How To Prevent Disaster Recovery

Nowadays more significant than of all time data recovery admitting notebook, laptop and PC data recovery has turn top priority for everybody because we have much more data storing than always before. And then how can we protect our most important data and prevent a disaster? Read this whole article and find out how to protect your information disregarding what sort of recovery type it's pc, notebook or laptop on this data recovery information.

Then what can occur to your data? Maybe you may delete by chance, hard disk might become crashed or it may be due to computer virus attack. In any case could be a disaster if you lost some crucial info from your pc. Keep reading to learn how you can prevent any disaster recovery.

Types of data recovery

Take your selection first hinging on data recovery type. You've two options; employment of a recovery software package or engage a pro from a esteemed data recovery company. The divergence is software system data recovery is often easy and sparing, but then again data recovery parties will bill you more but supply a good individualised service and in addition to software package frequently recovers damaged, erased or alike type of files although data company pros can recover all sorts of files admitting damaged due to rainwater, burn or any types of physical damaged files.

How to prevent data loss and disaster recovery

Until now the best formula is to back up your data on a regular basis and use of fine long-familiar anti virus package when it is extremely advisable to cool off your hard disc as far as possible while it is working. Don't remove your hard disc from casing very frequently and in case of a boot failure or data loss don't panic because data is yet there in the disc it will continue as it's as far as that specific particle get substituted by new data. Then while you experience that data is being loss, don't work on the pc that might induce data loss irreversible. Sure of cause you.

Visit http://www.laptop-support.net to learn more about Backup and Laptop.

I'm moderator for http://www.laptop-support.net, and I'm hoping contribute to make grow our community by sharing my knowledge and helping people

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Mod

How to Recover Almost Anything

So you've hit Ctrl+Canc by error, or maybe you emptied the trash right before remembering that folder you thought was filled with junk actually contained some useful information, too. There's no need to panic: luckily, a wealth of different tools have been developed for distract people like you, and yes, you can recover that information in the vast majority of the cases.

Not everybody knows that, when you delete a file, your computer doesn't actually reformat the section of the hard disk that used to contain the data, but simply deletes a pointer to that file on its file system and then updates its file/folder structure. This means that, even if the trash is empty, that doesn't mean the data you just deleted has no more way of being recovered: in fact, there are many Windows commercial and easy to use programs exist that will recover almost any kind of data.

When can the data be recovered? Even these sophisticated programs (that basically search backwards into the OS and file system internal commands to find again that infamous file pointer to the content you deleted) have physical limits: you won't be able to recover data if you have formatted your hard drive or if, not noticing the data was missing, you kept using your pc for a long period, to the point where some data was written in the place where the deleted data used to be.

Given the way these programs work, you will have to find the one that works for your specific needs -- that is, a data recover program that is compatible with both your operating system and your file system. The two most common file systems under Windows are FAT32 and NTFS, so look for those; on Linux, most users already know the file systems can be many, but the most common are EXT2 and EXT3; as for the Apple family, you're likely running on a HFS.

So, the first step is to find the appropriate program for you. Look at the end of the article for a collection of useful links, at least one of those contains the right software for you. Download and install it (possibly on an external or USB drive, to avoid the possibility of overwriting and therefore losing your data permanently!). You will soon see that the process is really straightforward, and changes based on the software you chose to download: typically, you will be asked to launch a full hard-disk scan, which will take a while but eventually yield a huge list of files you deleted a lot of time ago (although many of these, depending on dimension and date of deletion, may not be available for full recovery). Select the files/folders you want to recover, et voilà!

Unfortunately, sometimes (depending on the file format) you might not be able to recover the data you were looking for. In this case, if you truly value your data, consider sending your hard drive to a company specialized in data recovery (just google 'data recovery', you'll be presented with, literally, thousands of options). Those guys are usually very good at their job and can sometimes even rebuild a single file from various segments or put a severely scratched cd or dvd in one single piece again.

If you have a Mac and don't want to live under the pressure of deleting something important and never be able to get it back, consider using the so-called 'Time Machine' technology. In the latest keynote, good old Steve Jobs introduced some interesting innovations, among which a wireless hard drive that can be setup as a backup unit: you don't have to worry about anything, because it's all done automatically and continuously, and if you have to look for a deleted file, just start Time Machine and search for the file name -- most Mac users are already familiar with the process. The wireless backup unit are, at the time of writing, available in 500 GB and 1 TB format, which (uncommon in Apple pricing policy) isn't even that expensive, so it's probably an option to consider!

--

A few useful links to recovery software.

For Windows:

http://www.softwarepatch.com/tips/howto-file-recovery.html [Freeware]

For Linux:

http://www.data-recovery-software.net/Linux_Recovery.shtml [Freeware]

For Mac:

http://www.gold-software.com/download9538.html [Shareware]

Check out the author's website here: http://wysinnwyg.altervista.org/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dario_Borghino

How To Recover From The Black Screen Of Death

When all is right with the world, you turn on your PC and in a couple of minutes you're ready to go to work. You probably don't notice any of the magical things that have to happen with the operating system. You just wait for the desktop to appear and you can start computing.

One of the things that happens without your awareness is that the system checks what's called the boot sector on your hard disk. This is a physical location where it finds the necessary magnetically encoded information to get Windows loaded so you can use it.

