes to sort out. Other times, you may need expert help to get your whole system up and running again. In either case, don’t give up on finding your file until you absolutely have to as the chances are it’s hiding somewhere on your PC!

If you use a digital camera (and so many of us do nowadays) then you will usually store the photographs that you take on a memory card that sits in your actual camera itself. These cameras offer great storage opportunities for us and easy and quick ways to transfer pictures on to our computers.

But, it is all too easy to accidentally re-format your memory card here when you are managing the photos it has stored on it and to erase all of your previous photos. This can be quite distressing when it happens. After all, many of the photos that we take have some form of sentimental value for us and the last thing we want to do is to lose them by mistake.

You may already realize that accidentally deleting a file from your computer does not mean that it is gone forever but you may not realize that the same often applies to portable storage media such as these digital camera cards. So, even if you delete stored photos by mistake then the chances are you will be able to get them back again.

The important thing to remember here is that whilst reformatting your memory card makes it look like all of your previous photos are gone forever, they may actually still be there. This kind of file deletion often simply removes the link to a file but not the file itself which is still stored on the card even though you may not be able to see it.

The simplest way to find out if you can get your photos back in this instance is to use specially designed data recovery software. These programs simply need to be loaded on to your computer and set to run (do remember that you need your memory card hooked up to your PC at the same time).

The software here will simply scan the card and give you a list of all the data that is contained on it. In many cases this means that you can find lost photos and then restore them and access them once again. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes with most software programs here.

You have various choices when it comes to choosing the right software solution in this kind of circumstance. Some programs, for example, will offer data recovery options that cover all kinds of data loss from deleted files on your PC through to lost files on portable storage media.

Or you may prefer to use a program that is specially designed just to deal with this kind of problem. Some software programs, for example, are designed to purely help you find lost media files such as digital photos.

The choice you make here isn’t, to be honest, as important as getting your lost photos back. As long as you choose a package that has the capacity to do this then the chances are that you and your precious photos will be reunited really soon!

Accidentally deleting a file can be a pain — we obviously don’t mean to do this but it happens all the time. And, it always seems to happen with files that we really need rather than those we don’t care about losing.

But, retrieving lost files is actually generally an easy thing to fix. It can seem that deleting a file gets rid of it forever, after all we can’t find it so it must be gone! But, unless you’ve set up your system to wipe a file completely from your machine when you delete it, the chances are that it is still there in the background. Your problem is how to find it!

In some cases you delete a file and it is simply sent to the Recycle Bin where it is stored until you empty the Bin itself. So, this should be your first port of call. If your file is in there then you just need to click to restore it. You’ll then be able to find it back in its original directory.

You may find, however, that you have emptied your Recycle Bin since you deleted the file and it is therefore no longer available there. This still doesn’t necessarily mean that the file doesn’t exist — standard deletion keeps the data in your computer but removes its standard ‘bookmarks’ which is why you cannot find it.

One of the easiest ways to see if your data can be recovered here is to use a specific software program that is designed to recover this kind of data. This may be a general program that can help you find all kinds of files or one designed to find a specific type of file such as an email or a media file.

Some of these software programs are available free on the Internet as freeware or shareware but most will incur a small cost. If you regularly delete or lose files by accident then this could be a good investment for you!

The options offered by these programs will vary so it is worthwhile checking out a few to see what they can offer you. At the same time search for user reviews to see what other people think about them. There’s no better way to find out how a data recovery program might work for you than to find out how it actually worked for others.

In many cases these packages will be able to help you find your deleted files and restore them. This may not be possible with every file that is deleted but it should work with most and you could have your file back in minutes from loading and opening the software on your computer.

If this method does not work for you then you could always try talking to a data recovery specialist to see if they have any other options that might work for you. Do, however, remember to explain the measures you have already taken to recover your deleted file(s) so that they don’t replicate your actions.

There are many different reasons behind the data loss that can be experienced when you have a problem with your hard disk. Some of these problems are relatively minor and can be easily sorted out. Others can be more complicated and may need the input of a specific data recovery specialist.

But, a lot of the time, you can actually sort out your own hard disk problems yourself. It helps here if you are relatively computer aware and are confident using diagnostic and repair tools. This is never really a job for a computer newbie or somebody who doesn’t have the core experience to sort out computer problems without causing more problems down the line.

Nowadays it is possible to source/buy a range of software programs that can help you find and restore data that has become lost or damaged because of hard disk issues. These packages are usually best used with problems where you can still boot up your system and access it with no problems. More serious problems where you cannot access your operating system may be better left to an expert.

So, for example, you could run a software program here that will help with the most common type of data loss from a hard disk — accidental deletion. Here the program will scan your disk to find the file and will then allow you to access and retrieve it. This kind of solution also often gives a quick fix if you have simply lost data and cannot remember where it is.

Some packages in this sector can also help you if you have made certain types of formatting errors that have lost data along the way. You may, for example, have made a partitioning error by mistake which has led to a loss of vital data. These solutions can often be useful here as well.

As already mentioned you may want to get expert help for more complicated problems such as damage or errors that lead to you not being able to boot your computer in the first place. But, if you are relatively technically literate and confident in your computing abilities, then there are programs that allow you to bypass your standard system and to access its contents via safe methods.

It is very important not to over stretch yourself here. Making mistakes when you are dealing with your hard disk could lead to a range of more serious problems that could kill your computer stone dead or increase your original repair costs by a lot of money. So, do make sure to check out what you will need to be able to do here before you have a go yourself.

But, for simpler problems the types of software tools described earlier could give a quick and cost effective fix. They do not really need any input from the user as such as they are set up to run their own diagnostic, repair and recovery tools. So, all you need to do here is to get the program, load it on to your computer and set if off.

Booting issues, virus attacks, or corrupted file systems are very much present in any exchange or mail servers and can cause many of your archived email messages to apparently disappear. Companies which rely heavily on email communication and do not have back ups might find this a pervading problem. But data recovery designed specifically for email recovery can fix this problem.

Here are a few examples of data recovery steps in three of the most widely used email clients:

IncrediMail Email Data Recovery

• Select File | Data and Settings Transfer | Transfer from Old Computer… from the menu in IncrediMail email client.

• Click on the OK button.

• Click Open; then click OK.

• IncrediMail Email data recovery process will then start.

• Once done, a dialog box will appear, indicating that the data recovery process is finished. Click OK.

• IncrediMail will auto-restart to complete the data recovery process.

Outlook Email and Other Data Recovery

• Select File | Import and Export… from the Outlook menu.

• In the drop-down menu that appears, select Import from another program or file.

• Click Next.

• Run your mouse over the Personal Folder File (PST) to highlight it.

• Click the Next button again.

• Using the Browse button, select the backup copy of the PST file you want to recover from your backup location.

• On the dialog box, place a check mark on the box that says Replace duplicates with items imported to start the data recovery process.

• Click Next.

• Once the data recovery process is done, click Finish.

Outlook Express Email Data Recovery

• Select File | Import | Messages… from the Outlook Express menu.

• Choose the Outlook Express version that you have as the email program to import from.

• Click the Next button.

• From the dialog box, make sure that you again choose the right Outlook Express version.

• Click OK.

• Select the folder containing your back up copy of your Outlook Express mail store by using the Browse button.

• Click Next.

• Choose which folders to import and the data recovery process will start.

• Click Next; then Finish to finalize the data recovery process.

It is a fact that exchange and email servers are a vital aspect of any company. So to protect this fragile part of your company’s IT asset base, you need a splendid back up program and state-of-the-art data recovery system that has been tested and proven effective in its job.