The What, Where, When, Why and How of Data Backups

Whether you are a business executive or a homeowner, computer data backups should be on your checklist of very important matters. Data backups are a form of fail-safe procedure to protect the files on your computer in case of any loss for any reason. This article expounds on some of the ideas behind data backup systems.

So what kind of data would warrant a backup? While businesses can clearly see the need for a data recovery plan using data backups, most homeowners do not. PC owners who have no backup hardware or backup systems stand to lose a lot – their online bookmarks of favorite sites, family pictures, possible work documents, software and programs installed, etc. So basically, all kinds of data that is important to the user should be backed up.

Next, where should you back them up? You can choose your backup hardware or media to be an external hard drive, online data storage, CDs or DVDs and magnetic tapes. You may also choose to create a backup of your files on your main hard drive, but if your computer hard drive fails, the backup data would most likely be gone too.

When should one back up data? Ideally, it should be immediately after reading this article unless, of course, you have already done so before this. Data backups should be performed regularly – if possible, everyday – to reduce the amount of data lost in case of drive failure.
Why should you backup your data? Easy, it’s because your hard drive will fail, sooner or later. It is inevitable. Data backups will ensure that you have a failsafe data recovery plan when your computer finally decides to give up on you.

Now, how should you go about backing up your data? This is also easy. If you are using an external hard drive, you can simply plug the external media into your computer with a USB cable and then copy and paste all the files, documents and pictures which you want to keep safe.

DVDs and CDs are usually not a good choice for backup media, as they can only store so much information. Business networks, especially, would need more than just ten or twenty of these in order to backup even a quarter of the files they need.

Some would prefer online storage as it is accessible anywhere. Most of them, however, require a monthly payment. Most users prefer to use automated backup systems which can be downloaded from online sites. This would be the easiest way to backup your files, but one has to keep a diligent watch over the process in order to minimize any backup failures.

Secure Your Data With Safe Data Backups

Almost everyone is familiar with data backups and why they need it, but not many are well versed in how to keep their backup hardware or software safe. As such, when their data backup systems fail, they are once again left to start all over again. But there is no cause for worry. This article can give you a few tips on how to keep your data backup systems safe and, at the same time, keep your data secure.

They always say prevention is better than cure. One can apply the same to data backup systems. If the hardware or software used is not secure, then the data is not safe either. When using external media for data backups, the backup hardware must be stored in a place where neither fire nor water can reach it easily.

One thing to remember is never to skip or forget the backup schedule for your computer. Depending on how much data is changed or modified per amount of time, you can set your schedule backups for every day, every week or every month. Whether you set your schedule to daily, weekly or monthly, you must keep to that schedule religiously. If not, you risk losing a lot of information even after data recovery.

Computer users must always consider a strategy to create a secure and protected data backup. For example, backing up a lot of information at one time can slow down your computer progress and impede any other work being performed; not to mention it would also take a long time to back up everything. Most people will perform the backup process incrementally.

Finishing the backup process does not mean one’s work is done. Indeed, one must always keep testing the backup system through performing data recovery tests. This is to make sure that the information is being backed up properly and to keep track of the backup system’s functionality.

Some users are not content with a single mode of backup. As there are different types of backup plans, users have a wide range of options such as internet-based data backups, network-attached servers for backups, external hard drives and the like. Creating multiple data backups is a popular way of securing any data on your computer.

These are the best methods of keeping your data secure in your data backup. Don’t wait for your data to disappear before creating a safe environment for your data.

Solutions To Data Loss

With computers comes the joy of having everything done simply from the luxury of your desk. With all the hassle of having piles and piles of hard copy gone, computers now come with a new hassle. When using a computer one can have all sensitive documents stored under a password that only allows access via this password. Despite all these security measures there is one problem that we are yet to face off completely and this is the nightmare of losing important data - either by crashing of the computer or simply deleting vital information.

The nightmare of losing important data is now becoming a thing of the past and many would take it to be a hoax on hearing that one can actually retrieve lost data; and lost data could mean a crashed hard disk or data deleted from the recycle bin or, to make it worse, files that have been infested buy a computer virus. The truth about recovery software is that it does exist.

