Where data is never lost." That's the Techfusion motto
- How long have you been doing this
- What is data recovery?
- What is data?
- How does a hard drive work?
- How should I contact you?
- What if my drive sounds like this…?
- Can I mail you my drive?
- How should I package my drive?
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How often should I back up my data?
- Which backup method should I use?
- Is one hard disk drive better then another?
- How should a drive be handled to avoid voiding the manufacturers warranty?
1.How long have you been doing this?
We have been helping customers recover their data for over 20 years. Our engineers have stayed ahead of the changing technological landscape and are ready to work on any machine and any operating system. As the storage of electronic data becomes more prevalent, new storage devices enter the market at a remarkable pace. Our engineers constantly undergo research on new software products and operating systems. We are experienced in data recovery, data disaster recovery, data service consulting and computer forensics. If you
have any questions regarding our credentials, we would be happy to talk
to you in person (877) 310-3282. Go Top
2. What is data recovery?
Data recovery involves locating, recovering and transferring data from a device that has become inaccessible to a new device or media. A device may become inaccessible for a variety of reasons. First, the device itself may be damaged or degraded. This makes the task of recovering the data more difficult and can result in clean room servicing. If the device or drive is inaccessible because of a motherboard failure, or a conflict with another peripheral device, then data recovery becomes simpler. The Techfusion engineers use the latest techniques and software to help find and recover data. We are confident that if we can not find, recover and transfer your data, no one can! Go Top
3. What is data?
Data comes in many forms and essentially is a translation of programs or files into a code that can be deciphered by a machine or hardware. Electronic data can be stored in a variety of ways ranging from hard drives to floppy disks. Electronic data may represent a Word document or a home video, a businesses database or an MP3. With the advent or portable devices with large storage capacities, such as Macintosh’s IPod, Digital Camcorders, Digital Cameras, MP3 players etc., the likelihood that your data may be lost increases. Unlike CDs or DVDs, devices such as these rely on mini hard drives. These devices have a limited life span. Depending on the manufacturer, you can expect the average drive to last approximately 1-5 years. While CDs and DVDs may present a more stable storage platform, they are not without their own limitations, particularly scratches, cracks or gouges. Our 20 years of experience has exposed us to every form of electronic data storage device. We have developed proprietary techniques that we know work. Let our experts and 20 years of experience work to help you ensure your data is never lost! Go Top
4. How does a hard drive work?
Hard Drives store data used by the rest of the computer. When a hard drive needs to read or write something its controller receives a request from the motherboard. The controller then coordinates the actuator to move the heads that read data from the platters. Once the heads read data from the platters, the data is sent to the buffers. From the buffers the data is sent to the computer to be processed. Go Top
Hard drives are comprised of platters, spindles, controllers, a motor, heads and an actuator all inside a metal casing. The disk spins continuously very fast in your computer and the head can travel in and out along a radius so that any location can be reached very quickly by the head. The information is stored in circular patterns on the disk and the location of the rings is measured by the computer and the spatial resolution is very high, so the location of the head to find data on the disk is exceedingly precise. Go Top
The controller coordinates the drive to perform the necessary operation. The controller moves the heads to where they need to be and transfer data to or from the platters. When the computer requests data from or sends data to the hard drive, it sends the request to the controller. Go Top
A motor is attached to the spindle, which spins the platters. Most drives today spin at 5400 RPM (revolutions per minute), 7200 RPM, 10,000 RPM or 15,000 RPM. While the speed the hard drive spins is not the only factor in determining how quickly the hard drive can read or write data, it is a large contributor to drive performance When the motor spins up it also spins up the spindle, which the platters are attached to. Go Top
The platters hold the data. Several materials comprise the platters. The core of the platter is most commonly made up of glass followed by a layer of the nickel followed by chromium. The next layer is magnetic material, a fine iron oxide, on which the data is stored. A very thin layer of carbon overcoat rests on the iron oxide. The carbon layer increases the mechanical durability of the disk and slows corrosion. The last layer consists of a lubricant. The more the hard drive is used the more lubricant is removed by the heads which many times ultimately leads to the death of the hard drive. Go Top
Once the platters are spinning at the correct speed the heads start moving to the correct place on the platter by the actuator. For each platter, a hard drive will commonly have two heads. A hard drive that has three platters will have six heads. The heads in the hard drive read and write the data to the platters. Different hard drive brands have different head functionality. Some drives have heads that sit on the platter when it is not in use. On other drives, the heads rest on a small carriage to the side of the hard drive. Go Top
Once the heads have read the data, the data is sent to a buffer. A buffer is made up of solid-state memory. The difference between solid-state memory and a hard drive is that solid-state memory is faster and looses data when the power is turned off. Most hard drives on the market today have buffers anywhere from two megabytes to eight megabytes. The reason for the buffer is that the controller will attempt to figure out what data the computer will want ahead of time and will put it in the buffer ready to be sent to the rest of the computer. The larger the buffer on the hard drive, the better performance the hard drive will have. After the data reaches the buffer it is then passed through the cable plugged into the hard drive to the motherboard and taken the main system memory which is several times faster than the fastest hard drives. Go Top
5. How should I contact you?
You can either submit a webform (Click Here) or you can: Call us at (877) 310-3282.
6. What if my drive sounds like:
7. Can I mail you my drive?
Yes, you can mail us your drive. However, please do not send us your drive until you have contacted us and we have established an invoice number for you. Go Top
8. How should I package my drive?
Be sure that the hard drive is snug inside a box. Place the drive in an anti static bag and surround it with packing material so that it will not move inside the box. Keep in mind that the shipping company may toss the box onto a truck; as such you want to be sure that the drive is packed inside a box so that it will not move around during shipping. Go Top
9. How often should I back up my data?
The rate of data backup should be commensurate with the rate of data creation. If you are generating new files or documents at a high rate, or changing or revising files at a high rate, then you should seek to back up this data quite frequently; perhaps daily or even hourly. If you are creating or changing files infrequently than you may not need to back up your data very often. Regardless of how many changes you’re making, you will want to make sure you have multiple back ups. At a minimum, you want to make sure you have two copies of all your documents. It’s also not a bad idea to have a third copy in case something happens in the transfer between two data sources. Go Top
10. Which backup method should I use?
There are a number of backup methods available to you. If you do not have a lot of data, you may want to burn your data to either CDs or DVDs. Another option is an external hard drive or a thumb drive. These act just like the hard drive in your computer and can typically be connected to your computer via USB or an Ethernet network connection. While all of these options are convenient, they do not protect you from the risk of a disaster such as a fire or flood. If these disasters occur, you are likely to lose both your originals and backups. Therefore, another option you may want to consider is offsite backup. With offsite backup, you will have your data transferred via the internet to a location away from your home or business. If you are interested in more information regarding offsite backup, please call one of our Service consultants at (877) 310-3282 Go Top
11. Is one hard disk drive better then another?
Currently the Seagate and Western Digital drives are recommended. Be sure to check with us though as these change with manufacturing moves. Go Top
12. How should a drive be handled to avoid voiding the manufacturers warranty?
Be sure not to try and change any parts or break any of the seals on the drive casing. These things can be done by qualified professionals and most of the time the drive manufacturers will under those circumstances honor the warranty. Go Top
We will work with you in a timely manner and are qualified and ready to help you recover your data. Let our experts and our 20 years of experience work to help you ensure your data is never lost!
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