No matter how much you trust your hosting company, disasters happen to everyone. You might also decide to change hosts, in which case you will need to migrate your website and database. In either case, you should have a full backup of your files from which you can easily restore, without losing any important data. By making regular website backups an organisation can always feel safe that it’s data will not be lost due to a virus attack or server failure.

There are two main approaches to web site backup: external, when software acts as an “exterior visitor” browsing the site – and internal, when you have access to the site’s contents. The first one suggests building a site map through visiting all links and copying all text and images from the web server. This method does not provide much accuracy and cannot be used to restore the site if it fails.

The second approach allows you to back up the whole website without exceptions and always be able to restore it in case of a disaster.

Backing up your website minimises the risk of data loss in case of a disaster and reduces downtime for your server. Time is money – the more your site is unavailable, the less profit you make. Furthermore, restoring a backup of your website to a different location is a very convenient way to make a clone of it.

Besides websites, many companies also exploit database management systems to store customer data and coordinate business activities. Without a recent back-up of these files, your website may not load, or be vacant of content.

Ensure your website files and database are backed-up from source files. To discuss any concerns, please call our experts on 0800 050 1128.

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If you intend to reuse any computers, all traces of applications and information should be removed from the hard drive inside. A quick format, system restore or windows deletion does not securely erase the information. The only guaranteed method is to degauss the hard drive, which requires specialist hardware. Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field.

Failing this, there is a lot of software available on the internet for erasing a hard drive. However, dedicated specialists may still be able to retrieve the original data. Lastly, a low-level format followed by a full re-installation will normally render the original data unrecoverable.

If you do not intend to use the hard drive, the most secure way of removing the data is to destroy the drive. We use a granulator for data destruction, but you can simply punch a screwdriver all the way through the chassis. This will shatter the platters inside, rendering any data unrecoverable.

Should you require more advice on how to dispose of your hard drives safely and securely, talk to one of our technicians on 0800 050 1128.

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Index.dat files are hidden on your computer hard drive and contain tracks of all your online activity – where have you been on the internet, what sites you visited, list of URL-s, files and documents you recently accessed. The index.dat runs as long as a user is logged on in Windows and it’s role is to help speed up query responses.

The index.dat files cannot be deleted or erased easily, because they are always open when Windows is running. Open or “locked” files cannot be deleted in any way when the process using them is running. Even after the user has cleared the internet cache folder, there is no way to completely disable it, which means that the various index.dat files on Windows continue to store all the visited web addresses and cookies and some temporary files.

Removing single entries from index.dat files, through Windows Explorer, will only remove them from the visual display by Windows Explorer, not from the file itself until the next cleanup. While this can be seen a negative, marking single entries as deleted instead of erasing them is typical database behaviour and usually implemented to speed up removal operations, not to keep a backdoor to removed data.

Various tools will allow a user to view the contents of hidden index.dat files, thereby revealing all the internet activity.

For any forensic questions or data recovery issues, please contact us.

Customised technology like personalised laptop bags, engraved iPhones and custom iPod cases are so popular because today we are so reliant on our gadgets and seldom seen without them; we tend to see them as extensions of ourselves. The custom laptop bag is a way of expressing ourselves through one of our most commonly used technological accessories. Below are a few examples of the coolest ways to keep your laptop protected:

Furry Monster Laptop Bag
These cuddly, fuzzy laptop bags come complete with fangs and googly eyes. Retrieving your laptop from the jaws of a monster every morning is sure to add an element of fun to your work day! Of course, this is the only fuzzy critter you should be allowing in contact with your laptop. Pet-owners should keep cats and dogs away from unprotected laptops, as cat-naps on the keyboard can result in data disasters.

“My Documents” Folder Laptop Bag
For the tech-geeks among you, this cool laptop bag resembles the instantly recognisable “My Documents” folder you are bound to have on your desktop. When it comes to the real folder however, you should be backing up all your documents or making copies to ensure your important data isn’t all stored in one place.

J’tote Laptop Bag
These designer laptop bags are designed for style and comfort; the modern businesswoman can carry her laptop easily wherever she goes, and look fabulous! The J’tote bag accommodates the laptop and cables as well as everyday handbag items. Carrying a stylish handbag down the street looking ready for an evening of fun is decidedly more glamorous than the “just-got-off-work” look of a normal laptop bag. It’s also a safe way to transport a laptop, protecting it from damage and petty thieves on the lookout for unguarded laptop bags. What better way to protect your precious files and folders?