Computers are made in a way that even after deleting an important document the data is not entirely lost in that the information is actually still in your machine and waiting to be overwritten by other data; and simply this is the mechanism that the shredder software uses. When shredding a document one would have to choose a set of algorithms to determine how to shred the document. What happens is that binary codes that the computer cannot understand are used to encrypt the data, or in other terms overwrite it, so no recovery can be done.

A splendid example of recovery software is that of MDB file recovery software as if one is experiencing problems with access files this recovery software can make it all go away. Equipped with an advanced mechanism, the software scans through the corrupted files and simply recovers the files in no time, repairing operating systems; and fine details like auto numbering and field sizes are also fixed.

Working with Microsoft Outlook also comes with some hitches that are in relation to data loss and file managements; thus the introduction of Outlook PST File Recovery Software. This recovery software is advanced in that it is able to recover lost, deleted or even corrupted emails on Microsoft Outlook.

Another option one could settle for is anticipation of data loss, thus the online data protection service is basically referred to as being best for data protection. What one needs to have this function is simply to be active on the internet and do all backups online. With online backup comes CDP, simply known as continuous data protection. Here, when data is written on a disk, it is in turn stored in a different storage point automatically, with no manual backing up.

Data Recovery Methods For Various Data Loss Situations

Data loss can happen in a variety of ways – accidentally deleted files, hard drive breakdowns, a frozen computer, etc. No matter the reason, data loss is something everyone must deal with sooner or later. When the information stored in your computer has no data backup, it is quite possible to lose crucial files in the blink of an eye. As they say, accidents happen.

Data loss can occur just because of a simple user error. For example, it is not unthinkable for a person to delete one file by accident. Fortunately for users, these files are not “gone”. Most information deleted this way can be recovered using data recovery systems bought in software stores.

Corrupted files and file systems are even harder to deal with. Data recovery can only restore portions of the file or system by scanning the file system data directly, but data is almost always lost in the process.

Some users refer to a data recovery method called data carving. Different file formats have unique hexadecimal signatures which the user can use to identify a file directly. For example, a JPEG file will begin with the hexadecimal signature 0xFFD8FF. Data carving means that, in case of the loss of a JPEG file, the user would have to find it in the file system logs by searching for files that begin with that hexadecimal string.

However, it is not always the case that files identified with these signatures are JPEG files. Also, it will take a long time to look for a particular file in the whole system.

Defragmentation can often completely erase files which could otherwise be recovered. The sectors containing the deleted files are reused and thus the data is lost. There is no way to recover erased data after defragmentation.

The most excellent method for data recovery during data losses is to keep copies of all important files using backup hardware or software. When you consider it, you will realize that backing up your files is the best solution for every kind of data loss. It can deal with malfunctioning and failed hard drives, software as well as human error and deleted files. In addition, defragmentation is no longer a data loss risk, because the files are properly backed up on different hardware, such as the computer’s hard drive.

These methods can be done at home by any user. Although damage to the hard drive from fire or flood may need professional help, the more minor errors can be given home solutions.

Tips on data recovery – How to survive a hard drive crash

If your computer is the most important gadget that you have, you probably treat it with extra care. You could be using it to save work, pictures, music, and a whole lot of other things. You probably think it is built to last, but it doesn’t last a lifetime. You would be lucky if you get t to work for more than three years without needing to do some hardware overhaul. You could do the usual things to keep it running at its peak, like conduct disk scans, run diagnostic checks and update anti-virus software, but like Murphy law predicts; there is only so much you can do to prevent disaster. Most people are advised to back-up all their work to make sure that data recovery is easier should something go wrong. However, people are not fastidious about backing-up their work, so if something were to ever happen to damage the hard drive, they would be gutted and would panic about hard drive recovery.

Hard drives have been known to die at the most inopportune time, and when they do, you might think you’ve lost everything. This is not entirely true. What most people don’t know is that there are different ways that a hard drive can fail. Unless you are a technician who has some professional knowledge of computer hardware, do not attempt anything. Put away that screwdriver and find a data recovery professional.