But sometimes something goes wrong and the boot sector gets compromised. It might be caused by a virus infection. Or it might just be physical degradation of an aging hard disk. That's what happened to me about a year ago, without any warning.

The result is that when you turn on your machine, nothing happens. All you see is a blank gray or black screen called the Black Screen of Death (BSOD).

But all is not lost. If you know what to do, you can recover from this seeming tragedy.

First, turn OFF the computer. Wait a minute or so before turning it on again. Look in your owner's manual to see what key gets you into SETUP mode. Better yet, look it up now and write it down so you have it if you need it.

HINT: most computers use either the F2 key or the delete key. When your computer starts normally, it usually flashes a message at the top telling you to press this key if you want to enter setup. look for it the next time you boot up.

Now, turn the computer back on and at the same time, press the key to enter setup mode. It might be hard to get the timing just right, since you probably won't see anything on the screen. If you hit it at precisely the right time, you'll see a screen filled with setup options.

If you still have the BSOD, turn off the machine and try again.

Exactly what you'll see where depends on your particular computer. Look carefully until you find the section of the setup instructions that tells where to boot from.

It will be set to hard disk (because that's where you normally boot from). Change this option to boot from CD. Click on save, then exit. Insert a Windows bootable CD into the CD drive and turn off the machine.

Turn the computer back on and you should be able to get to your desktop and get back to work.

WARNING: What I mean by a Windows bootable CD is NOT something that came with your computer. That's probably a reinstallation CD which reinstalls Windows and gets your machine back to its original factory condition.

There are many disaster recovery services and backup software products on the market that can help you create the bootable CD. Two of the most highly rated are True Image from a company called Acronis and Shadowprotect from a company named StorageCraft.

I hope you never see the BSOD. And I hope you prepare for it ahead of time anyway.

Sheryl Schuff is a Certified Public Accountant, author, and consultant who has been in private practice for almost 30 years. She teaches small business owners how to use PCs and the Internet to simplify their business operations. You can get Sheryl's FREE special report with time saving tips at http://www.SherylSchuff.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheryl_Schuff

How To Recover Your Data Using This Near Forgetten Tip?

With more and more people using computers, the need to know some data recovery techniques is increasing important. Sometimes, you may find that by using USB data recovery technique, you might lose your data mysteriously. However, there are people and businesses specializing in USB data recovery has created outstanding results that nearly 96% of the cases have their data recovered successfully.

Please do not have any assumption that your valuable data cannot be recovered. With this technique, USB data recovery, you can get back data easily. Whether you are doing it alone or getting companies to do it for you. They can get help you to recover data from devices that have already been removed or damaged.

Besides, engaging companies to do it for you, what else can be done with USB data recovery?

These companies perform various services from doing USB data recovery, repair USB harddisk, repair damaged chipset to board There are companies out there that not only do USB data recovery, but they also will repair your USB hard drives. They can repair any chip damage and board damage that has been found in connection with your USB data recovery.

Recovering files from any type of USB drives, memory sticks, thumbdrives, or camera flash memory is the technique called jump drive recovery. Most companies used this type of recovery methods.

What are the types of USB data that can be recovered?

As mentioned earlier, these companies can recover data files from different types of USB drives. Devices such as USB devices, USB sticks and some broken internal connections are some of the USB drives that are used in the methods of USB data recovery.

There can be damaged chips that can be fixed in the process of your USB data recovery. Sometimes the solder could be loose as well. These companies can also fix any USB drives that need to have data recovered.

USB data recovery conclusion.

Experienced companies that are performing the USB data recovery techniques can also repair other components when discovered during the investigation process. This is part of their value-added service they are providing for their customers.

So long it does not happen to you again, it remain helpful as the problem has been fixed. It is not the end when your USB device has lost the data. By looking for the experts whom are capable of repairing USB data recovery, you will not face much stress and anxiety.

You should still seek a professional opinion on why there is a problem in the first place, rather than getting software or programs that can retrieve data from your USB devices. This is my advice for you.

Eddy is a creator of this blog, owned by EKWW Global Marketing. He created a blog DoctorDataRecovery and discover some data recovery techniques. Look at his expert resource blog now for more writeups.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddy_Kong

Internet Data Storage - A Home For Company Information

Secure Internet Data Storage is a priority for any company with a lot of data files to house. Internet Data Storage acts as a safeguard for files, company tools, and vital information.

Rob Cosgrove, the founder of Remote Backup Systems is the father of this type of storage. He first concentrated his efforts on giving small business owners a way to house their Internet information just like the "big boys." This type of storage permits business owners to store their information on the Internet, while enabling them to share their information with others, namely employees.

The capability to increase storage without the purchase of hardware is monumental. It saves time and money, and allows businesses to purchase additional storage when needed. It's hassle-free for business owners. Also, this enables employees to access company files from home or a remote location as long as there is connectivity to the Internet. Companies can password protect this information assuring their data is safe and sound, while offering convenience to employees. This is especially valuable for individuals who telecommute.

Data backup is a key component of Internet Data Storage. It affords businesses the ability to back up data in the event of a computer or server crash. Data backup safeguards against loss of information due to an unforeseen virus attack.

Numerous kinds of Internet Data Storage are on the market. Making an informed decision is imperative when choosing storage for a business. Most providers of this service offer password protection and some will even include two factor authentications to ensure the company's privacy and security. Around the clock customer service and support is another benefit of most. Many offer encryption services to further safeguard the information they house. Only the user can see the information if the company deems this necessary feature to be included.

