Data Recovery from a Crashed Hard Drive
by Greg Welsh
I know
you’ve all taken my advice and have well-established
backup routines to protect your business’s valuable
data, and that you’ve been very thorough and tested
your backup systems to make sure that your data can be restored.
But where can you turn you’re your hard drive fails
and you must recover something that either didn’t get
backed up (accidents happen) or whose restoration fails (no
system is perfect)?
You have three choices: send your drive to
a data recovery firm, find a local information technology
firm or consultant and hire them, or do it yourself (DIY).
Data recovery firms have distinct advantages: experience with
many different kinds of data loss, a wide variety of hardware
and operating systems, and lots of tools. They’ll save
you time. The most important disadvantages are two: first,
you’ll have to give up physical custody of your hard
drive and sensitive data, starting with shipping the drive
to the data recovery firm; and second, cost. If you’ve
been reluctant to invest in a good tape drive or Iomega’s
new REV drive for backup because of the few hundred dollars
needed, wait until you get the bill for data recovery.
Contracting with a service provider in your
area is a midpoint solution. You’ll spend more than
if you take the DIY approach; but your drive and data will
remain on your premises (or at least in the local area, avoiding
shipping risks). Unlike engaging a data recovery firm, however,
whose core competency is exactly what you need in this situation,
you’ll have to qualify your local contractor and have
confidence that they have the tools and expertise to take
on your job. The hidden costs are greater than those involved
in sending your drive to a data recovery firm. They may require
space to work on your premises, more of your time, and additional
resources such as an account on your network and internet
access. These are variables that will differ from contractor
to contractor.
If you decide to take a shot at solving your
own problem, you’ll need time, knowledge, tools, and
money. More time and knowledge than either of the contracting
solutions discussed above, whether you do the work yourself
or ask someone you employ to take on the task. You’ll
have to choose the correct tools for the job - which is either
a function of properly diagnosing the problem, or a process
of elimination in which you purchase additional tools when
those you’ve already purchased don’t bring back
your valuable data. If you get it right the first time, your
cash outlay will be less than the contracting solutions. If
you don’t find the right tools immediately, you may
find your total expenditures creeping up on what you would
have spent to have IT pros work the problem for you. You’ll
also find that you’ve purchased several software tools
that are largely redundant and that will require that you
put them to use to get additional value from them, or to put
them on the shelf “just in case” a similar disaster
strikes again.
If you’re coming to the conclusion
that none of these solutions paints a pretty picture, you
can take pride in having your disaster recovery plans in place
- or resolve that you won’t waste another day making
sure that your business implements a disaster recovery plan.
Think of it using the more current term of art, business continuity,
and you’ll gain a new appreciation for the risks you
may face. Many small or medium enterprises never recover from
IT failures that result in catastrophic loss of data. Business
grinds to a halt, customers melt away, and the downward spiral
of declining revenue and a shrinking customer base proves
deadly.
There are a number of firms that provide
specialized data recovery services - a quick internet or yellow
pages search will turn them up. The same can be said for local
computer services firms or consultants. Just be sure to qualify
your selections - get references, ask about past experience
with this kind of work, and ask for rates beforehand. You
should have an upper limit in mind - an amount beyond which
the data is simply not worth recovering - as costs can escalate
rapidly.
If you’re inclined to DIY, here are
some of the best-known programs available. They vary considerably
in several important ways, from the capabilities they possess
to their user interface, cost, and the amount of knowledge
required to use them properly.
Gibson
Research’s SpinRite6: http://www.grc.com
Steve Gibson’s been helping people diagnose and fix
hard drive problems since the beginning of time (OK, since
the 1980s). For $89, you’ll have a tool that provides
lots of information on what’s being done to recover
your data, and a utility that will prove its value when you’re
in distress. And, because you’ve visited the Gibson
Research web site, you’ll have the opportunity to use
a variety of free tools to assess the security of your computers.
Symantec’s
Norton Disk Doctor (part of the SystemWorks suite of programs):
http://www.symantec.com.
A quality suite of products, but not as useful or information-packed
as GRC’s SpinRite6. Peter Norton has provided a number
of excellent tools from the early years of the PC revolution;
but under Symantec they seem to be more interested in selling
bundled products that do most of what’s needed as long
as you want to do most of what they want. For a variety of
everyday problems, SystemWorks can be useful, but at $99 it’s
most costly and less focused than SpinRite6.
Ontrack's
EasyRecovery: http://www.ontrack.com.
Ontrack offers something unique: online data recovery via
a modem or internet connection. They will also provide an
online quote for in-lab data recovery so you’ll have
some idea what the project will cost before shipping your
hard drive to them. They’re a step up to more powerful
software that provides data recovery for servers and databases;
if that’s where your business infrastructure is and
you need help with SQL or Exchange databases, have them work
up a quote for you. Their pricing matrix is large and bewildering
- and for the same $89 that SpinRite or Symantec charges they’ll
sell you an individual product that will allow you to recover
a whopping 25 files on up to 5 PCs. You’ll pony up a
few hundred dollars for more robust DIY plans. That should
reinforce the value of a good backup system and business continuity
plan.
Runtime
Software’s GetDataBack: http://www.runtime.org.
Focused on the Windows operating system, and either the older
FAT file system or the current NTFS file system, GetDataBack
and it’s companion Disk Explorer offer great value to
the technically inclined. If you’re able to integrate
nitty-gritty tools and perhaps burn your own boot CD with
the freeware version of Bart’s PE (Preinstall Environment)
Builder, you can get at your hard drive as though it were
in a factory environment. Coupled with Disk Explorer, you’ll
know more about hard drives than you ever imagined. GetDataBack
is $69 (FAT) or $79 (NTFS), with the bundles including Disk
Explorer just over $100. This is a roll-up-your-sleeves solution
from which you can reap great rewards.
I welcome
the opportunity to help you build your business through your
interest in the Small Business Advisor. You may contact me
via email.
