Posts Tagged ‘Backup Tool’

Always Keep a Boot Floppy Handy for Hard Drive Recovery

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Lison Joseph is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup tool — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/always-keep-a-boot-floppy-handy-for-hard-drive-recovery.html

Expect the unexpected, as far as hard drive recovery is concerned

Well you have absolutely no idea when you might need a hard drive recovery because of a belligerent hard disk going south on you! One fine morning when you boot up, your BIOS might just refuse to detect the hard drive. These things happen for no apparent reason and the only thing you as a computer user can do is to be prepared. This does not mean that all users should prepare against all the permutations and combination of ways in which their system can hang up.

However, there are a few basic things that every user can and ideally should do. One such is to have a clean bootable floppy ready, always.

Bootable floppy in the context of hard drive recovery

Well, In the first place, if you do not know what a bootable floppy is, then it is high time you learnt more about what is the process of booting and what are the different ways in which it can be done. For starters, booting is the process of detecting all the hardware and loading all the required operating system files when the computer is first powered up.

There are several ways of booting, like from the hard drive (as is usually done) or from a CD or even from a floppy drive. Booting from devices other than a hard drive is usually necessitated by a non-functioning primary boot device (read hard drive). So a bootable floppy is the first thing you are going to need if you want to get into your system and take a peek at the hard disk to determine what is ailing your storage device and then decide on your hard drive recovery strategy.

You might be wondering how a system knows where to boot from when the power is switched on. It is here, the BIOS comes into picture. The BIOS has information about boot procedure and you can manually configure this to set a boot procedure of your choice. For example, you can set it first, seek the hard drive and if it fails, then try to boot from the CD drive and if that too fails, then seek the floppy drive. So even to start contemplating hard drive recovery, you should be comfortable finding your way around various SETUP options in BIOS.

So how do you make a bootable floppy, the first step towards hard drive recovery!

Frankly, it is quite simple. In most windows versions you can do a search in Windows Help with string, “boot floppy” or “startup disk” and you will get the exact procedure for making an MS DOS start up disk. If you are well versed with DOS, then all you need to do is insert the floppy disk and use the format command on the floppy drive. Do not forget to use the “/s” switch so that the required system files are copied after a quick format.

Now that you have a boot floppy is ready, you are better prepared to face a hard drive recovery scenario!

read the full article

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Help | 1 Comment »

Undelete Your Files Now

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup tool — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/undelete-your-files-now.html

What is Undelete?

Undelete is any data recovery program which will allow you to restore files onto your computer that have been deleted in any way, shape or form. If you are a Windows user you already have a minor undelete program on your computer: the Recycle Bin. This program allows you to restore files that are in your recycle bin before they are permanently erased from your computer. However, recycle bin has its limitations, and cannot restore files that you have deleted from the recycle bin.

Types of Undelete

Undelete is a general term, and there are many different forms of undelete programs that you can use on your computer. Executive Software has an undelete program which replaces the recycle bin on your computer. This recovery bin is far more powerful than the normal recycle bin which comes on your computer. It will hold all files that are deleted from your computer, even ones that the recycle bin would not normally get such as large files to big for the recycle bin to handle. You can then undelete any file that you wish from the recovery bin.

This software also has features to allow you to recover files that have been previously deleted from your computer. This is a very powerful tool that can allow you to regain files that you thought you had lost forever. As an added bonus, if there are sensitive files that you want removed from your computer forever, there is a secure delete function which will allow you to permanently remove any file that you wish.

Most undelete software will either perform a function similar to that of the recovery bin of Executive Software’s undelete software, or they will allow you to search through your computer in an attempt to recover or undelete files that have been previously deleted from your computer.

How do I Get Undelete Programs for my Computer?

There are many different undelete programs on the market, and even many freeware programs which are available to you to use for free. One excellent source for undelete programs as well as a variety of other utilities is www.download.com. You can search through their database for undelete programs, and see what they have to offer. They will offer reviews, information about using the programs as well as a download of the program right on their site.

It is important to remember that while all of their downloads are free, not all of the programs will be freeware to you. Some are time trial versions, others are simply demos which have only a few features included, some are shareware. However, even if you do not find a freeware utility that you believe will solve your data recovery needs, you can still find free downloads of programs that will allow you to try them before you buy them.

Undelete programs are expensive utilities, generally costing 100 dollars or more, and you will want to make sure that you are getting a quality program before you spend this sort of money on undelete software. It will also allow you to download your software immediately and start undeleting your files today.

read the full article

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Help | No Comments »

Brief Overview of Online Backup

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

Andrew Whitehead is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup tool — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/brief-overview-of-online-backup.html

Brief Overview of Online Backup

Online backup is possibly the most convenient form of backing up files, leaving you with few excuses not to do it. Losing your files is something that is going to happen to you one day, not something that might happen, and if you do not backup your data it will be a disaster. Files can be lost in many ways, most of which are beyond your control. The most common reasons for data loss are:

  1. 42% Mechanical Failure
  2. 34% Human Error
  3. 15% Software Failure
  4. 6% Viruses
  5. 3% Natural Disaster

How Online Backups Work

Instead of storing your backup files on magnetic or optical media, you send your data over the internet to another computer, and this other computer acts as a remote backup. When you lose a file, you connect to that remote computer to restore it.

In addition to the great advantage of ‘disaster proofing’ your business with a remote backup, online backup is also a very convenient way for businesses to store critical, high-value, information that they can then download from anywhere in the world. For people who travel, work from more than one location, or want to share files with colleagues, online backup is the ideal solution.