You can learn more about Internet Data Storage as well as much more information on everything to do with data storage at http://www.OnlineDataStorageA-Z.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Edwards

Simple Ways to Protect Computers From Data Loss for Internet Marketing Newbies

As an internet marketer, the data found in your computer is extremely precious. Data could be anything - original copies of content for your website, applications and software that run your computer and everything else that is important for your internet marketing business. Data is where the very essence of your business lies and as an internet marketing newbie, it's important that you keep it secure. Here are ways you can protect your computer from data loss:

Data protection for newbies

It's important to understand that electronic data is very sensitive. Once the original copy is erased, you'll find it very difficult to try to restore it completely. So as always, remember that the best way to protect your computer is by prevention. You can do this six ways:

1. Create backup copies of important files.

2. Use anti-virus and firewall software to prevent data corruption.

3. Use passwords.

4. Prevent computer theft.

5. Encrypt your precious data.

6. Keep your computer clean.

Backing it up

If there's one mantra you should live by as an internet marketing newbie, it's backup, backup, backup. A backup is merely a copy so you have something to use in case something goes wrong with the original file.

Creating a backup on your PC is quite easy, actually. On the Accessories tab, go to System Tools, click on Backup and then select the files and/or settings you want. Simply specify which documents or folders you want to backup and then type the Destination or location you want to store the copies in. This could be a floppy disk, a CD or DVD or on your hard disk.

It's recommended that you create a backup copy that is physically separate from your computer. You can also schedule an automatic backup to ensure that you never forget and that copies of new files are created. The principle here is simple: if you have a backup, you have something to use in case something goes wrong.

Using an anti-virus and firewall

An anti-virus software will prevent corruption of data while a firewall will help minimize the possibility that malicious files enter your system. Install a reliable anti-virus application in your computer and upgrade it often to ensure that you prevent and destroy malicious viruses that might affect your system. A firewall, on the other hand, keeps your system protected while you browse the Internet.

Using passwords

Although passwords will not protect your data from corruption, it will be a deterrent against theft or misuse by others. Use a password to prevent anyone from using your computer or if you're sharing it with another person, create two separate accounts that may be accessed only through a password.

Preventing theft

Data loss may also be experienced through theft - both physical and electronic. Protect your computer by keeping it in a safe area or if you will be traveling or moving around with it, make sure to keep it within sight or at least lock the door if you leave. A practical means is to use a lock or security cable that attaches to your laptop and keeps it fixed to a nearby stationary object. Do this if you must leave a mobile PC alone.

Data loss can also occur electronically, when hackers enter your system and scoop up data without your permission. Spyware, for example, can act as a mole in your system and inform others about the content of your computer. Prevent this by installing an anti-spyware and adware application. This help ensure that your data is yours alone.

Encrypting data

Data encryption isn't the realm of spies alone. These days, it's mandatory for many computer users. It helps discourage and prevent anyone from viewing or using the information found in your computer. Data encryption translates your data into unintelligible material, essentially rendering it useless to others. If you prefer, you can even use an anti-theft device that has an alarm.

Keeping a clean computer

A clean computer is a well-organized computer. The more streamlined it is, the less likely it will crash and thus result to the loss of data pertaining to your internet marketing business. Install only programs that you truly need. If you must install an application, check that it is reliable and useful. Beta versions, for example, are best used for PCs that don't contain your important data. If the application is unfamiliar, treat it with suspicion. These days, whether you're a newbie or an experienced player in the internet marketing business, the best way to protect your computer from data loss is to be wary. To trust too much can be detrimental to your computer's health.

For more information on internet marketing for beginners please visit:

http://www.thebiginternetmarketinggame.com/yourcomputerandyourcomputerskills.html
http://www.thebiginternetmarketinggame.com
http://www.drnathaliefiset.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathalie_Fiset

Recycle your Computers, Not the Data

Did you buy a new computer? You did. Did you make sure that you have removed all of your personal information from your old PC before discarding it? Many people just delete the files and information off the desktop, but what they DO NOT do is-clear their hard drives. The hard drives are the most sensitive thing in the computer and should be wiped and cleansed of YOUR information before selling or giving it to someone. Anybody can easily recover your personal data by using software for retrieving data. This could cause embarrassment as well as a source of trouble for the previous user. The data is always retrievable even though it got lost due to some sort of damage or error. That is why it is very important to clear all the information from your old PC's hard drive after uploading data to a new computer.

The data on your hard drive does not delete completely by deleting files repeatedly or by reformatting the existing drives. A computer genius can retrieve the data easily if it is not completely removed from the drives. Unless data is over written, programs that read the disk can always detect and recover lost data. Some of the guaranteed ways to DELETE the data completely or to make it inaccessible is to degauss, clean the drive or to destroy the storage media.

Some software programs such as CBL Data Shredder are also available that are effective in destroying data. They also offer a free Windows application that eliminates the possibility of anyone successfully retrieving computer data. CBL Data Shredder and other such programs are available on the Internet for downloading. There are also available on a CD from different stores and can be purchased online too.

Saman Rashid is an experienced writer. She has been writing articles and web copies since 3 years. To contact her,kindy visit http://www.mscopywriters.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Saman_Rashid

Recovery Tips for Errored, Damaged or Unfinalized DVDs

The following procedures can be tried in the event of you having an unsuccessfully finalized DVD, a damaged DVD or a DVD that has not been burned correctly by the video camcorder or recorder and has some corrupt data.

