So you've been watching CSI on TV and marveled at the Computer
Data Recovery boffins working their magic. You may be thinking to
yourself is it really possible to get data back from a laptop hard disk
or usb drive after it has been through infernos, floods, and then run
over by a truck afterwards? Well as unbelievable as it sounds, the
answer is in most cases, yes! I'll provide some info below on how the
real life experts actually go about this stuff.
So what exactly is data recovery anyway? Well basically when we need to salvage as much data as we can from inaccessible storage systems such as hard drives, usb pen drives, tapes, Cd's, etc. These can be damaged due to electrostatic shocks, liquid spills, natural disaster damage, system corruption, or just plain failed for no discernible reason. In some cases as on CSI and other TV shows, this can also be termed computer forensics.
There are many techniques that can be used. These can vary from replacement of parts in the disk, replacement of PCB, head and platter transplanting, etc. As you can imagine, many of these techniques are highly technical in nature. The specialists carrying out the work are highly trained and have many years of experience. The work is also performed in special locations known as class 10, etc (The class number refers to the maximum number of airborne particles greater than or equal to half of a micron that is allowed in one cubic foot of clean environment air. So, a Class 100 clean room would not contain more than 100 particles bigger than half a micron in a cubic foot of air) clean rooms which are sterile and controlled lab environments. This is an essential requirement since opening up of any hard drive enclosure will immediately leave the internal susceptible to contamination from fingerprints, dirt, dust and other particles, etc.
In addition to the techniques used for physical damage, there are also a number of techniques used when dealing with logical damage to the drives or storage media. In many cases highly specialized disk image methods are used to recover readable bits of data from the platter surfaces. The image is then obtained and written to a reliable media. Once this has been done, analysis can be safely carried out to check for logical damage. A number of highly advanced, proprietary methods and specialized software for retrieving the data are utilized by many organizations.
As you can imagine, it is an incredibly intensive and time consuming process. This in turn translates into quite a high cost for anyone looking to get any computer data recovery work done. My advice as always can be summed up in one word - Backups. Always ensure you have an up to date set of backups that you can restore from in an emergency.
So what exactly is data recovery anyway? Well basically when we need to salvage as much data as we can from inaccessible storage systems such as hard drives, usb pen drives, tapes, Cd's, etc. These can be damaged due to electrostatic shocks, liquid spills, natural disaster damage, system corruption, or just plain failed for no discernible reason. In some cases as on CSI and other TV shows, this can also be termed computer forensics.
There are many techniques that can be used. These can vary from replacement of parts in the disk, replacement of PCB, head and platter transplanting, etc. As you can imagine, many of these techniques are highly technical in nature. The specialists carrying out the work are highly trained and have many years of experience. The work is also performed in special locations known as class 10, etc (The class number refers to the maximum number of airborne particles greater than or equal to half of a micron that is allowed in one cubic foot of clean environment air. So, a Class 100 clean room would not contain more than 100 particles bigger than half a micron in a cubic foot of air) clean rooms which are sterile and controlled lab environments. This is an essential requirement since opening up of any hard drive enclosure will immediately leave the internal susceptible to contamination from fingerprints, dirt, dust and other particles, etc.
In addition to the techniques used for physical damage, there are also a number of techniques used when dealing with logical damage to the drives or storage media. In many cases highly specialized disk image methods are used to recover readable bits of data from the platter surfaces. The image is then obtained and written to a reliable media. Once this has been done, analysis can be safely carried out to check for logical damage. A number of highly advanced, proprietary methods and specialized software for retrieving the data are utilized by many organizations.
As you can imagine, it is an incredibly intensive and time consuming process. This in turn translates into quite a high cost for anyone looking to get any computer data recovery work done. My advice as always can be summed up in one word - Backups. Always ensure you have an up to date set of backups that you can restore from in an emergency.
It might look fast, simple and easy on TV, however, the process of computer data recovery
can be extremely complex and time consuming. Read our guides to help
get a better understanding and appreciation of exactly how much work
goes on to get that all important data back http://www.datarecoveryquick.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paulissa_Finson
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