Have you ever done a backup of your HDD data?
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
India
December 17, 2008 1:13pm CST
I used to think why should I take a backup of my HDD... After all, I am only a home user... But I have learned a a lesson the hard way... My new HDD crashed and I lost all my data. The worst part was that I had my project on my HDD which I had modified and so even my project team members did not had those modified files. I lost all the project files. Then, when I got the HDD replaced, I got those project files(although old files) back and re-did all the modification to the project and after a few days my HDD again crashed!!! But now I have got it replaced under warranty a second time and I have also signed up for an account on idrive.com for regular online backup.
I have been using computer since 5 years and first time in 5 years I have opted to backup my personal files... So, I was just wondering how many of us ever did a backup of personal files.....
7 responses
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
17 Dec 08
Yes. I wish I had it automated but I back things up every few months. I am going to get MS's new home server that can back up all my computers on my home network automatically.
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
17 Dec 08
Thats great... MS's home server.... I think there are many backup s/ws that backup data automatically.... Actually, idrive that I am using does things automatically... But it backs up data to the online space, not on to network location...
@Guardian208 (1095)
• United States
17 Dec 08
I am sure that there are other solutions that will work just as well. The thing is that I get pretty good discounts on MS stuff that is why I am going to use that solution.
The online backups scare me. I am afraid of them compromising my confidential info and also of the company going out of business along with my data.
1 person likes this
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
18 Dec 08
Yes you are right. I didn't think from that angle. These online storage services can go off any time with our backed up data. But I think I don't have any other solution because although I have 2 computers, I didn't set up a network between them. So only option is online backup.
@neuronic (242)
• Japan
22 Dec 08
There is a way to do the recovery even if your HD has a physical error. Actually there are two:
1) Bring it to any data recovery center, but you will have to pay around $3000 to get that done
2) Do it at home
Let me explain how you do it at home. First go to buy a bundle that will connect and control your disk drive, you will get it at special shops. Meanwhile, put your HD to the freezer and let it stay there for couple of hours. When you get the bundle, attach it and shake your disk while rotating it for 180 degrees, it might unhook the head of the reader, just make sure you're not shaking it too much as you might damage the platter.
If this doesn't work there's another plan. However, this procedure will cost you some money, nerves, and, most of all, patience. I've done it only once, and it wasn't as successful as I thought, but it proved that I was right. Let me describe what I am talking about:
Buy the same hard drive as the one with the error. Go to your smallest room in the flat and set your laptop/pc there. vacuum the room, make it super clean. Spray it if you have too. Make sure humidity is LOW. Open both hard drives. Use magnifier to unscrew the platters off of the small pole on bad hard drive, make sure your having your gloves one while you do this, because you don't want to damage ANYTHING. Remove the platters from new hard drive and install the bad ones... run the hard drive, and try to read what's on it. This is extremely risky procedure, you might lose your data and hard drive for good, so if your not willing to risk your data then don't do it. Just keep in mind it is possible, if you decide to do it, be confident. And one more tip, keep the room dust free AT ALL TIMES!!! Anyways, good luck
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
22 Dec 08
Are you serious? 
No one in this world can recover data from a HDD that has physical damage on platter. The another option that you gave is a bit practical, but you know, however clean your room is, you can't make it as clean as a HDD repair room(called clean room) should be and you need to have good knowledge of the internals of the HDD to remove the head mount unit without touching the platter surface. Even one dust particle caught inside the HDD case while you close it is enough to damage the platter later on when it is working. So altogether, none of the above is practical.
Just for information sake: Data recovery centers do not charge such big amount to recover data just like that. It is not the repairing process but the cost of maintaining those clean rooms, their technically advanced man power and equipments that they charge so much for data recovery. For example, Payam Data Recovery of Australia has a class-100
(i.e. maximum 100 dust particles per cubic feet of the size or equal to 0.5 micro-meter) clean room which cost them $100000 and a laminar flow cabinet of class-10 that cost them $10,000.
Thank you for your reply...
No one in this world can recover data from a HDD that has physical damage on platter. The another option that you gave is a bit practical, but you know, however clean your room is, you can't make it as clean as a HDD repair room(called clean room) should be and you need to have good knowledge of the internals of the HDD to remove the head mount unit without touching the platter surface. Even one dust particle caught inside the HDD case while you close it is enough to damage the platter later on when it is working. So altogether, none of the above is practical.
Just for information sake: Data recovery centers do not charge such big amount to recover data just like that. It is not the repairing process but the cost of maintaining those clean rooms, their technically advanced man power and equipments that they charge so much for data recovery. For example, Payam Data Recovery of Australia has a class-100
(i.e. maximum 100 dust particles per cubic feet of the size or equal to 0.5 micro-meter) clean room which cost them $100000 and a laminar flow cabinet of class-10 that cost them $10,000.
Thank you for your reply...
@balacancer22 (1148)
• India
29 Dec 08
I have never done a backup of my Hard disk since i though that it was useless since a high tech hard disk wont fail but after reading your story i'm really scared since i too have some important files that are hanging n my computer and i have personal data's also which really are very important to me in life and i think i have to take a backup of my HDD very soon but then i really have blind belief in my hard disk as i have handling it with care and i'm maintaining it as i used to maintain myself..happy mylotting..
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
29 Dec 08
No my friend... I too believed on my HDD blindly and here are the consequences. If you really have important data that you cannot afford to loose, take a backup as soon as possible. If that data is not updated regularly you can write them on to a dvd or something.... bye...
@michael_nonan (384)
• Philippines
18 Dec 08
dude. i don't know your HDD crashed that you can't get your files back. but there's a program called power data recovery. you can recover your files from your hard drive even after you reformat your HDD. you just need a running windows pc to do the job
@michael_nonan (384)
• Philippines
19 Dec 08
dude, that's deep trouble. no way you could recover anything from that. unless of course you know how to rewire the circuitry of the HDD and do a tweak with a new HDD so you could just recover your file. but i guess tha'ts just a lame idea. hehehe
@Kumaresan (450)
• Malaysia
18 Dec 08
hello there friend...
i'm sorry for your data loss because of your hard disk crashes... well, i also have some times where virus infected my computer and totally crashed my computer... i pretty much won't backup anything but just like you, i also learned my lesson the hard way too... but, now also i won't do any backup too instead i copy all my important files into my pendrive and save it in there... that's my second backup plan is anything went wrong with my computer... but i also think that backing up files is really important nowadays because the computer environment are flooded with a lot of bad things such as virus, trojan and etc... i wonder why they create this harmful things and what benefit do they get by doing it... i hope it will decrease from time to time...
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
18 Dec 08
I also tired to backup data in my pen drive for few days but I had to delete the data again and again to port other files to my friend's computer. SO then I had to look for another solution for backup.
@arkadeb313 (593)
• India
29 Dec 08
hi friend, once i had the taste of HDD failure and i can feel when such thing happens. i too am a home user. my HDD contained some files which had files with more emotional values and i tried many options including professional service for recovering my files. but all failed. still now i have it with me if any one can recover them.
now i did one thing. i added one more hdd in my system. i copy all my valuable data onto it and i do it manually. it serves as the backup. if anything bad happens, i can resort to it.
happy mylotting..
@vishnu_badlapur (560)
• India
29 Dec 08
Oh... but if you tried professional services as well, then there are very little chances of getting them back it think..... But anywayz... best of luckkkk.....
@thecrazyjogger (3178)
• India
18 Dec 08
yeah always!
i mean they have all the impoortant data and loosign them is not a good thing!
happy lotting and have a nice day!