It is a good idea for you to first consider other possible causes of what appears to be errors such as a dirty disc surface, a dirty lens in the DVD reader or other software and hardware related problems. Prior to embarking on any of the following you need to eliminate all possible causes for having trouble with a DVD. Check to see your DVD burner has the latest firmware by going to the manufacturers website. Check to see if the media (brand and type) are compatible with your DVD burner/reader. Once you are certain that you have an unsuccessfully finalized DVD or a corrupt DVD you can get started.

Scratched DVD Disks

A simple visual inspection of the surface of the disc will tell you straight away whether your first problem is physical damage to the disc. If you can see a scratch or scratches on the surface then this may need to be addressed first. I say "may" because personally I use DVDFab to check to see if the disc will copy before I embark on any other course of action. DVDFab can read through a lot of surface errors because of its superior algorithms so I always take the lazy route and see if I can simply make a new copy. Now failing that you could go online and buy some expensive DVD scratch repair kit. Or you could do as I do and go to your local hardware store or even your own garage! All you will need is a bottle of any neutral colored (clear) car polishing product. Turtlewax happens to be the one I use. Take a VERY soft cloth (NOT paper towel), apply a little polish to the surface of the disc and GENTLY (remember, it's not a car!) rub the disc. Use straight strokes from the centre of the disc to the outer edge and continue to do this until you can see the scratch either disappear or reduce noticeably. Then using the same motion and fresh cloth buff the disc back to its original shine. Now try it with DVDFab. If you are still unsuccessful repeat the process until you can be certain, again by visual inspection, that the problem is now not coming from a damaged disc surface.

DVD data Repair/Recovery

The software you can use for this are DVDFab, Nero 8 (trial) and Isobuster. In the case of Isobuster you can try the free features first but failing that the full featured version needs to be purchased. A straight search of Yahoo or Google will find you the relevant sites.

Put the problem disc in the DVD drive of your computer then:

1. DVDFab. Try to use DVDFab first, as it has the best algorithms for reading anything on a DVD including how it integrates with the DVD drive, honestly sometimes I think it would read a bagel if you put it in there!

Select "DVD to DVD." DVDFab will now try to read the contents of the disc and, if it can, write the contents to a folder on your hard drive. It is as simple as that. It is either going to work or not! If it does do it then the copy you now have on your hard drive will be fully repaired and you can then burn a new copy.

Failing that:

2. Isobuster. Using the free functions try to make a disc image file and burn to another DVD. Isobuster has three alternate methods of dealing with data corruption. It can replace the corrupted area with nothing, with fake data or with a series of zeros. It will give you the choice and just select them in order to try each until one works. Isobuster will not create the disc image file unless it knows it will be successful. If Isobuster has created the file (note where it was going to put it first!) you will have to re-name the extension to .iso. Use the disc image file to burn a new DVD disc. At this point, if you now have a new disc, you need to check that new one carefully. There is always the possibility that Isobuster has just made a perfect copy of your faulty disc! So now you have a brand new faulty disc!

Failing that: You will need to pay for the full version of Isobuster but ONLY buy it if you got this far. If Isobuster free couldn't even read the disc then don't bother.

From this point forward the best you can hope for is the extraction of the MPEG video files or data files on the disc. You ARE going to lose the video menus and you may lose some of the video or data.

a. Start Isobuster then load the disc.

b. When Isobuster has detected the files on the disc run the "Find Missing Files and Folders" option under the "File" menu.

c. You will now have an entry on the left hand column of "files and folders found by their signature."

d. Select that, then go to "File," "Files found via their signature" then "Extract files found via their signature." Choose a location and let it run.

Now you will have all the files where you selected them to go. The ones with the extension .VOB are the MPEG files from your disc wrapped in the VOB container. They can then be imported into a video editing program using the "Import DVD/VR" function or can be read by most DVD burning software.

Unfinalized discs. If at all possible try to get the original device used to create the disc to finalize it. If this is not possible or the original device is failing to successfully finalize the disc you may have to resort to the Isobuster routine above.

If you have been left with an otherwise perfectly good disc, but unfinalized do the following.

This requires Nero 8 (Trial version) and is suited to unfinalized discs only. Go to the Nero link above, download and install Nero 8. Yes, it's big...sorry!

Place the unfinalized disc into the computer DVD tray. Open Nero 8 StartSmart. Click "create and edit" at the top of the screen. Click "author, edit and capture video." NeroVision 5 will start. Click on the disk tools drop down menu then click "finalize disk." In the option box that appears choose "no menus" and let it run. Hopefully you now have a fully finalized disc that is readable.

Hope this helps!

Lance Carr runs a successful business consultancy in Taiwan. As such, he has nothing much to do so loves to research and test all sorts of things out. His staff thinks he is working but actually he is doing this!
http://www.myeasydata.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Carr

Quick and Simple Computer Backup Tips and Strategy

The problem with backup is that sometimes we are too busy with our work and tend to forget to backup our digital data every once in a while, which can lead to some serious consequences.

The other issue is that most people never think a hard drive crash will happen to them. This mentality can be devastating. It generally starts with something like, 'My hard drive failed.' And end with, 'How can I get the photos of my kids back?' To avoid this nightmare again, you must sit down and ask yourself "what are you going to do to prevent something like this in the future?

