What is Data Recovery?

Put simply, data recovery is the process of retrieving computer data that, for any number of reasons, has become inaccessible using normal methods. Ontrack has the right tools and experience to solve your data loss problems.

"No one in the data recovery business comes close to challenging Ontrack's leadership. It is by far the most technologically advanced company in the field." - Joe Sullivan, Securities Analyst, Dougherty Summit Securities

Don't assume that your data is unrecoverable; Ontrack provides the following data recovery services recovering lost data:

* RDR® - Remote Data Recovery™ Service
Using patented technology, Ontrack engineers perform lab-quality data recovery service right on your server, desktop, or laptop through a modem of Internet connection. Additionally, the connection is secured by using a proprietary communication protocol, encrypted packets, and safe facilities.

* In-Lab Data Recovery Service
Ship the damaged drive or storage device to an Ontrack lab and let our experienced engineers determine what is necessary to recover the data. Most standard data recovery jobs are completed in 3-5 days for the fastest turnaround time in the industry, and we return the data on the storage media of your choice.

* EasyRecovery™ Professional Software
EasyRecovery Professional provides and easy to use, do-it-yourself solution to meet data loss needs and restore valuable data. EasyRecovery Professional offers a complete solution for disk diagnostic, data recovery, and file repair needs.

Regardless of the Ontrack data recovery option that you chose, you can be sure that:

Ontrack Data Recovery software and data recovery services are complete and safe.

Our engineers pioneered the technology used in this field and continue to produce ground-breaking solutions. You can rest assured that your data is in the most competent hands.

Ontrack data recoveries return current data.

Although many people rely on backups following a data loss, the most recent backup may not be recent enough.

Ontrack Data Recovery software and data recovery services are fast.

Every second that passes following a data loss means time and money. Our data recovery specialists help you quickly determine which data recovery approach is the best for your situation.

Ontrack Data Recovery software and data recovery services are cost-efficient.
The expense in time, money and effort to recreate lost data can be overwhelming to you or your company. We offer a full spectrum of options to meet your budget.



Data Recovery is exactly what it sounds like - a way to recover important information that was lost from a computer crash, hard disk malfunction, or virus attack. No matter the scale, big corporation database recovery or single user retrieval of files from spontaneous “deleting”, data recovery is an important and necessary part of any operating system. Data Recovery software can be developed, installed and removed from existing systems to retrieve lost data or partial data and minimize damage caused to the system.

The goal of data recovery is perfection, as in, not losing a single byte of information. Unfortunately, this is next to impossible. One of the keys to success with data recovery is speed and accuracy. The programmer or IT professional that specializes in Data Recovery is a quick-thinking, problem solver who can work fast under pressure.

Information can be lost at a rapid pace and the time to recover the lost data requires extreme efficiency. Learning to back up your data can alleviate some of the pressure when data becomes lost or deleted.

Tutorials are made available in this section to help you learn the basics concepts and procedures on personal data recovery to more advanced tutorials such as understanding Electronic Vaulting, disk and tape storage for server based electronic business systems.





Data Recovery - Back up's for Data Recovery

Although there are many good data recovery systems on the market that will help you to retrieve your data if it is lost in a computer crash or virus attack, it is a much better idea to avoid the need for data recovery by using good backup software.



Although there are costs involved in buying an automated software backup system, it pales into insignificance, when compared to the cost of losing all of the all work and files, or having to, in the event of an extreme crash or hardware malfunction, pay a data recovery company to find and restore all of the lost files and data.

A good backup software will store many different types of data, such as pictures, programs, audio files, and many other systems and applications. So if your computer crashes or gets a virus, then you do not need to go the data recovery route, with all its costs and inconveniences, as you already have a complete backup of all your important data ready to install on your repaired or updated computer.

This software will protect your documents and other data by automatically backing it up at set intervals, so that if you have a crash and are in a data recovery situation, then only the work that you have done since the last backup will be lost. This can also be very helpful if you accidentally delete files, programs or other data, as you always have a backup that you can reference and use.

