data recovery seminar report and abstract

can data reccovery be a seminar topic

Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. Often the data are being salvaged from storage media such as internal or external hard disk drives, solid-state drives (SSD), USB flash drive, storage tapes, CDs, DVDs, RAID, and other electronics. Recovery may be required due to physical damage to the storage device or logical damage to the file system that prevents it from being mounted by the host operating system.

The most common "data recovery" scenario involves an operating system (OS) failure, in which case the goal is simply to copy all wanted files to another disk. This can be easily accomplished using a Live CD, many of which provide a means to mount the system drive and backup disks or removable media, and to move the files from the system disk to the backup media with a file manager or optical disc authoring software. Such cases can often be mitigated by disk partitioning and consistently storing valuable data files (or copies of them) on a different partition from the replaceable OS system files.

Another scenario involves a disk-level failure, such as a compromised file system or disk partition, or a hard disk failure. In any of these cases, the data cannot be easily read. Depending on the situation, solutions involve repairing the file system, partition table or master boot record, or hard disk recovery techniques ranging from software-based recovery of corrupted data, hardware-software based recovery of damaged service areas to hardware replacement on a physically damaged disk. If hard disk recovery is necessary, the disk itself has typically failed permanently, and the focus is rather on a one-time recovery, salvaging whatever data can be read.

Q; Why, if data recovery software technology is so readily available, aren’t the overwhelming majority of us aware that it’s possible?

Well basically it is because the button on the keyboard says “delete”. Most computer users take this at face value and think that when you press the delete button it’s gone for ever, which is not the case.

Also we have all become very used to the Windows Recycle Bin, where you can move files that you no longer want, but can get them out before you empty the bin. Many people still don’t realize that with data recovery, even when the Recycle Bin is emptied there is still an opportunity to recover the files.

Q: How is it possible to recover missing files without sending your drive out to a company and risk something happening to the drive? (Or….Why is it not necessary to send your drive out to a company to recover your files?)

Data recovery can be put into two categories …

when your computer hard drive is working perfectly, but you have deleted files, formatted your drive, or lost your data for some other reason. This is what is referred to in the industry as a “logical” problem.
when you computer hard drive has physical errors and some of the mechanical or electrical components of the drive no longer work, for example when you computer has been in a fire or a flood. This is what is referred to in the industry as a “physical” problem.
In many cases the data has been lost due to a “logical” problems and a software solution can be used to recover files. It is only if you drive has physical errors that you need to send it to a hardware recovery service.

Q: In simple terms, what is the technology that allows a computer owner to recover their files right there at their desk?

Data recovery is possible because of the way the Microsoft Windows operating system is designed. Historically Windows has been developed to maximize the speed of computer use. Permanent erasure of data, whilst possible, takes time.

Q: What was the technical breakthrough that allows us to do this now?

Data recovery procedures have improved rapidly in recent years. A lot of this is due to the need by law enforcement agencies around the world to deal with electronic evidence.

Q: Is the ability to recover files limited to conventional hard-drives, or can files be recovered from other types of drives or media on which information may be stored

Files can be recovered from many different types of media, including hard drive, USB drives and digital camera storage cards.

Q: What risks are there to downloading a software application and having it search and recover your missing or deleted files?

When you download files from the Internet to your computer you should always make sure the file comes from a trusted source, no matter what the software does. This is a good basic security policy for your computer and will protect you from such things like viruses and spyware.

If you are looking for data recovery software you should make sure that:

the software you use does NOT change the contents of the drive being searched. If the software does not work you want to be able to pursue other options to try and get your valuable data back.
It is possible that deleted data can be destroyed and not recovered. You should be able to identify that the data recovery software has recovered your data before you purchase it. Recover My Files does this by having a file preview window which allows you to view pictures and documents.
Q: What sort of files will the data recovery software find?

Recover My Files can find any type of deleted file, but it also has support for more than 200 specific file types file. There are two methods to data recovery:

1. Every file on a computer, even the deleted ones, is identified by a record in a table called the Master File Table or MFT. A files MFT record tells the computer the name of the file and also the location on the disk where the file is stored. Recover My Files reads these MFT records to find and recover deleted or lost files.

2. In some circumstances the MFT records can become corrupt or destroyed. In this situation Windows has no reference information to locate the deleted or lost files, however, Recover My Files can look for and find user specified file types by scanning the storage media and looking for a files unique structure, that is, it’s unique header, content and footer.

Q: Does it take long, and could I keep working on my computer while the data recovery software is working?

You should limit the use of the computer until data recovery is finished. The more you use a computer the more chance you have of writing data to the storage media and overwriting and destroying deleted files that could have otherwise been recovered.

In some situations data recovery can take time. With a very large hard drive of 200GB, it may take up to 15 hours to search the entire disk.

Q: How do I begin and stop the software searching?

Recover My Files if straight forward to use. There are basically four steps.

1. Decide what search you want to run according to your situation, for example whether you have deleted files or formatted your drive.

2. Select the drive that you want to search. If you can no longer see a drive letter, Recover My Files allows you to search a drive at a “physical level”, meaning that it finds drive in your PC, starts at the beginning and goes to the end, ignoring all drive letters on the drive;

3. Select the specific file types, if any, that you are looking for;

4. Start the search and preview and save the results.

Q: How will I know if the software has found my missing files?