Listed below are some simple and quick tips for you to make your backup a breeze.

1) Backups created with the disaster recovery option enabled can speed recovery of your system after a hard drive crash or similar failure where your data is lost. Fully restore your system without installing any of the original software or operating system.

2) If you have only one drive, go buy one. Hard drives are pretty cheap nowadays which allows you to backup another copy of your data.

3) Another form of backup that is becoming very popular is the use of what are called key drives. Key drives are tiny drives which can fit on your key chain but can still hold up to a gigabyte or more of data.

4) For added security, important files should be copied to an external hard drive or a flash drive or a CD, or sent to another computer.

5) When doing your writing, email to yourself whatever that has been written up to a certain point by using one of the web-based email accounts such as Yahoo or Gmail.

5) System Restore allows you to restore your computer's configuration, driver information, and programs to a previous state while leaving your existing data intact. Using this option can typically fix an installation's problem if it is not associated with faulty hardware.

Justin Koh is a backup expert whose articles have appear in most major ezines. Backup Expert can be found sharing their knowledge at http://www.backupcenter.info

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and the article remains unchanged.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Koh

Protecting the Business Through Data Leak Prevention

Data leak prevention is very important amidst the fast life that people lead today. This is because of one sad fact: all sorts of crimes can happen to the best of us. How much more if people do not protect themselves? One such crime that is very rampant in America today is identity theft. And yes, identity theft can happen to just about anyone, especially if one is not careful enough. This is why data leak prevention is very important, especially amongst the professional ones.

Let us face it: most people in the world of business today make use of the Internet. This is because the Internet is just about the fastest medium one can use in making business dealings from day to day. However, as long as you are connected to the Internet, there are various ways in which data leaks can take place. If your company has not implemented a system to deal with data leaks effectively, then your business is definitely at risk to lose a lot of valuable information. There are many effective methods that are available for just about any type of business today. These include access control lists, encryption, firewall usage, defined permissions, and a lot more. All of these can effectively deal with the many infiltrators and perpetrators who can hack their way into your system with the sophisticated equipment and software applications that they can use.

However, these tools are rendered useless if the reason for data leaks comes from the inside. Yes, these things do happen, unfortunately. Whether the intentions here are accidental or intentional, most of the time, data leaks occur because of some inside hand that guides the whole process. And if such is the case, then there really is no way of saying that a company's security system cannot be breached at all. What's even sadder is that recent studies show that a lot of companies have reported breaches of their security and data leak prevention systems because of some insiders in their midst.

But you have to understand that this does not necessarily mean that the employees of a company are not trustworthy at all. In fact, recent results also show that a large portion of the employees who act as insiders in data leaks are not aware that what they are doing puts their companies at risk. This is because they are purposely leaking data for the sake of their own jobs and their companies as well. For instance, a certain payroll officer from the HR department is not done processing the salaries of the people, and it is already an hour and a half after her shift. But it's a Friday, and the payroll is to be submitted first thing Monday morning. So, she decides to attach the payroll and email it to herself, with innocent intentions of working on the sheets over the weekend. This is indeed a scenario that can occur in any office setting.

This is why it is important for any company to explain to their workforce the do's and don'ts pertaining to data leaks. This way, once data leak prevention tools are implemented, these would fulfill the very purpose that they were installed for.

If you are interested in data leak prevention, check this web-site to learn more about data leak.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Miller

Blue Screen Error - How To Solve Computer & Windows Crash

I've seen many IT forum users searching for answers to the Blue Screen Error. The screen turns blue with the following detailed error message written across the screen:

"A problem has been detected and windows had been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode."

Even after following these instructions, your computer probably will have the blue screen error at random periods. In the past, I used to do a complete format of my hard disk when the blue screen error appears. This is not the best solution. You may find that while in the midst of installing your operating system, the blue screen can pop up halfway. This is 99% a RAM issue, and when that happens, you'll be left with an unbootable half installed windows operating system.

A solution I use is to install Regcure and check for registry, driver errors. Run the scan and fix them with the software if there are, then reboot to see if the blue screen error appears. If it persists, the second solutino is to do a process of elimination with the RAM. RAM stands for random access memory and you'll need 2 sticks of RAM for this. Remove 1, boot up the computer and check for the error, if it does not appear, then your problem is solved.

These 2 steps will 99.9% solve your blue screen errors.

Get the simple Blue Screen on Windows XP solution at http://registrycleanercompare.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sherman_C

You Should Use Data Recovery Software!

Because we all are aware of how unpredictable technology can be, we must always be prepared for the worst case scenario and if you're anything like most other PC users, you've probably at some point deleted some important files, information, documents, or other data from your computer. Well if this sounds like you then you'll be glad to know that there's data recovery software out there that can help you recover the data that you have lost. Now that viruses have become a part of every computer users daily life there are chances that a virus could delete some of your important files, data, or other important information from your computer. If this is the case then data recovery software is what you need.

There are plenty of data recovery programs available on the market to help you recover your lost data, files, or any other information that has become inaccessible. Data recovery software can help you retrieve data or information that has previously been deleted. It can also help you recover any data that has been lost because of virus attacks, power surge, software failures, and more.

