Data Recovery Services Explained

Data Recovery Services

When searching the Internet for data recovery you will find 135,000,000 pages just in Google alone. More than likely you will only look at the first couple pages of results to find what you are looking for. The actual term “Data Recovery” simply means the process by which data or files are recovered or restored from either a physical hard drive issue, or an issue having to do with the operating system or file structure.

The truth is the processes involved in recovering data are straight forward. If the hard drive has a physical problem whether the heads are stuck, caught in a seek pattern, or the motor doesn’t spin up, the hard disk must be repaired mechanically first. The tools and technology behind hard drive repair are well documented in the industry and pretty much the same at all recovery companies that actually have a clean room. The differences between data recovery companies start in the steps that follow the hard disk repair.

Physical data recovery broken down into the simplest of explanations is to repair storage medium enough to transfer the data from the faulty media to secure media. It matters not if it is a SCSI hard drive, notebook drive, flash card, or a DVD, once the original media gives up the ones and zeros and a data recovery engineer transfers the ones and zeros onto functional, secure media, actual data recovery begins.

The next step in a physical hard drive recovery job is really the first step in a logical data recovery. I don’t want to be confusing here, but if you deleted files and emptied the recycle bin, software can recover your files. If a partition gets blown out, that is a logical data recovery problem. The point here is we often get in hard drives that have logical problems either with the operating system or with the file system. Nothing is more crucial when doing data recovery than knowing the ins and outs of a file system. That is why DTI is different than other data recovery companies! We have programmers in house that create applications on the fly, customizing them to meet the needs of individual clients.

That last statement needs more scrutiny. What does the individual client have to do with the data recovery process? Most of our competitors don’t think there is a relationship between them, but there is, and it is the single most critical part of the data recovery process!

When the data recovery tech gets media from the physical engineers, he is akin to a forensic investigator on CSI. He/She has to piece together the puzzle that is a faulty or damaged file system. The first step or attempt is to recreate the folder structure by “treeing” up the drive. In Windows for example this type of information can be recovered through the Master File Table which is similar to a relational database, kind of like a directory indexing of your data or a table of contents of your hard disk drive.

Once the tech gets the file system up, they then go through the process of checking the veracity of the clients data. The hardest file types to deal with are databases. Your Outlook or Outlook Express emails are stored in a database, so just about every job we get in has the potential to be difficult. The fact is DTI offers a data recovery guarantee, so we have to give back working files, or we simply don’t get paid!

If the file system can’t be “treed” up, the tech next has to use what is called a file carving program. This is a harvester that searches for specific file attributes. For instance extensions that are jpg would be one of the parameters for a search of digital photos. In most cases there are no file or folder names in this type of recovery. If you have ever gotten recovered data back that had no folder info , then that company used a file harvester.

The most important part of any of these equations is the customer. We need to know what was on their drive, what the files were about. An example is a college student sends in a hard drive for recovery, he has lost his thesis. We are the third company to look at the drive. We recovered it when others couldn’t, but it isn’t because we have better kung fu, we actually asked “what is it about?”. You see the Tech needed clues to build his puzzle, that is a corrupt file system. The student said, no one else asked me so many questions. Well that is why we were able to recover the data when others failed. If you have sent your drive in for recovery to another place and they failed to recover your data click here.

The fact is if you are looking for data recovery services, something very bad has happened! Give DTI the chance to work for you. Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form if you need Data Recovery.

Hitachi Laptop Hard Drive Data Recovery

There are many laptop manufacturers who use Hitachi notebook hard disk drives. You can find them in Dell and Sony’s to name just a couple. As you are probably aware, Hitachi purchased IBM’s hard disk drive division in 2002. I remember the date well since it was on my birthday June 4th. Hitachi kept the 2 primary hard disk lines going: Travelstar and Deskstar.

With the takeover, quality of the hard drives didn’t fall off, in fact the drives actually got better! Take for instance the Deskstar. This drive was commonly referred to as the Deathstar drive in the computer repair industry. Now it is one of the better drives. Since Hitachi maintained, if not increased, IBM’s market share of hard disk sales, DTI sees a lot of Hitachi hard drives sent in for data recovery. This isn’t a statement against Hitachi or the quality of their drives. ALL HARD DRIVES FAIL! If you are interested in the reason for the failures read my wife’s post Why Hard Drives Fail .

If you are reading this you probably need Hitachi laptop data recovery, more than likely, internal hard disk repair. Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form for a data recovery quote.

OK the sales portion of the post is over so lets start talking about specific hard disk recovery issues we run into with Hitachi laptop or notebook drives. The most common Hitachi laptop hard drive is the Travelstar.

