Data Recover: MP3's, Pictures, Files, Etc. What to do? Who to Call?

The truth is that hard drives do fail, will fail, and did I mention they will fail? Anyways please have a read and hope this spares you some head aches in the future.

If you are one of the unlucky ones that the hard drive has totally quit working and you have thousand of pictures, data, and/or mp3's stuck on it, you need to call Drive Savers at 800-440-1904 and mention ID #DS16416 to receive a discount on recovering your data.

Tips:

1: Never trust your hard drive 100%, it will fail eventually. Always back up your data to an offsite or fire/water safe place. Use media like dvd's, cd's, jumpdrives, external hard drives, tape drives, etc. to back up you stuff. Having data in 2 or more places is a good thing.

2: Avoid loss of data and program failure by properly exiting programs before exiting Windows and shutting Windows down by the start menu. Resort only to a cold shut off (pulling the plug, holding the power button in, etc.) as a last resort.

3: All computer equipment should have a surge protector. A better solution would be a surge protector and a battery backup.

4: Never move the hard drive's chassis (computer case) while running. If you do, proceed with extreme caution as for a bad bump or jar could damage the hard drive.

5: Avoid rapid temperature changes. If your computer has been in your car overnight and it was freezing, turning it on without naturally warming to room temperature could be fatal to the hard drive an many other parts in the machine. ALWAYS ALLOW THE PARTS TO GRADUALLY WARM TO ROOM TEMPERATURE!!!. It is just the opposite of putting a cool liquid on a hot light bulb. It explodes. The chips at a cold temperature are expanded and if taken from an expanded state to a hot state rapidly, it will cause circuits to cross and ultimately fry your system

6: If you ever hear strange noises coming from the inside of the computer that you have never heard before. Immediately turn the system off and call for professional help. This could be the death call or early warning of the hard drive or another important mechanical device in the machine. Prolonging the damage could lead to fatal or permanent damage to the machine. In some cases, complete loss of data by conventional means.

Again if you lost your data due to mechanical failure, fire/flood, etc. You will need to go through Drive Savers which can be contacted at 800-440-1904. If you want a discount off the cost, don't forget to mention ID# DS16416.

If you would like to learn more (with easy to understand language) Please visit:

http://hard-drives.ryansccs.com

This site is filled with many FAQ's, blog's, free tips, & more.

With data really getting enormous in size, such as 250gb's it is becoming harder to simply just back it up. With that said, finding a backup solution that is not going to require a deposit of an arm (A.K.A. Tape Drive), can prove to be a bit of a frustration. RCCS has a simple solution to consider.

Solution: Removable hard drives.

All that is required is a little know how and some patience. The items needed (other than tools) is a hard drive enclosure, SATA hard drive, and some backup software. The picture to the upper right is a Kingwin SATA KF 811 aluminum internal hard drive enclosure. This device allows to dock & lock the hard drive in place for security/mounting purposes. Unlocking it will dismount the drive and allow to swap it out for another drive, etc. (Would do not recommend buying anything plastic.)

To get started, the computer will need (1)available SATA port & 5.25" Bay. The next item in the list is the hard drive(s). The size doesn't really matter and is at the intent of the buyers need. Any 3.5" hard drive should fit into this unit. We used (and recommend) Seagate brand hard drive(s). The one we picked for this particular job was a Seagate Baracuda SATA-II 250gb Hard drive .

Once we installed all the components. A backup software was needed to automate the process. There are many to choose from. With budget in mind we kept it simple and used the Windows Xp integrated backup. If the need is for something that gives greater flexibility then Acronis True Image 11 Home free trial download Acronis True Image Home Trial(for personal use) or Acronis Snap Deploy 3.0 for Servers for business is the way to go, however there are many other options out there for different scenarios.

Alternatively, purchasing multiple drive enclosures with hard drives could allow for weekly backups (multiple scheduled backups). It is recommended to get a fire safe (fire rated safe) to protect your drives that are not in use. You may want to consider padding the inside of this box to keep prevent the drives from banging around in the event the box would need to be moved fast from it's position.

In conclusion, what you will end up with is a fast hot swappable backup solution to keep your data safe. Estimated cost: $100.00 + (Depends on complexity)

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