There are also lots of data recovery services that you can call to help assist you with the recovery of your lost information. It can sometimes be helpful to have a little familiarity of your computer to help the data recovery company with retrieving your data. PC users today use unique software for data recovery to get back the lost information from their home computers, business computers, cell phones, PDA's, or any other electronic system that might store important information. Regardless if you're a business or home user it is always a good idea to have a backup plan as well as some kind of data recovery software in case you lose your data.

B. Green http://www.cleanseddata.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B_Green

Windows Registry Recovery Doesn't Have To Be Difficult

The worst has happened.

You are trying to finish up those reports for your boss when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, everything on your PC just stops. There's a blink, and suddenly the monitor is filled with a sea of deep blue and a cryptic message you couldn't possibly understand.

After copious research (on your neighbor's computer) which involves typing in the full-text of the error you've encountered into the search engines, you come across a few possibilities. There is always the potential of spyware or adware ruining your system one way or another, but you've updated your virus definitions and have thoroughly scanned your PC for signs of those malevolent intruders. You've also been running something like AdAware and to date, nothing malignant has shown up.

But there's one thing you haven't yet considered - the Windows registry. Recovery of this component of the Windows operating system is not too difficult, but before we look at repairing it, let's take a closer look at just what it is.

Stuck for a way to track all the program preferences, driver settings, and operating system selections, the original designers of Windows threw out the simple text file idea (now used in Linux and Mac operating systems), and opted for a centralized database which effectively stores all of this information in a hierarchical set of "keys."

It was a good theory, but there was no way these same designers could see just how poorly it would work in practice. One of the unintended consequences became apparent as people began to try out new programs. They'd install one here, remove one there, put in a new printer, download a new driver, and so on. Unfortunately, once a program or driver wrote all its entries into the Windows registry, these entries tended to STAY there, no matter if the program was removed, updated, or altered.

Serious errors would then occur as fragments or remnants of programs in the registry attempted to access protected memory. These errors would manifest themselves as "illegal operation" messages, or, more frighteningly, as a Blue Screen of Death. As such, it became important to find a way to implement a complete Windows registry recovery as quickly as possible.

But how is this done?

For one, you could try to isolate the error (be it an exporer.exe, a svchost, kernel32.dll, or other error) by using the "regedit" command in the command line and attempting to locate the offending registry entry. This is fraught with risks and in fact the very registry errors we want to be rid of can be easily created by inexperienced users accessing the registry

The only way to implement a full windows registry recovery is to run a scan of the registry with third party software. Strangely enough, even though this is a glaring Microsoft issue, the gang at Redmond has never seen fit to police itself on this matter.

There are a wide range of software options on the market. Look for something that will scan automatically, defragment and compact the registry, and back up your current registry before it removes anything. You should be up and running again in fifteen minutes or less.

Mike Lath is a self-professed geek who actually enjoys fixing his family member's computers! His site, http://InstantFixPC.Com, is geared at helping the novice computer fix their computer problems in no time at all...

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Lath

BIOS and BIOS Updating

Introduction

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the software code that first runs when the PC powers on. It contains all the information necessary to initialize nearly all the hardware components of the PC. Normally, when you switch on the PC, the BIOS performs a Power on Self Test, or POST as it is called. This is a series of diagnostic tests on the RAM and other Hardware. It also initializes all the hardware devices such as the hard disk, memory, video and other hardware, identifies and reserves memory addresses for all the IRQs and ports available on the motherboard, and calls a small operating system program known as the boot loader. The boot loader, using the BIOS information amongst other things, starts calling the programs that will load the OS. And finally, the OS uses the BIOS information to take control over the hard ware devices.

Mother board manufactures use the BIOS to define settings for the various hardware components including the hard disk, RAM, CD-RAMs, I/O ports etc. These are generally set at the factory and are what is called the Factory Settings or the BIOS Setup Default Settings.

The BIOS software code and all the settings for the PC are stored on a memory chip that's continuously supplied with the power by a battery. The battery also powers a real time clock that keeps accurate times. Hence, these settings are retained even when the power is switched off.

Mother board manufactures and BIOS vendors frequently release updates, which can be "flashed" to the BIOS. In some troubleshooting cases, your only option is to update the BIOS.

To enter the BIOS setup, you'll need to press [Delete], or something similar, when your computer is booting up. Depending on the PC, the key may be different - [Esc],[F1],[F10]. Etc.

Updating the BIOS and other firmware

Taking advantage of the capabilities offered by EEPROM, motherboard manufactures have begun releasing new versions of the BIOS with greater frequency these days. There are many reasons that an update to the BIOS may be required: the new version offers better stability, compatibility or performance; new technical break thoughts require new features in the BIOS; a device attached to the computer may not function without the newer version; and increasingly, flashes fix some problems in the earlier version of the BIOS.

Just as the PC motherboard has a BIOS chip, so do other hard ware components and peripherals. These include things such as the video card, the CD-ROM/RW, DVD-ROM/RW,etc. Generally, the BIOSes on these are known as firmware. And just as the PC BIOS can be updated, the BIOS of these devices can be updated, too. While we only cover flashing the PC BIOS, the procedure is pretty similar for other firmware. In all cases, make sure you have all the information and the procedure down before the procedure.

Identify If Your BIOS is flashable

The first step is to identify if you have a flashable BIOS. Peel the sticker off the BIOS chip and note down the model number. Go to the motherboard manufacturer's Web site and search for the model and whether it's flashable. Once you've determined that you have a flashable BIOS, we are in business.

