Whether it's a thesis you've been working on, records of your financial transactions, or photos of
your wedding day, losing data can be a painful ordeal. But more often than not, it's not an
irreversible process. Christopher Tan takes you through the steps to get back your files.
By: Christopher Tan
Back up, back up, back up
There are many ways in which data can be lost, but the most common are through human error (accidentally
deleting a file), data corruption or 'logical failure' (software or programming errors).
Data corruption can be due to malware or viral infection; bad sectors on the hard disk itself, which can cause
permanent damage; or bad exits - shutting down a computer without following the proper procedure.
Your hard disk can also crash on you, because of knocks on your computer, dust debris damaging the hard
disk, or a power surge.
Simple measures like not carrying your laptop around while the power is on, for example, can reduce the
risks of a hard-disk crash.
But the best way to prevent a loss of data is to back it up. You can burn data onto a CD or DVD. And
remember to hit the 'save' button every time you do an update in case of a sudden power loss.
Choose your medium according to what you need: DVD discs, for example, can store up to 8GB worth of
information, whereas the fast-becoming-obsolete floppy can take only 1.44MB.
Also, you'd probably want to use rewritable discs (CD-RW, DVD-RW), if you update your files regularly and
don't want to have a huge library of discs.
Retrieving it yourself
Backing up data can be tedious and many people don't do it. Still, there's no need to panic if data loss
occurs.
Minor data loss, such as accidentally deleting a file you meant to save, is easily fixed, even if your file has
been emptied from the trash can. Here's how:
DOS commands
If you are using Windows ME or earlier versions, you can attempt a DOS undelete command.
Developed by Microsoft, MS DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was the standalone operating system
for PCs until 1994 (with version 6.22), after which it was bundled with the Windows operating systems till
Windows ME.
All you need to do is go to the MS DOS prompt under the Start Menu. The MS DOS screen should then
appear - black with white text only.
Type 'undelete drive name:\folder name\filename' to recover the file you deleted or 'undelete/all' if you want
to recover all recently deleted files. The drawback is that sometimes you cannot recover the file once the
machine has been turned off. And not all commands work under the bundled format.
Data recovery software
Alternatively, you can download data recovery software. There are many programs on the Internet, most of
which are fairly expensive.
We like ADRC Data Recovery Tools (
www.adrc.net/data_recovery_software ) mostly because it's free and
easy to use.
Select 'Undelete Files' from the 'Tools Menu'. Then select the drive (C, D, E, F...) which has the deleted
file(s). Click 'Search' to scan the data media for deleted files. Select the file you wish to recover and click on
the 'Undelete Files' button. It's that simple.
There are, however, certain caveats.
One, you must download the software onto a drive that doesn't hold the file you want to recover. So if your
file was in the C drive, save the programme on the D drive.
Two, stop any other activity on the disk as you perform the operation.
Three, never recover the deleted files back onto the same disk; save them on another drive or external drive.
And lastly, the file is recoverable only if the data has not been overwritten.
Calling in the pros
For more complex data losses or if your hard disk has crashed, you'll probably have to go to a data recovery
centre (DRC).
There are several such centres out there, such as
CBL Data Recovery Technologies, Datasage, Ibas,
International Technology Systems, JS Data Systems and Adroit. In deciding which one to pick, here are
some things to bear in mind:
- Check if the centre uses a 'clean room'. This is a room almost free of any dust particles or bacteria. Work
involving the opening of a hard disk has to be done in this room because hard disks are extremely sensitive
to dust. Anyone entering this room has to wear a special suit, a head cover, gloves, shoe covers and a face
mask.
- Find out how secure your information will be. Companies should allow only a select few to do the actual
data recovery. You get just one shot at recovery. Once a hard disk is opened, its integrity is compromised.
So, any repeated opening of the disk will drastically reduce the chances of data recovery.
- You'll need to leave your computer with the centre for one or two days for an evaluation first. A job that's
not too difficult takes about a week.
How much you pay depends on the damage sustained and the amount of work required to recover the data.
Almost all companies have a 'no data, no charge' policy - which means no fee is imposed if data can't be
recovered. Some, however, charge a cancellation fee if you decide not to go ahead after the evaluation.
Cancellation charges cost $50 on average; data recovery fees range from $200 to $2,000, depending on the
size of the data.
For many, money is no object when it comes to recovering something of sentimental value.
"I was quite upset when my PC crashed because there were a lot of photos of my baby," said senior
marketing executive Janice Chia, 33, who paid $400 for such a job.
"I felt it was worth it. You can't just go back in time to take those photos again."