Here is a collection of model numbers with current faults we are seeing although this is not gospel and diagnostic procedures need to be run before accurate fault prognoses can be found
 
Please call DTI Data Recovery Services if you have any questions
 

Hitachi Travelstar’s:

Most Common Models and Data Recovery Issue:
HTS541040G9AT00 - Bad sectors
HTS548020M9AT00 - Bad sectors
HTS726060M9AT00 - Stuck Heads   
HTS548040M9AT00 - Common Fine Ring around Platter

As you can see these are ranging from bad sectors to stuck heads to bad sectors caused by stuck heads to eventually causing damaged platters.

Travelstar 4K120

Download Datasheet Technical Library Product Documentation White Papers/ Technology Papers

Hitachi Laptop Disk Models And Hard Drive Recovery Issue:

• IC25N060ATMR04-0 Common Fine Ring around Platter 
• IC25N030ATMR04-0 Common Fine Ring around Platter
• IC25N040ATMR04-0 Common Fine Ring around Platter
• IC25N040ATCS05-0 Jammed Spindle Motor
• IC25N030ATCS04-0 Common Fine Ring Around Platter
• IC25N020ATCS04-0 Fine Ring around Platter - This appears to be caused by bearing problems and rotation speeds.

Restore Deleted Emails In Outlook Express

Deleted Emails In Outlook Express

Ok so this is a major issue that I run into all the time. Someone has a ton of emails they have accidentally deleted from inside their Outlook Express, or they are trying to get back emails someone else may have deleted maliciously. We actually have a really great piece of software what will recover these emails. I like our E-recovery for Outlook Express program, mainly because it works well, and is simple to use. Unlike other data recovery software options that can be very hit or miss, this particular type of recovery coupled with our program works really well, and has an enormously high recovery rate. So if you find yourself in this situation, he is what I recommend your next steps should be.

Download our demo for E-Recovery and install it on your computer. It has a very easy to use install program and will allow you to run it from the start menu.

Once you are in the program you will see a screen that will have a list of your folders that you have in Outlook Express. They will be list like inbox.dbx, outbox.dbx and so on. Choose the folder you deleted the emails from and the deleted items folder because it is likely that the email will still exist in both places.

After this you can click the arrow button and it will begin to scan these folders for emails. You will get a list off all the emails it has found both deleted and not deleted. You can then go through this list and choose the emails you want to recover. Note : You will not be able to save the emails until you purchase the full version.

After you have saved the emails off you will be able to move them back into their rightful folder by selecting them and dragging them into Outlook Express. All of your attachments will be intact and your emails will be exactly as they were before deleted.

The one downside to this kind of recovery is that if you have Archived older emails those emails will not be able to be recovered. There is a chance that we may be able to do a logical recovery for you on archived data, but thus far we have been unable to make advances in getting into the archive file with software.

Dell Laptop Hard Drive Data Recovery

Our continuing series on laptop hard drives and what makes them tick (hopefully not click), beats on with a look at Dell laptop hard drives. Dell doesn’t make their own hard drives they rely on other companies products. I personally own 2 Dell computers, a notebook, and a desktop. I went with them because of their support. No one is better supporting their customers than Dell.

When researching this post I spoke with a few of our engineers (independently) about the types of hard drives Dell uses in their notebooks. I was surprised to hear “the best”.  I was told that after years of bad experiences Dell realized that they save money in the long run by putting in the most heat resistive hard disks since then they don’t have to replace them in 6 months.

If you DO have a Dell laptop that has a failing hard disk drive and you need data recovery, more than likely, internal hard disk repair, Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form if you need hard drive recovery.

OK the sales portion of this post is now out of the way, lets look at the most common options you will see when configuring your Dell laptop computer. With storage there are many different hard drives to choose from. The less expensive your overall notebook, the cheaper the hard drive. That being said, if you have to invest a little money put into a good drive!

The question is what is a good drive? Well they don’t even tell you on the lesser Inspiron 1501 who make the hard drive! Your choice is 60 or 80 GB, but no manufacturer. They use whatever they can get at a good bulk price on the cheaper laptops. If you can choose the Western Digital Scorpio, do so. It is the best 5400 RPM drive mainly because it uses power like the old and slow 4200 RPM drive. The thing to be careful of is when looking at the 7200 RPM hard drive available for Dell laptops, speed creates heat and heat creates hard drive data recovery.