Note Down The Current Settings

The next step is to note down all the current BIOS settings. Switch on the PC and enter your BIOS setup. If you have a printer attached and the print screen button works, go to each and every menu page and print out the settings. Otherwise, note it down by hand. In case something goes wrong, you will need to refer to these set things to reset BIOS.

Get the Latest BIOS updates

Once you've copied down all your settings, the next step is to identify the latest updates for your BIOS. To do this, go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and look up BIOS updates for your mother board model, make and number. Download the correct update from the site. Download the flash program that will 'flash' the update onto your BIOS chip. Usually, the update and the flash program will be zipped together.

Create two MS-DOS boot floppy disks

Ensure that you're on a reliable power supply and that your floppy drive is not defective. Copy the flash program to a new floppy disk formatted as on MS-DOS startup disk.. Keep second formatted disk also ready.

Back up your current BIOS

Ensure that the floppy device is the first boot device in your BIOS settings. Insert the first floppy and reboot the system. You will taken to a DOS prompt (A:) from where you should type in the name of the flash program. On the screen that appears, select the option to save your current BIOS to the first floppy disk where you only have the flash program. This will serve as a back up in case something goes wrong with your update and you need to revert to your old BIOS.

Flash the BIOS

Copy the flash program and the BIOS update file to the second floppy disk. Verify that the update file has been copied correctly. Reboot the system with the floppy inserted in the floppy drive. At the A: prompt, type out the name of the flash program followed by the BIOS update file name. A screen appears showing you the update file that will be flashed to the BIOS. Confirm it. WAIT will the BIOS flashed. You will be informed when it is over and asked to exit. Once you are back at the DOS prompt, remove the floppy and reboot the system. If everything has gone off well, you should get the normal POST screen.

Configure the new BIOS

After flashing your BIOS with new version and rebooting, enter the BIOS setup. The first step is to load the factory defaults. This will ensure that all the new options will default to the factory setting, which under normal circumstances should be safe. After loading the defaults, the next step is to configure the BIOS to your system specific settings. Pull out the screen shots you printed out earlier and the key in all the settings there. You may, of course, change any of those settings if you are sure about what you are doing. As a first step, however, it is better to use the old settings and check if your system boots up to the OS and everything is working normally.

Recovering from a Corrupted flash

Some of the main reasons for the flash BIOS corruption are incompatible add-on cards, aborted flash updates due to power fluctuations, or improper BIOS image.

If your flash attempt fails, don't panic! Such failures are often reliably recoverable, as most newer BIOS codes today include a Boot Block Protection option. A BIOS of this type has two distinct parts. The First Boot Block part contains information needed to initialize only critical system devices such as floppy drive, processor, memory and ISA video devices. This part is write protected and can not be overwritten by flashing. The second part is the flashable part, known as system block, and contains all the information needed to initialize other system devices such as video, storage, COM ports, input devices, other peripherals, and performing the POST.

To recover from a corrupted flash, you need to be able to boot into the floppy where you have the flash program and the BIOS file you want to flash. An ISA video card is preferable, but if you do not have one, you can still do it. If you have the ISA card then you will not be able to see what you are doing. Reboot the system to the DOS prompt and repeat the steps outlined above for flashing, or the steps specified by your mother board manufacturer.

If you don't have an ISA video card, create an autoexec.bat file, which will run when you boot into the DOS system. Use Notepad to create a single line entry which will contain the flash program name followed by the update file name along with any switches that are specified.

This instructs DOS prompt to run aotuexec.bat when the system boots up and run the awd802.exe flash program using the backup.bin BIOS update file. The switches are various options specific to the flash program, with the last switch instructing the program to reboot once flashing is completed.

Copy the autoexec.bat file to the floppy with your flash program and the BIOS update file you want to use. The floppy should only contain the basic DOS system files, and should not have any other files that may auto-load on start up and interface with the flashing.

The example above is for an Award BIOS update. While the parameters will most likely differ for your particular BIOS version, the general approach remains the same:

o Create a DOS system floppy

o Copy the flash program and the BIOS update file

o Create an autoexec.bat batch file with a single line entry instructing DOS to flash the BIOS when system starts up

Be sure to read up the manufacturer's instructions on each switch parameter and how they should be used.

G.R.Brindha MCA, MPhil INC-Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=G.R._Brindha_Shivakumar

Crashed Hard Drives Can Put You Out Of Business

Computers take a lot of abuse these days and laptops probably bear the most of it. As mobile technology gains momentum more and more people are using their laptops to store information that they can access readily wherever they are.

In an effort to have organized, ready to refer information at their fingertips, many people are shifting over to virtual ways of storing data but not many pay attention to the fact that like many advanced machines a laptop also needs to be cared for and maintained. When one day your laptop decides to take a breather and crash, you realize you are at risk of losing all that valuable information that you entrusted into the hands of your faithful laptop. Backups may not be updated and every second of data loss may cost you a lot of money. Luckily, you have data recovery services that can help salvage your data with the help of advanced software and techniques. Data recovery experts are able to retrieve data that has been lost due to mechanical, electrical, physical and accidental causes as long as the damage is not irreversible.

Many services offer remote data recovery that is performed online. If that does not solve your problem, you can always ship the machine to the company's lab. The data recovery software provided by many companies also offers you a user friendly method to trace your lost files and recover all the valuable data in them. If you have critical information stored in your emails you can also opt to choose email recovery software that will help save your emails from getting destroyed.