DIY Laptop Bag
The best way to stamp your personality on your technology is to do it yourself! This plain Skooba laptop bag is the blank canvas on which you can create your own design, using paint, pen or markers.

Protecting your laptop from damage and data loss is essential, but it needn’t be boring. Whether you’re a serious high-flying executive or a fun-loving creative genius, there is a custom laptop bag out there for you!

The first computer – the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) (1942) vs. the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) (1946)

There still seems to be conflict over this topic today but there is no doubt that this technology innovation has forever changed our lives. The 1930s – 1940s saw the development and production of these two computers and up until recently, innovative technology proved that the ENIAC was the first modern computer. It was not until years later that the patent court dispute concluded that the ABC was in fact the first modern computer, a technology innovation that sparked a world revolution. The reliability of these computers was unstable and it seems that even today, we still experience numerous problems such as data loss, which fortunately now can be solved by data recovery

The first Apple computer – Apple 1  (1976)

Seen as one of the earliest personal computers on the market, the Apple 1 was technology innovation at its peak. It was Apples very first product and consisted of a circuit board that was pre assembled that contained around 60 chips. Technology innovation in this case still had to develop further as this was only a section of what you needed – you would have to obtain your own keyboard and television set. The Apple 1 was sold for $666.66, which would amount to over $250 000 in today’s currency. With this “innovative” technology innovation, you can’t help but wonder what would happen when data was lost and you would need server recovery?

The first laptop computer – Osborne 1 (1981)

It is difficult to determine exactly when the first laptop was released as portable computers and laptops are not the same. Innovative technology of the time didn’t let portable computers or laptops dwell much on the size issue, but one of the first laptops that resembles what we have today was the Osborne 1. This innovative technology allowed the Osborne 1 laptop to fold up and be transported and it also consisted of a battery pack, meaning that it didn’t need a power outlet to function. Technology innovation of the time limited some of the features such as the screen, which was a tiny 5 inches. But nevertheless, the first portable laptop was a hit.

Salman (Sal) Khan lives in California. He was a stellar student and valedictorian of his high school. With a MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Mathematics from MIT, he’s always been a hard-working learner with little time to play around and watch Youtube videos. He had a lucrative career in hedge funds, but that all changed when he discovered the power behind his passion for teaching.

Three years ago while his family was visiting from New Orleans, he heard that his young cousin was struggling with 6th grade Arithmetic and offered to help her. Khan put together a series of simple, hand-drawn Youtube videos which he also narrated, and used these to tutor his cousin for an hour in the evenings. Before he knew it, his Youtube videos were being watched by people he had never met – not only that but they found Mr Khan’s Youtube videos so helpful that they started writing testimonials and messages of thanks. He started receiving responses from students in developing countries like Uganda and Ethiopia, who were overjoyed at the accessible nature of these educational Youtube videos. He spent more and more time creating these videos, and eventually walked away from his Silicon Valley career to work full time on educating strangers around the globe.

Since, then, Sal Khan’s non-profit online school, Khan Academy, has grown to include 1100 educational Youtube videos and has 80 000 users a month. The videos start with the most basic addition, namely “1+1=2”, and from there they progress to college-level Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, History and Biology. These are all delivered in the format of Youtube videos, and they are, of course, free to anyone who wishes to view them.

Learners around the world find the Khan Academy’s Youtube videos useful when trying to grasp the basic concepts involved in their subjects, or studying for test and exams. Students preparing for SATs, who feel no amount of data recovery will salvage the knowledge that seems to keep leaking out of their brains, turn to Sal Khan and his Youtube videos to help them meet the challenge.

Sal Khan says “I see a world where anyone with access to a computer and the internet will be able to go to the Khan Academy and get a world-class education.” The praise for his Youtube videos keeps rolling in, and despite the effects on his cash flow, he tells the media he can’t imagine a better use for his time than not-for-profit teaching.

Watch a Khan Academy multiplication video below:

De-fragmenting a drive reorders the data into sequential blocks, overwriting any data that had existed in those blocks before. This will therefore effect any undeleting, as the blocks used by the defrag routine, will either be
empty or orphan files.

Low-Level Formatting a hard drive writes a zero-byte to every addressable location on the disk surface in every sector of the drive. This will normally render any undelete process ineffective. A quick format however, only affects the file index and will normally not hinder any undeletes process.

