RESCUECOM Data Recovery Advice in Newhouse News Service Article

RESCUECOM Quoted in Article Regarding Data Recovery Services

Newhouse News Service
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
By Allan Hoffman:


Crash Course: Simple lessons could save you heartbreak when your computer hard drive goes belly-up

So you didn't heed the warnings to back up the files on your personal computer.

Your hard drive is kaput and you need a professional to retrieve your data, an admittedly sterile, unemotional word for the irreplaceable stuff on your personal computer: snapshots of your daughter's birth, years of business records, and on and on.

You may find yourself seeking a data-retrieval expert for any number of reasons, such as fire damage, a dropped computer or maybe a hard drive that's just stopped working. Hard drives, after all, are mechanical devices with moving parts. They don't last forever.

And this time of year, it so happens, is the season of fried drives.

"Summertime is one of our busiest times," says Jim Reinert, senior director of software and services for Ontrack Data Recovery. "It's due to temperature and electrical storms."

Hard-drive problems often announce themselves with an unfamiliar noise, such as a clicking or grinding sound. If you hear any strange noises from your computer, shut down your system immediately, experts advise. Such sounds may mean your hard drive is malfunctioning, damaging your data even as you stare at your screen and wonder what you should do.

Just stop what you're doing and turn off your computer, data retrieval experts say. Then call for help.

A number of companies, including DriveSavers Data Recovery (www.drivesavers.com), Ontrack (www.ontrack.com), and Rescuecom (www.rescuecom.com), specialize in recovering data, whether due to a hard drive failure, flood, fire or assorted software problems. They will even help you recover files that were accidentally deleted.

You should keep the phone numbers of several such computer repair companies handy.

Procedures vary from one firm to another, but you can usually expect a two-step process involving diagnosis and then recovery. Some companies, such as Rescuecom, will pay a house call while others require you to send your hard drive or computer to them.

Prices vary, but expect to pay about $1,000 to have your data recovered from a drive, depending on the situation. You will pay more if your drive needs work in the dust-free environment of a so-called "clean room."

Ontrack requires you to send your hard drive or computer to the company. For $100, you will get a detailed report on the condition of your files, viewable with the same file and folder structure as on your computer. The report will help you decide whether you want to proceed with having data retrieved.

Needless to say, you don't want to go through any of this.

"We have people who often call up crying on the phone," typically about the loss of family photos or a term paper, says Josh Kaplan, Rescuecom's marketing director and the owner of several Rescuecom franchises.

"As computers are more connected to people's lives, they're more emotionally attached to them," Kaplan says. "It's no longer the value of the computer that matters. It's the data."

Online resources can help you prepare for data disasters -- if, that is, you read (and print) the material when your computer is still working. Ontrack's guide to protecting your data (www.ontrack.com/dataprotectionguide/) includes helpful tips on keeping your computer safe, while a guide to disaster recovery from DriveSavers (drivesavers.com/disaster_recovery) outlines the steps to take when disaster strikes.

Allan Hoffman wrote this article for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He can be contacted at netscan@allanhoffman.com.

Google Reviews

Carli Wittkowski
Carli Wittkowski
a week ago
Amazing service! This is my first time with Rescuecom and I am extremely pleased. Great Customer se
...Amazing service! This is my first time with Rescuecom and I am extremely pleased. Great Customer service and so very helpful. I would most definitely recommend. less
Karen Beller
Karen Beller
2 weeks ago
Rescuecom is excellent. I was scammed and Roy cleared my desktop. Excellent service and Roy was very
...Rescuecom is excellent. I was scammed and Roy cleared my desktop. Excellent service and Roy was very knowledgeable. Thank You. less
Robin Penick-Funderburk
Robin Penick-Funderburk
3 weeks ago
A hacker with the alias "DEATHRIDGE" entered a company Teams meeting via someone invited as a guest,
...A hacker with the alias "DEATHRIDGE" entered a company Teams meeting via someone invited as a guest, and started taking control of my computer and my life. They sent emails pretending to be me that really looked like they were coming from me. They tried to take control of our corporate bank accounts, added themselves as a user to my Microsoft account, and locked me out of my computer as my passwords no longer worked. My ability to run a telecom company ground to a halt, and all my company and personal information was at their fingertips. I felt so helpless, and I needed folks smarter than the hacker(s) to do battle for me. Our typical computer pros couldn't handle it, and neither could other "experts" I called. Lucky for me I called RESCUECOM, and they immediately got to work. They didn't complain though I was asking for help in the middle of the night, but immediately got to work and worked non-stop to restore everything and protect me going forward. The team at RESCUECOM are my knights in shining armor, and they're the absolute best! less
Krishna Kambhampati
Krishna Kambhampati
2 months ago
Roy was very helpful for fixing my booting issue. I called really late (10pm) and there was someone
...Roy was very helpful for fixing my booting issue. I called really late (10pm) and there was someone to answer my call. I would recommend them to anyone that needs tech support. less
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