You will be able to see the file names and click on the recovered files to preview them.

Q: What do I do once the software has found them?

Select the files that you wish to save and then save them to another drive. You need to activate the program in order to do this, which means purchasing an activation key from recovermyfiles.com. The activation key I given to you at the time of your purchase so you can save the files straight away.

Q: Can I use the data recovery software over and over, if I have future problems with missing files, or is it a once-off?

Once you purchase Recover My Files you can use it over and over again. An activation key is valid for installation on two computers, for example, a desktop and a laptop.

How long will a deleted or missing file stay on my drive?

There is no time limit. A deleted file will reside on the drive up until such time as the space it occupies is used to store new data. Once a deleted file has been overwritten by new data it has been destroyed. If you have suffered data loss, minimize the use of the computer until such time as you have finished your data recovery efforts.

How long should it take to recover a formatted drive?

Most drive recoveries can be completed in less than 2 hours will all files recovered. Greatest time savings can be made by knowing when to best stop a search. Rarely is it necessary to scan an entire drive in order to get back all data. See 0 for more information.

Will Recover My Files recover all my data?

The sooner that data recovery is attempted after a loss the greater the possibility that 100% of the data can be recovered (the more a problem drive is used after a data loss, the greater the risk that new data is written to the drive and the missing files are overwritten and destroyed). If you have accidentally formatted a drive, or have lost a drive letter, and have not written new data to the drive, you should expect 100% recovery. If you have reset or reinstalled Windows and have minimized the use of the computer since that time, you should expect from 90 – 100% recovery.

Of course there are situations where the chance of data recovery is greatly reduced. For example, if you have restored a backup to a formatted drive and the drive is now half full, only 50% of the drive can now be searched for previous data.

The bottom line is that you will only know what data can be recovered once your try. Download and run Recover My Files in evaluation mode to see what can be found. If you can find and preview your files, then purchase a key to save them to another drive.

Will Recover My Files find my original file and folder structure?

Yes. Recover My Files is designed specifically to recover a missing file and folder structure. If the file and folder structure is destroyed, the content of files can still be recovered as “Lost Files”, by searching for individual file structures on the drive.

How do I know if Recover My Files can find my missing files?

Download and Run Recover My Files in evaluation mode. Look through the search results and click on the files to preview their content. If you can see pictures and read the documents, recovery has been successful and you can purchase a key, enter it into the program, and save your files to another drive.

Can I search for deleted files in a specific folder? Do I have to search the whole drive?

Searching for deleted files over the entire drive is a very fast process. Recover My Files reads the file index for all files on the drive in less than 1 minute. Run a “Recover Files” search “Deleted Files (Recommended)” and then look in the “Deleted” view to see only deleted files, or switch to “Folder” view and navigate to the specific folder. If you do not find the files then try a Recover Files search for “Deleted and Lost Files (this is a longer search).

My drive makes a clicking noise

An abnormal clicking or grinding noise is a sign of a physical drive failure. Continued use of a drive in this state can cause additional damage and may lead to permanent data lost. The drive should be immediately powered down and assistance sought from a hardware data recovery service.

Will Recover My Files repair my drive?

No. Recover My Files is a data recovery tool, not a drive repair tool. Recover My Files is designed specifically so that it will not change the content of the drive being searched. When you locate your files you must save the files to another drive.

How do I permanently erase data from a drive?

Data is permanently erased by overwriting it with new data. Wiping and secure delete programs (available by searching with Google) permanently erase data by writing new data, usually the character “0”, over the old. Once this has taken place the only data that can be recovered is the 0’s.

Does a format of a drive permanently remove data?

A format is not a destructive process (unless special format instructions are applied). Do not write any new data to the formatted drive. Run a “Recover Drive” search with Recover My Files and you should get 100% recovery.

I have reset or re-installed Windows. Can I get my data back?

Yes, recovery of the old file and folder structure is possible after a reset or re-install of Windows. Run a “Recover Drive” search.

I find hundreds of pictures on my drive – where did these come from

Each time you (or another user on the computer) visits a web page they pictures on the page are written into your internet browsers web cache (designed to make the loading of web pages faster by reading the pictures from the hard drive instead of the remote computer). When this cache becomes full, the older content is automatically deleted by Windows. These pictures are found in a search with Recover My Files.

Does Recover My Files work on an iPhone or an iPod Touch?

Apple protects the iPhone, iPad and iTouch so that the hard drive cannot be viewed as a drive letter on the PC. For this reason Recover My Files cannot be used to recover data from these devices. Recover My Files will however work with other iPods that can be placed into “drive mode”.

How many times can I use Recover My Files?

A purchased license key can be used to activate Recover My Files on two separate computers, e.g. a desktop and a laptop. You may use Recover My Files as many times as you wish on those computers. The software will not expire. Updates to the current version are free (i.e. v5). Existing customers will be offered a discounted upgrade to the next major version release (e.g. from v5 to v6).

How do I get Technical Support?

Technical support is available in this documentation, by email, live chat, and telephone. Please see Appendix 1 - Technical Support.