No matter which drive you go with, remember to keep it cool. Here is a product that I use on my personal Dell XPS:

Fold-able and compact, the Vantec LapCool 4 is ideal for those wanting a cooler notebook but want to keep size to a minimum.  Dual, adjustable fans keep your laptop cool while retractable legs can keep your laptop at a level that is comfortable.  Featuring a 3-port USB 2.0 hub and an 8 in 1 card reader makes the LapCool 4 perfect as a portable docking station.   The LapCool 4 also includes 2 storage compartments at its base, well suited for storing memory cards and cables.  Easy to store, easy to carry, easy to use, the Vantec LapCool 4 is the easy choice for a laptop cooler. Remember that Heat kills hard drives!

DART Data Recovery Software For Windows Vista

DTI’s premium data recovery software DART has been proven to work on all versions of Windows Vista. When DTI created DART they had Vista in mind. We have received a ton of emails asking about Vista’s file system and likely future service pack upgrades. There are many articles on the Internet talking about WinFS, but what exactly is it?

Before we get into WinFS, I wanted to ensure everyone that DART, the most powerful data recovery software on the Internet, does and will work on ALL versions of Vista. If you need Vista partition recovery or file recovery download DART here. We fully support DART  call Toll Free 1-866-438-6932 or direct 1-727-345-9665. Extended Software Support: 8 AM to 11 PM EST 7 days a week!

OK the sales portion of this post is out of the way, lets move onto Vista’s file system the way it is now, and how it will change down the road. When looking at NTFS (New Technology File System) it is apparent that it is a major upgrade over FAT (File Allocation Table). The question is what will be the benefit of WinFS? At this time Windows file systems “see” what is called metadata. This gives the Operating System the ability to know more about a specific piece of data. An example is
“5551212″ is data, “Michael’s phone number:555-1212″ is metadata. It understands what the number is as well as how you might use it.

NTFS, while powerful, is nothing to the future power of WinFS (Windows Future System) which is based on relational databases to manage your data and storage of files. When the dev version came out last year it caught a lot of people by surprise since Microsoft had announced that WinFS wouldn’t be part of Longhorn (Vista’s codename). Our data recovery engineers and programmers are very impressed with the results.

Since we recover databases that get corrupt all the time, we have to have guys that are on top of the game. Our Exchange server recovery techs don’t have time to dig deep into SQL and visa verse. The one thing they both agree on is the new Vista and future upgrades to WinFS will be worth the money and time. This says a lot since most of them are open source guys to begin with. They treat Windows as a necessary evil at best.

As time goes on we will be keeping everyone up to date on Vista and the issues revolving around it.

Windows Vista Versions: Which Is Right For You?

The 5 Versions of Windows Vista What is Right for You?

With the recent release of Windows Vista there are still many questions about the different versions, and which one is right for the consumer. I have been in the IT field for over 15 years and I remember the days of old (DOS), when you just bought the newest version of an OS and that was that.

When Microsoft released Windows XP, even with 4 versions, you were still pretty confident in which version you needed to install on your home or work pc. Unfortunately with the release of Windows Vista, things are not as clear as I believe they should be. It also makes it difficult for the reseller to stock all of the versions that may be required to meet the needs of the consumer. I personally frequent many local “Mom and Pop” computer stores in my area and I don’t see how it would be cost effective to stock all of the versions that they need to.

So, why did Microsoft create all of these versions? Was it to make more money by being more appealing to more users who may not currently NEED an upgrade? Was it because they are still trying to keep the home user, traveling users, and enterprise users separate in their day to day use of a pc? Maybe it’s the infamous Enterprise Security scare that we hear so much about. Either way, I am going to show you the different versions and which one might be right for you.

Microsoft’s Product Details From The Official Vista Site:

Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Basic is ideal for homes with basic computing needs like e-mail, browsing the Internet, and viewing photos. Easy to set up and maintain, it enables you to quickly find what you’re looking for on your PC and the Internet, while providing a more secure environment to help protect you from an unpredictable world.

Home Premium
Windows Vista Home Premium is the preferred edition for home desktop and mobile PCs. It provides a breakthrough design that brings your world into sharper focus while delivering the productivity, entertainment, and security you need from your PC at home or on the go

Business
Windows Vista Business is the first edition of Windows designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses. You’ll spend less time on technology support-related issues—so you can spend more time making your business successful. Windows Vista Business is the definitive choice for your business today and tomorrow.

Enterprise
Designed to significantly lower IT costs and risks, Windows Vista Enterprise meets the needs of large, global organizations with complex IT infrastructures.

Ultimate
Windows Vista Ultimate is the choice for those who want to have it all. Easily shift between the worlds of productivity and play with the most complete edition of Windows Vista. Ultimate provides the power, security, and mobility features needed for work.

Now in layman’s terms:

Home Basic
This version may be Microsoft’s inexpensive way to dealing with some of the users that are rapidly switching over to Linux as a cost effective way to surf the Internet and check email. As the name implies, this version contains basic operating system features, with none of the bells and whistles. This version is suitable for most average home users.
Suggested retail price for full package product, $199.00 USD.
Suggested upgrade retail price, $99.95 USD.

