If you’re a faithful reader of Tech Tails, or even an occasional reader, you’ve probably noticed that rarely an issue goes by without some reminder to our readers to back up their data. Data backup has become such an integral part of being a computer owner that Apple has built automatic backup, Time Machine, into their latest operating systems and we offer bundles with external hard drives on almost every computer we sell. In our minds, a computing system is not complete without a backup solution.
Unfortunately, this is still not a perfect world and as a technician I’m faced with telling at least one person per week that all of his or her data is gone. I’ve been screamed at, sobbed to, and even had people beg that ‘there has to be something [I] can do.’ While Small Dog does use some great utilities for data recovery, we do not fall into the very specialized category of ‘Data Recovery Specialists.’ For that job, we refer people out to some of the Apple Authorized Data Recovery Specialists in the country, and the top dog has always been “DriveSavers.”:http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/
“DriveSavers”:http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/ is a leader in their industry and I’ve seen them recover data from incredibly damaged drives. While the fee for that service might cost you more than the computer itself, if you’re serious about getting your data back these are the folks to speak to. This is also why it came as no surprise when one of our fabulous South Burlington techs, Ian Ray, discovered that they recently released an awesome free app for the iPhone and iPod touch demonstrating drive failure and discussing proper backup strategies. “Check it out in the App Store under DriveSavers.”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=317700244&mt=8
As a technician, I’m constantly trying to find ways to educate my customers on how a hard drive works so they can understand why failures are so prevalent. My usual routine is likening it to a record player; it’s a spinning disk with a needle reading the data off of it. Just like when a record player is bumped and the needle digs into the record, when a hard drive is bumped, it can have a similar effect. At the last shop I worked for, we also had a drive that was taken apart so we could give a better demonstration of the different types of failures. We basically try anything we can to help educate our customers so they understand that all hard drive, regardless of manufacturer, will eventually fail and it’s so important to have data backed up.
DriveSaver’s new app does a phenomenal job of really demonstrating what a hard drive is, how it works, how it can fail and what noises you can listen for if you’re concerned the drive might be failing. It’s visually interactive and filled with enough information to educate even the most technophobic user without being overwhelming. They even demonstrate that flash drives, while better, are not perfect and can fail too. Their section on ‘Protection Strategies’ also does a great job explaining proper backup techniques, though I’ll admit with that section being all text-based it might be easier for the average user to glaze over.
If you have an iPod touch or an iPhone, I highly encourage you to head on over to the App Store to download the “DriveSavers”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=317700244&mt=8 application! Don’t have an iPod touch or iPhone? No problem, they have a “new flash version of it on their website.”:http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/ep/drivesaver-the-first-online-hard-disk-drive-simulator/ There… now you have no excuses, so go check it out!!
