Data Recovery – services, hard drive, raid…

Seagate 7200.11 Problem

Seagate have confirmed there is a firmware problem in the new 7200.11 series of hard drives and have already issued a firmware update. The problem stems from a memory bug where the cache size is not reported correctly.

If you are fortunate enough to have found this out before your disk drive has failed, then get onto the Seagate website and download firmware update (if it is appropriate), or search for ‘Seagate 7200.11 firmware update’ on Google.

According to Seagate, the problem affects the following drives..
500 GB : ST3500320AS
750 GB : ST3750330AS
1000 GB : ST31000340AS

Reports on the Seagate forum indicate that there may be a similar problem with the 1.5 TB version of the drive.

If your hard disk has failed, then you will need a data recovery company, such as MjM Data Recovery Ltd in the UK who, at the time of writing, are one of only a handful of companies in the world that are able to repair the drives in order to recover the data. A link to MjM is provided above.

Other problems that have been reported with 7200.11 drives are..

1. The drive hangs during start up or;
2. The drive reports as 0 MB.

MjM Data Recovery can also recover data from all other manufacturers of hard disk and other storage equipment and are usually the first company able to recover when new problems arise.

They were also first when there were problems with the translator in Seagate SCSI drives and (according to their website) repair these drives for customers all over the world.

With the shopping season in full swing even though we are experiencing a difficult time across all industry sectors there is one business that is surpassing even the mighty retail giants in full Christmas swing when it comes to growth, sadly though for many victims the particular industry in question is identity theft.

So how do you combat the risks of having your identity stolen? This is not just people copying your clothes and hairstyle, they want a quick and easy way to profit from your financial and business data, your NHS number, your Passport details, your bank account and savings information, even your pension plan.

Are you aware for example how easily somebody could obtain a copy of your birth certificate or even a copy of you bank account details? Unfortunately the answer is far too easy.

Applying a little common sense can go a long way with a little change in your thought processes. For example the next time you receive one of those annoying “you’ve been pre approved” credit card offers, before you throw it straight in the bin ask yourself why you are happy to give the chance to a complete stranger to obtain your (all but your signature) completed form. That’s surely asking for trouble.

You don’t care about that, you bank online, BIG DEAL you’re just as much at risk as someone who throws all the junk mail post in the bin if you are not protective of your online presence. For example do you use the same password for all your banking? Well yes, how many of us can remember all the passwords needed without breaking the terms and conditions of paragraph 8 subsection 5 which states “do not write down your password”.

Digital data theft is another easy way for somebody to steal your identity. Many computer users fail to install anti virus measures so leave themselves vulnerable to information theft by key logging software that can record your every keystroke. Equally when you buy a new computer how do you get rid of your previous one?

You need to take sensible precaution when disposing of old or unused computers and laptops (or hard drives). Selling them on one of the many auction sites may earn yourself a little extra pocket money, but are you aware that even if you have formatted the drive you have just given away all your personal data. Hard drive recovery experts are only limited to professional companies, the criminal element have access to this capability as well.

If you are concerned with digital theft or the possibility of identity theft then you can arranged to have your drive shredded by a certified contractor or securely wiped which is much more environmentally friendly as it allows for the re-use of the none data holding components. Secure destruction or wiping ensures you get a certificate showing when, where and by whom the drive was rendered beyond recovery and have peace of mind.

To find out more about secure data wiping and hard drive disposal call or speak to your local data recovery services company. For visit here for more great computer and Pc help help.

Pen Drive storage devices have proved themselves to be a very practical and robust mobile storage method, far surpassing anything that has gone before. For the most part these devices are very reliable as they rely on solid state technology and therefore have no moving parts, which is a big bonus.

Unfortunately recently there has been a massive increase in the failure rate of these previously ultra reliable USB devices, so much so that the data recovery sector is now placing a lot of emphasis and time on USB memory stick recovery. The question has to be asked however what is the problem all of a sudden?

USB memory sticks are dropping in price all the time as with any technology as it ages and gains mass market adoption, and year on year growth in shipment of these devices has a run rate of around 100% meaning by the end of this year unit sales are expected to be in the region of a staggering 300 million.

With such large numbers of devices actually being shipped and purchased by the consumers and increase in the number of failures is in reality inevitable, however the actual level of failure is a cause of concern and is reported to be running far higher than is acceptable.

When a previously very reliable product starts to have increased failure rate, just as in any industry the repairers (in this case the data recovery companies) start to ask why and often collaborate on their findings. Investigations have started to reveal that the actual memory chips in the drives have not failed at all and are working just as expected.

Consumer demand for cheaper goods and services invariably leads to driving manufacturing abroad and in this case to the far east where a lot of the premature failed devices seem to originate. The biggest culprits seem to be the generic unbranded memory sticks found cheap on auction sites. Notably though there is also a huge increase in the number of fake devices finding there way to the market as reported by a leading UK data recovery company in this article:

Nand Flash Identity fraud

Such devices often misidentify the actual size of the Memory Storage that they provide, they use poor quality components including cheap crystals and microcontrollers. Whilst they work fine for a short period, when they fail or the available storage room is filled, problems almost always occur, these problems often feature data loss or corruption.

Often These portable devices will hold a lot of your valuable data that if lost and not backed up could be lost forever. You get what you pay for as the saying goes so is it really worth the increased risk of data loss to save what is in reality a tiny sum compared to the cost of a branded device?

You can find more great advice on data recovery here or for general computing advice visit the Computer repair website.