Data loss can sign the death warrant for your business, unless you are able to locate and use the right resources that can help recover all the valuable information stored in your laptop.

I'm moderator for http://www.laptop-support.net, and I'm hoping contribute to make grow our community by sharing my knowledge and helping people

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Mod

Crashed Hard Drives - Data Recovery Is Big Business

Over my 20 years of computer repair, it is safe to say that I have had to replace 1 defective hard drive a week. That's 52 a year, so that's 1000 hard drives give or take. It is also safe to say that 20% of those crashed hard drives did not even phase the customer. Maybe 60% just considered it a hassle. But that leaves another 20% that were almost in tears because they filled it with family photos or work documents with out any form of data backup.

The purpose of this article is to cover a few backup options along with the cost associated with it. You will be surprised at the worst case scenario.

I'm willing to bet that every one smart enough to find this article has a CD burner on there computer. Right there you have no excuse for not backing up your files, but it is time consuming. The CDs need to organized to some extent and they are susceptible to scratches, nicks and heat. So while it is an option, it is not to practical.

Personally I pay about $9 a month for web hosting. With this I can simply set up a folder that is password protected on the server. Then every few days I connect to it and upload my whole drive by dragging and dropping. Take a FTP program of your choice and tell it to copy only the newer files and it's just that easy. What's that? $108 a year? Even then my hosting company backs up my backup while I can tend to the various blogs and sites I maintain.

Quick question... who much does it cost to add a second hard drive to your system? For as little as $200 - $250 you could get an external hard drive in it's own little case that plugs into your USB port. Again, just set it up to copy over the new data.

While there are many more mays to back up your hard drive, here is the part that floors people. Many times over I have had a customer tell me that they need the data off of a dead drive no matter what the cost... then they eat there words or change there mind after they get the details. I'm going to use Ontrack just as an example just because I have used them dozens of times and they have been around longer then me. ( Highly recommended but not affiliated )

They sell data recovery software, as do several other companies. $449 for an Outlook file recovery program. A general data recovery program for just under $200. A professional commercial and consulting, yearly license runs $1499. All this is assuming that the hard drive is spinning correctly and can can be seen by the system. But what if the heads crash or it does not spin at all or the BIOS does not see it? Then it needs to go to a clean room for physical repairs and that's where it starts to add up.

Recently I've seen places advertise that they can fix a drive for $500 on the average with a 88% success rate. That may be the case but most places I've worked with require that much as a non refundable diagnostic fee. Then expect another $1000 for them to put the data on another hard drive. Even then, you usually need to reinstall Windows and all your applications. This is just data recovery.

So in the long run, I hope you can see how practical the time and money it takes to keep your own data backed up is. There is no guarantee that when you wake up in the morning your hard drive will wake up with you. So do yourself a favor and take action sooner then later.

With 20 years of computer repairs behind me, I'm here to share some of the most popular problems and ways to avoid them in my new blog Computer Nightmares. Over the years, the main issues have shifted from hardware to software and I address both. All in an effort to save you from the troubles I've had to seen over and over again.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_McVey

A Computer Crash - Unlikely - Think Again

You read about it, heard about it, but do you really think a computer crash can happen to you? You bet. It's easy to become complacent - after all, you take precautions. You're smart. No matter how long you've been using a computer, you know that it's absolutely necessary to back up your files just in case your computer crashes - right? Of course you do.

I've been using computers at home since 1993 - a long time. And, I've upgraded computers at least 8 times since then. Each new upgrade gets faster with bigger hard drives. Each upgrade in hard drives leads to more and more new software programs with more and more files being stored. In all this time, I've never experienced a computer crash - until now. I took some additional precautions so I wouldn't lose any of my files.

I made sure that I backed up the majority of my programs and my files. But, what happens if my hard drive crashes and after several hours of trying different things, I find there is no fix? Do I have back up files - sure I do. But, there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not creating more files, or web revisions. Do I have the most recent changes saved - no. I guess like a lot of us who are busy running work from home businesses (both online and offline) we don't always follow our back up schedules religiously. I'm guilty of doing just that.

How often should you back up programs and files? That depends on how many changes you make on a daily/weekly basis. For some, once a month would be good enough - for others, once a day. You have to decide how much effort it will take if your system crashes, and if it can't be recovered, how much effort it will be to re-install your programs and files on a new hard drive.

How are you going to back up critical information? Your choice will depend on how large your programs are, how many, and how many files you have. If you have the CDs to all your software programs, it's just a matter of reloading them all. But, what if you've purchased some over the Internet and downloaded them? If your smart, you'll keep them all (most of them come 'zipped') in a separate file folder on your hard drive and ensure that you back up this folder every time you download a new software program.

If you need Serial Numbers to load some of these software programs, and you received instructions and serial numbers by email, print them and keep them in a separate hard copy folder so you can retrieve them as needed. A paperless office isn't necessarily good especially for this situation.

And, if you're really prepared, you have an older computer around (one you kept when you purchased a new model) so you can continue, in a temporary mode at least, to do business until you've resolved your computer. Be prepared - a computer crash can happen to you too!

More tips and tools to Make Money From Home Read about our experience and learnings on how we make money from home, tips, tools, plus motivation to start each day. http://www.makemoneyfromhome4u.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Byron_Pulsifer