Disk caching (your temporary internet files are an example) allows most recently accessed data to be stored in a memory buffer. Even after cache is deleted, there is a small window of opportunity to undelete this information. However, the success of this will largely depend on whether your “history logs” were enabled.

Email history can be difficult to reveal, especially if the user was using a web based client like Google mail, rather than an email client such as Outlook. Some email correspondence may be evident in .xml files following an undelete, but the extent will depend on whether the logs were enabled.

In today’s busy schedule of everyday running around, sometimes we need the security blanket of knowing our IPhone’s and Android phones are backed up. For the IPhone this is where ITunes is a lifesaver when restoring data. It does solve most of the documented errors that are associated with IPhone troubles and especially if you have use one of those IPhone hacks that cause the device to behave strangely.

Although, what does one do when restoring itself does not work; no need to panic, we have a tip to get you out of that kind of situation.

It is called the “IPhone Recovery Mode”, this allows you to force ITunes to restore the device and fix all errors, and here are the steps to do this:

1. Open iTunes and connect the iPhone to your Mac.

2. Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.

3. As soon as the screen goes black release the Sleep/Wake button. Continue holding the home button until you iTunes pops up a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.

The iPhone will look like this:

We have only tested the above on Apple Mac OS systems; we will do another test on Windows based machines and add it to our next post. Please always make sure you have a good backup strategy in place, whether it is saving data to DVD or hard drive, always keep a up to date copy.

Many of us know that areas in our homes like our toilet seats and bins are filled to the brim with bacteria like e coli and staphylococcus aureus but what about other items like our technology for example? Our mobile telephones have 100 times more bacteria toxins than a toilet seat and your computer keyboard can house up to five times more bacteria than a toilet seat too! And if you thought this was crazy, research has shown that one in ten people never bother to clean their computer and one in five people never clean their mouse. A majority of those who do clean their technological equipment only seem to do so once a year or when they remember, making our technology even dirtier than our toilet. The amount of bacteria found on certain keyboards that were tested were 150 times over the safe limit, so imagine how dirty your communal computer at work must be or your mobile telephone that you use on a daily basis?

Individuals do not think that when they clean, that their computer or laptop must be included in this cleaning process to rid the area of common bacteria. Users should take a damp soft cloth in order to clean their keyboard and a specific cleaner to clean their laptop or PC screens. A soft cloth can also be used for your mobile phone and these as well as your other technological devices should be cleaned weekly, not once a year.

So before you take your computer in for a routine clean up or data recovery, make sure that you clean your computer thoroughly first as a dirty computer can be more of a bacteria health hazard than you realise. As much as we would like to deny it, some bacteria are actually beneficial. Yes, there is a small amount which is toxic, but the truth is that we cannot clear away all the bacteria all over our homes and ourselves, so embrace it!

Below is a clever infographic on bacteria and where it lives! Click on the image to see the full infographic

Hard drive being dropped or knocked over.

There have been numerous times where the drives have accidentally been pulled or knocked over by the user. Most external drives are engineered to stand upright on a flat surface, which could lead to it tipping over. Best way forward is to lay it flat or store it somewhere away from edges of a surface.

Twisted Electrical Cords and Cables

Loose cords and electrical cables build over time under desks and small corner tables where we tend to have our laptops and desktops plugged in. These are the perfect breeding grounds for a mishap for external drives being pulled off a surface onto the floor. It only takes a small fall for the drives to suffer a failure. It is important to keep these areas nice and tidy, maybe use cable ties or clips to keep things neat. Make sure power cables are not stretched taught to the wall socket as a jittery connection could cause a power surge. Always keep the cords away from traffic in the room to prevent the drive from being accidentally pulled down to the floor.

Inserting the wrong power adaptor

Many times over you will have three to four different power adaptors in the same areas as where you plug your external drive in, so it is important to make sure you use the correct one! There have been many instances where a user has plugged a different power cord into their external hard drive causing a power surge which will overheat the drive. A good idea is to label the cords with a small white label to ensure you are using the correct cord for the device you are using.

Power Surges from Lightning Strikes

If you live in an area that has a lot of lightning storms, it is important to unplug your external storage hard drive during these storms (or when not in use). A power surge from lightning strikes can cause external hard drive failure by overheating the drive or by causing the heads to crash to the disk surface. This can result in the dreaded clicking sound otherwise known as “click of death” and you will need hard drive data recovery.

Contact us if you have experienced external hard drive failure.