Varieties of Online Backup

Basically, there are two forms of online backup. In the first option, you download software provided by the online backup provider and install it on your PC. This done, you connect to the online backup provider’s server, select the files you want to back up, and transfer them over the internet. When the day arrives when you find you have lost everything, you simply connect and restore all your files back onto your computer.

If there is a lot of files that could take a long time to backup, or you have lost your internet connection, some services will send you your backups on your choice of media.

Option two is to use a web-based backup service. You do this from your browser window, and you can access all your stored files from any computer assuming it has an internet connection. Generally, web based online backups cannot back up quite as much as the first option, but they are more user friendly and make file sharing easier.

Advantages of Online Backup

It can cost you less to set up and run than other options.

There is no hardware to buy, maintain, or repair and no consumable media to manage.

Online backups can be made completely automatic, releasing time for more productive tasks.

Simple to manage, all that is required is to turn it on.

No need to arrange for storage of media, either onsite or offsite.

No worries about media degrading or becoming obsolete.

Some online data backup programs can offer features unavailable in media based backups, such as remote data access and synching.

All your backup files are available online, from anywhere in the world, at any time.

All your backup files are encrypted by your computer before sending, and stored in that format ensuring a very high level of security.

Your backup files can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

read the full article

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Help | No Comments »

Purchase a Backup Power Supply for Your Home Computer

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup tool — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/purchase-a-backup-power-supply-for-your-home-computer.html

What is a Backup Power Supply?

A backup power supply is a power supply which is connected to your computer and will power your computer in case of a power outage. Backup power supplies can take many forms, the easiest for use in your own home is an advanced surge protector which you plug your computer’s power into. In the case of a loss of power, the surge protector has a limited power supply which will keep your computer running until you can save any files that you might be working on and properly shut it down, so you do not lose data or even cause damage to your machine.

How do I Get a Backup Power Supply for My Computer?

There are many different types of computer backup power supplies on the market. There are certain things you will want to know about your computer before actually picking a product, however. Depending upon the type of computer that you own, the processor that it utilizes, the number of hard drives on your computer, as well as accessory drives such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives, determines how much power your computer uses.

In order to pick the proper backup power supply for your computer you will need to know how much power the device needs to keep in storage to keep your computer running for an adequate time to backup your data and shut down your computer before losing power.

Once you know your power needs, you will be able to start looking for a backup power supply for your home computer. Your local computer store will most likely have a number of different options for you, and you can work with the employees there to determine which is the best for you and your computing needs.

Many manufacturers of power supplies also work online. One of the better known names in power supply is American Power Conversion, or APC. You can check out their web site at www.apcc.com. Their web site is a fountain of information on the different aspects of power supply, and also has an excellent searchable catalogue which can tell you exactly which are the best products for you and your computer.

How Much Does a Backup Power Supply Cost?

Depending upon the quality and power storage of a backup power supply, the cost will vary. The cheapest backup power supplies bought brand new will generally cost somewhere in the range of 40 to 60 dollars. While this might seem like a somewhat weighty investment to you, considering the prices of many computer accessories it is actually quite small. Also think of the damage that could occur to your machine if there is a power outage and it is shut off improperly.

You can lose a great amount of data if it has not been properly saved, or even damage your computer’s operating system making it inoperable. Having a backup power supply is an excellent way to work against this problem, and serves as a sense of safety and security that your computer will not fail even if there is a power outage in your home.

read the full article

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Help | No Comments »

Possible Problems with File Recovery

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Andrew Whitehead is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup tool — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/possible-problems-with-file-recovery.html

One Day, You Will Need File Recovery.

File recovery is something you will eventually need; it is only a matter of time before you accidentally delete an important file. There are plenty of software companies around, all vying to sell products that promise quick and easy file recovery. Unfortunately, they don’t always deliver.

File Recovery from Recycle Bin.

Windows Recycle Bin is well known, and apparently offers simple and foolproof file recovery. The reality is that a surprising number of deleted files cannot be recovered from the Recycle Bin.

Windows programs perform a special operation to move files to the Recycle Bin rather than just deleting them, and not all of them offer this feature. Users who work in the Windows command shell, for instance, soon discover that the shell’s DEL command does exactly that, they are deleted without ever going to the Recycle Bin.

Recycle Bin has a finite size and eventually it will fill up and start throwing files away. You can adjust the size of your Recycle Bin of course, but there are practical limits to this. Nobody wants to turn there PC into one big Recycle Bin.

How File Recovery Utilities Work.

Windows files are stored in one or more blocks of a fixed size, big files use several blocks while a small file may use just one. Windows keeps track of where all the blocks that make up any particular file are located, and where all the unused blocks are.

When you tell Windows to delete a file it does not physically erase all the blocks that that file was using, it only marks them as unused. File recovery utilities work by locating all the blocks that belonged to recently deleted files and uses them to reconstruct your lost file.

The Problem with File Recovery Utilities.

Getting your file recovery software into action in time is the biggest problem. Imagine that you accidentally delete a file, but don’t realize that you didn’t really want to do that until 30 minutes later. For those 30 minutes your files blocks have been marked as unused, and if you did anything that wrote information to the hard drive Windows could have written over your information. If that has happened your problem has got a thousand times worse, and unless that file was worth spending a few months and a mountain of money to retrieve you can forget about recovering it.

Another common problem is that people don’t think about file recovery software until they moment they actually delete that important file. Finding one is easy – some are even free – but are you going to search the internet for it? That creates many new files, that could be written over the file you are trying to save. Even if you go to another machine to locate, purchase, and download a file recovery utility, you will still have to bring it back to your first computer and install it. Guess what? Installing it too can overwrite the data you are hoping to recover.

There is an obvious lesson to be learned here, obtain and install some file recovery software before you need it!

read the full article

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Help | No Comments »