Data Protection

Data makes up the world and without secure data, there would be little money to be made on the Internet or with any business that offers an Internet based service. Internet business creates files and files need a home that can not be broken into, will not be stolen or lost and are always there when the business needs them to be. These are the secrets of online data backup service.

Online data backup service is really a hard drive or server. In all reality, many people believe that the “online” of online data backup service means the files they entrust with the data company will be floating somewhere in cyberspace, but this is not the case. While the files will have to travel through cyberspace in order to reach the data storage company, there are methods of protecting those files to prevent their theft and subsequent usage by persons other than the company.

The files passed through the Internet connection to the server or hard drive of the data storage company are encrypted. Encryption is a security feature that takes the information housed on the files and turns them into unreadable text. This encryption is so advanced that even if a person were to reach in and pick a file out of the air, the file would not contain any information about the company. The highest levels of encryption are utilized and in turn the literal words are encoded to the point that even a computer system would have trouble breaking the code.

Yet another secret of the online data backup service is the actual storing of the files. A business may think, why am I paying a service provider to keep my files on a hard drive when that is the exact place the files are housed right now? Well, the servers or hard drives used by data storage companies are better for two reasons. First, the hard drives are not located within the same facility as the business. If there were to be a disaster of some sort, the files who remain safe and sound right where they are on the data storage companies file system. Secondly, a data storage company will often use more than one server or hard drive to house the files. This means double backup (triple if you count the copy the company is using!)

Online data storage offers one last secret to the business and that is extensive portability. How many flash drives would it take to run your business from Japan, right now? If your home office is not in Japan, you can figure a lot of hard drives. And, once you reached your destination, how would be present an effective business model if all of your files are not easily accessed? An online data storage company allows your business to be there, on the spot, no matter the location and the user does not need to take out a collection of flash drives to do it.

The ultimate secret of online data storage is that it works. Online data storage offers the business a way to backup those files in a quick, safe, encrypted, unreadable and portable fashion. A business need not worry about the safety of their files or their company when online data storage is used as the secure (secret) means of file backup.

Many of us store very important data on our computers. From business data to family photos, losing these can often be very devastating. Sending your computer to a data recovery specialist can often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on how severe the loss is.

Therefore it would be a wise choice to make sure that you backup your data on a regular basis. Windows Vista has a file backup program built right into the operating system. Since you always run the risk of losing data on your hard drive it is recommended that you use a secondary device to backup your data, such as a zip drive or second hard drive. This ensures that your data will be saved in case your primary drive fails.

For this article we will assume you are going to use a second hard drive to backup your data. After you install the second hard drive in your computer you want to make sure that the drive is formatted. This can by opening the “My Computer” icon on your desktop. You will then see your hard drives under the “Hard Disk Drives” section. Select the new drive and right click it, the drive will often labeled E: or F: depending on how many other devices are installed on the computer. In the drop down menu that appears you then select format and follow the simple format process.

After we have setup the new hard disk and have formatted it, we are ready to setup the file backup. The Windows Vista backup utility can be found by selecting the start button, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then click on ‘Backup Status and Configuration.’ The program will launch and you will be presented with several options, some of which may be greyed out.

You will want to first select the option that says ‘Setup automatic file backup.’ Note if you are doing this on a laptop, you will want to ensure that your laptop is plugged in, or else you will be given an error by the operating system not allowing you to continue until you plug your computer in. After selecting this option you will be able to select whether you want to backup your data to a hard drive / CD / DVD or another computer on the network. Select your new hard drive from the list and select next.

The next screen that you will come to allows you to select what types of files you want to backup. After selecting what types of files you wish to backup you can continue on to the next screen by pressing next.

At this point in the process you can select when and how often you wish to backup your computer data. How often you backup your data can really depend on how much you use your computer and what you use your computer from. If you use your computer on a daily basis and are constantly adding and changing files, we would recommend doing a daily backup. If you are just a casual user that does not use your computer for storing a lot of data, a weekly backup may suit your purposes more. Either way, it is recommended to set the backup time to a time when you will not be using your computer, because running a backup while using the computer can impact performance and even cause the backup to fail.

After you are done selecting what time and how often you wish to backup your computer, select the ‘Save settings and start backup’. button. You are now ready to backup your data!

Recommended Backup Setup

The best recommended setup that is used for a small 1 computer backup is using an external USB / Firewire hard drive. The backup schedule is set to run weekly every night. On a monthly basis it is also highly recommended to backup the data onto a CD or DVD that way if the backup drive ever fails you have a copy of the data on another media.

There is a good chance you are reading this because you or someone with access to your computer has deleted a file that you would like to recover. This is very possible to do based on how long and how much the computer was used since the file was deleted. This article will also provide some information on what to do if data recovery software cannot solve your issue.

Hard drives do not actually delete information when the user decides to delete a file by default. When a user decides to delete a file and empty their recycling bin it tells the computer that it is ok to rewrite over the portion of space the initial file took up and the files are simply hidden from your operating system making them appear as if they were deleted. There is a likely chance that the file can be recovered or undeleted if the space on the drive has not been overwritten.

Software is required and available on the internet that can be downloaded and installed onto a computer that will easily allow you to recover any files that have not been overwritten. Someone using this software needs to clearly understand that although it is likely to recover recently deleted files it is not guaranteed if the computer has installed or added files after the deletion. Generally, this software will provide a trial to ensure that the software will work properly for your issue prior to your purchase. These trials normally show you what files can be recovered without allowing them to actually be recovered unless the software is registered. File recovery software is normally priced anywhere from 30 to 60 dollars. Variations between applications are normally insignificant but if one is unable to properly recover your files it can’t hurt to try another.

In the unfortunate situation the drive is physically damaged or defective there is still hope. Many services which can also be found online can provide diagnostics to physically recover data from your drive. These services generally cost hundreds to thousands of dollars based on your specific situation or needs but commonly provide a free diagnostic to determine if it is worth your time and money. Companies do this by extracting the hard disk from the drive and seeing if it is possible to read different sectors to see if any data can be saved. The success rate of physical inspections varies but if your data is worth the costly process it is recommended as a last resort.