There are many different types of backup software to help you avoid the need for data recovery. To find the top currently available software, the best source of information is usually a good quality computer magazine that has done tests and reviews of the different types available and has experts that have assessed the features and usability of each different product.

There are also some good web sites that have reviews and information about most data recovery systems and also, more importantly, which backup system you should install to avoid the need for the data recovery systems in the first place.

Although it always seems like a good idea to put it off for later, installing backup software on your computer, is really essential to avoid the need for expensive and inconvenient data recovery solutions in the event of a computer crash or virus attack. And the time spent doing this now, will give you much greater peace of mind in the event of anything unfortunate happening happening to your computer or drives.




Data Recovery - Data Recovery Tips

Losing data can be a nightmare, with days or weeks of work just disappearing before your eyes. Although data recovery operations can be very successful in retrieving your lost data, if it is not a simple logical problem or a unintentional deletion that can be fixed by a software application, then it can take days and a lot of money before you get your data back.


That's a lot of money lost, both in what the data recovery costs and also in the amount of time that you do not have the data. It can literally bring your business to a halt. But with a few sensible precautions you can limit the possibility of this ever being a problem.

Back up's are the one fundamental in avoiding data recovery that you cannot do without. Then even if you ad have a crash then your data will be safe and you can just transfer it to a new computer or drive while yours is being fixed. It is better to have a back up running that automatically backs up your work at a predetermined interval without you having to remember to do it.

You should also consider having a secondary back up at a remote location, so that if there is a disaster at your workplace, then you will still have an additional back up. Having good back ups is one of the most efficient ways to avoid the need for data recovery services.

It is also a good idea to use software that gauges the efficacy of your back up system. This can make sure that you are not just backing up the same problems that caused you to lose that data in the first place. This is a good way to make sure that your back ups are as efficient as possible so that in a data recovery situation, you can be sure that you have one good set of data.

Regularly run checking software to assess the condition of your hard drive. It's always better to know that there are problems first, rather than having to find as good data recovery solution after your data is gone. Defragging your hard drive regularly is a good idea. It makes sure that the drive is well organized and helps it to run in a smooth and efficient way. It does not take long and can be running while you are doing other things.

Many people forget that it is necessary to have a good back up plan until they have a crash. And although it is often possible to recover lost data with a good data recovery service, it is a lot easier to take a few sensible precautions that can keep your data safe in the event of a crash or virus and make your business a lot more stable.




Data Recovery - Service

If you have lost, or are unable to access, data due to a virus or computer crash, then probably your best and most affordable option is to try to use data recovery software.


Sometimes however this is just not a powerful enough solution, or is inappropriate for the type of loss that your computer or hard drive has suffered. Then probably your only option, if you're not a computer whiz yourself, is to look for a good data recovery service.

A reputable data recovery service will very often offer a free assessment. In general you should not have to make an upfront payment for a company to assess the drive and tell you the options available to you for the recovery of your data. Although if it is a much more complex problem than you may have to pay for an assessment.

Although you will want to get the work in progress as quickly as possible it is not always a good idea to go for the first data recovery service that you see. Some data recovery services
are much more expensive than others and do not necessarily offer a better service, but if you can get a good recommendation, then this is probably the best way to go.

Make sure that the data recovery service gives you a quote before they start work. You do not want to be worrying about the cost of the work as well as the potential loss of your data. A good data recovery service should be able to give you fairly firm quotes when they have assessed the hard drive and are able to see the work that needs to be done.

You may get two different prices from the data recovery service. This depends on whether the fault with the drive is a physical problem or a logical problem. This is not unusual, as the company cannot always know exactly what they will find when undergoing the process of data recovery, and physical data recovery is a much higher cost operation.

Make sure, if you have two quotes from the data recovery service that it is for the two different procedures and not just a rough guess at what the costs may go up to in the end.

When you first contact the data recovery service, make sure that you give them as much information as possible about the drive, any applications that you were running and the type of setup and operating system that was being used, when the data was lost. Especially if you are contacting them by e-mail, this can save a lot of time and allow them to get you a quote and start your data recovery as soon as possible.




by Yadi Yuliadi, S.Sos