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dataASAP Service FAQ
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Q. What are the most common media problems that dataASAP can perform data recovery on?
A. A high degree of recovery success can be expected with these types of problems:
- Folder or file deletion
- Accidental disk formatting
- FDISK has been run
- The sudden disappearance of a disk
- CIH virus or WormExploreZip virus damage
Note: At dataASAP we do not work with physically damaged hard drives or drives with electronic circuit board problems.
Q. How can I recover a hard disk that the computer does not recognize?
A. First, check if the hard disk is physically damaged. If the hard disk is not recognized in CMOS Setup or FDISK, it is physically damaged and you have to have the hard disk repaired by the manufacturer. However, in the case of a hard disk that is not bootable or the MBR and FAT are damaged, data recovery is usually possible.
Q. Is it possible to recover the data from a formatted hard disk?
A. Yes, it is. Recovering data deleted by formatting is possible with the exception of low level formats.
While general formatting and quick formatting deletes only the data information, low level formatting deletes all data areas and causes the same result as an overwrite. In the past, technology for hard disk storage was not as developed and the surface of the disk was easily worn away. The hard disk users performed low level formatting for frequent reading errors. But low level formatting shortened the life of the hard disk by physically drawing a line on the disk surface. Current hard disks rarely require such low level formatting.
Q. Is it possible to recover files from a hard disk infected by a Worm Virus?
A. Yes. Recovering data destroyed by the Worm Virus as well as data destroyed by the CIH Virus is possible. The Worm Virus destroys all directory information such as the FAT, the file information, extension, and the file size. The actual data however, is usually left intact.
Q. What should I do when I have drive problems?
A. You should immediately stop use of the PC, turn it off, and remove the hard drive in question. Even restarting a computer can cause some of the data on the hard drive to be over written. Once that data is over written, it is unrecoverable.
After you have the hard drive out of the machine, follow these instructions on how to send your media to dataASAP.
Q. How old can data be and still be recoverable?
A. As long as the data is not over written, or if a utility to completely erase data has not been used, it is usually recoverable. Once data has been over written, no matter how recently, it is unrecoverable. To learn more about this see our Recovery Technology pages.
Q. While working on a file, the computer froze. Is that data recoverable?
A. Some programs will auto-save as you work. If this is the case then the last saved copy has a good chance of being recoverable.
Q. Can dataASAP recover data from a problem drive even after I have tried by using other utilities?
A. Once other utilities such as FSCK, ScanDisk, or Defrag have been used on problem media, the chances of successful data recovery become lower due to the fact that some utilities will over write data. For that reason it is recommended to NOT attempt to recover your data or hard drive using other utilities (if you value your data, that is).
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