If you can switch on your computer and your hard disk drive is recognized by the unit, then you know it’s not a hardware issue but a software problem or even a problem brought on by a virus that your anti-virus checker inadvertently missed. If it’s a virus, you simply have to find the corrupted file and clean it out of your system. Most of the time, hard drives become unreadable because you haven’t de-fragmented the driver program. The first thing that a technician will have to check is whether the problem is a hardware problem or a software issue. A mechanical failure results in strange sounds emanating from your system. Only a professional technician can help salvage the important data from your hard drive. It is also ideal to own a disk image software as this would help your technician when working.

Creating file backups can be tedious but as they say, “prevention is better that a cure”. This is why it is vital to own backup software on your computer. Don’t wait for disaster to strike before you even begin to think about implementing a sound backup plan. By taking simple preventive steps, like backing up files, could save you a lot of time and money. There are online storage services that you can use, like ftp sites, that allow you to create files on the internet up to which you can back your system. Therefore, if your hard drive crashes, you still have your work somewhere in cyberspace for you to access when you need it.

Data Recovery Software for Fat Review

Data recovery software for FAT will help you recover your inaccessible or lost/formatted emails, videos, documents, pictures and more from the FAT file system based computers. FAT stands for File Allocation Table and is a file system that is now used on computer systems and digital camera memory cards. You can find this type of file system on memory cards, digital cameras, floppy disks and many other devices that are portable. This is because they are simple to use and are supported by all of the existing operating systems for personal computers.

This type of file recovery software supports both external and internal hard drives and is compatible with most Windows operating systems. This recovery software also includes free utilities such as:

• Drive cloning which is a utility that will create a replica of the hard drive.

• Raw recovery which means that it can recover files from a hard drive that has been severely damaged.

• Drive imaging which means that it can create an image of the hard drive.

• Drive station which means it can scan, in the background, the hard drive in order to show SMART attributes.

Data recovery software for FAT has four tabs or sections which include the Resume Recovery tab, Data Recovery tab, Recovery Services tab and the Advance Options tab. When you use this software there are three simple steps that you use to recover any deleted or loss data. These three steps are:

1. The first step is to select the type of recovery you want to do from the four recovery options (tabs).

2. The second step is that you need to scan the storage media from where you lost the data and once you have finished scanning you will get to see the deleted files in a three pane structure.

3. The third and most important step is that you make sure that you save the recovered data to a specific location.

This is a very easy do it yourself file recovery software which is capable of recovering your lost data or files that have been lost due to any number of reasons, including a software or system malfunction, file system damage, cross linked files and more. For complete data protection, Data Recovery Software for FAT is the best on the market with its easy to use recovery system and is the only one that you should use.

Removing Drm from Itunes by the Use of Tune Clone

The entertainment industry of today has grown this big and this successful owing to the fact that they managed to ensure to get all the appropriate revenue from all of their products, such as movies, music, video games and so on. DRM, also known as digital rights management, is one of the ways in which the entertainment industry is protecting the copyrights of their digital media, which has become the most important aspect of the modern entertainment industry. This can be easily explained with Apple ITunes, which are protected by DRM. What this means is that if you buy Apple ITunes, these music files are limited in a way that prevents them from being played on a limitless number of different computers.

Now, even though many people are afraid that data restore programs, system deployment and removing DRM from ITunes is a very difficult task and that it cannot be done unless you are a professional, the fact is that all of these tasks have today become very easy to perform. The reason for this is the fact that people who use their computers on a daily basis have had to learn how to perform all of these tasks in order to save their own time and money.

One of the best ways is to use the virtual CD to remove DRM from ITunes; and this is best done when using a program called Tune Clone. Basically, this program will enable you to listen to Apple ITunes on a limitless number of different computers without any restrictions. It has to be mentioned that using the program called Tune Clone is not the only way of removing DRM from Apple ITunes, but it is probably the most efficient and the most popular way of doing this, not to mention that it is by far the easiest way to perform this task.

In order to remove DRM from ITunes by the use of Tune Clone, you will first have to get the program, which can be done by downloading it. After you have done this, you will need to run ITunes and create a playlist you want to “set free” of DRM protection. This playlist is then burned to a CD with the help of Tune Clones, which will later enable you to play this new CD with your ITunes without DRM wherever you want and enjoy the music you like without any limitations or restrictions.