Home Premium
This version is designed for more advanced home users who want to use the Windows AERO desktop, which contains dynamic reflections and transparent menu bars. It contains additional functionality not included with the Home Basic edition such as the Windows Media Center. We will probably see this on a large number of new pre-manufactured computers. Suggested retail price for full package product, $239.00 USD.
Suggested upgrade retail price, $159.00 USD.

Vista Business
This version is very comparable to Windows XP Professional. It has all of the security needed to connect to a large scale network domain infrastructure, as well as having the standard business features required for a corporate desktop computer. This will probably be the version we see most in businesses as the Windows Vista Enterprise edition is only available to Volume License customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance.
Suggested retail price for full package product, $299.00 USD.
Suggested upgrade retail price, $199.00 USD.

Vista Enterprise
Windows Enterprise offers a lot of new and advanced features such as the BitLocker Drive Encryption, (SUA) Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications, Application and Legacy OS compatibility tools, and support for multiple languages.
No Suggested retail pricing available, the Licensing for this product is only available through Volume Licensing.

Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Ultimate offers all of the features found in Windows Vista Home Premium, including Windows Media Center, Windows Movie Maker with high-definition support, and Windows DVD Maker. It also offers all of the features found in Windows Vista Business, including business networking, centralized management tools, and advanced system backup features. This would be my choice for my home pc because I am an avid gamer and have a large home network.
Suggested retail price for full package product, $399.00 USD.
Suggested upgrade retail price, $259.00 USD.

Final Note:
I have always been a firm believer in utilizing newsgroups and blogs to find out what the educated public thinks, for a lot of my technology needs. Your local pc shops can be very helpful in your decision when choosing your new operating system. Most decent shops are part of the MSDN and have beta copies of Vista that they have been testing for over a year. They should know the version you should purchase based on the needs that you present to them. So don’t just go buy a version of Vista to have the newest operating system, try and do the research and make sure you have the right one before you waste any money.

Good luck.

 Richard Correa, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCDBA
Senior Network Engineer
DTIData – DTI Networks

Hard Drive Recovery

Hard Drive Recovery Services

Hard Drive Recovery is a phrase that generally concerns repairing a hard disk to the point where usable files can be recovered. In most cases hard drive data recovery involves physical problems with the disk. The most common symptom is a clicking noise coming from the hard drive. This is a problem with the heads. For a detailed explanation see Hard Drive Recovery Services‘ disk overview which points out the mechanics involved with a hard disk drive.

If you are here you need data recovery, more than likely, internal hard disk repair. Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form if you need hard drive recovery.

There are many other problems associated with failing storage media. A RAID array contains multiple hard drives either spanned, striped or mirrored. If your situation involves RAID Data Recovery call 1-866-438-6932 for immediate assistance. NEVER RUN CHECKDISK ON A RAID ARRAY!!!!

At the bottom of this page is hard drive packing and shipping instructions. It is important to properly package your hard disk drive to prevent further damage or data loss!

Hard Drive Recovery Services

Some other common failures include:

• Platters have been impacted by the heads, causing a scraping hard drive sound.
• Head is stuck to the platter causing a repetitious scraping and clicking hard drive sound.
• Actuator arm is stuck and bashing against stop causing a clunking hard drive sound.

While these are scary noises there is still hope! DTI Data Recovery operates a state of the art clean room and can resolve these issues and much worse.

Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form for immediate support.

DTI offers a no fix - no fee data guarantee. We are also the only data recovery company to give flat rate upfront pricing AND no data no charge hard drive recovery services.

Packing & Shipping:

Hard Drive Recovery Disk Packaging Instructions

DTI Data Recovery recommends shipping your return via registered/certified mail or with a carrier that provides a tracking number like Fed-Ex or UPS.

• Remove all brackets, adapters and cables.
• Do not send the hard drive in its external casing or with any type of adapter, cable or converter.
• Enclose each hard drive in an anti-static electrostatic discharge (ESD) bag and seal. Aluminum foil can be used as a last resort.
• Use thick foam rubber to secure the hard drive on all sides during shipment. When shipping more than one hard drive, ensure that the hard drives do not touch and are cushioned individually.
• DO NOT use foam peanuts, cloth, paper, newspaper or padded envelopes.
• Use a corrugated cardboard box for the exterior packaging.

Basic Laptop Hard Drive Recovery Disk Packaging Instructions:

Fill out a hard drive recovery request form and include it in your package.

• If at all possible, remove the media from the computer. Get expert help if necessary. Send us just the hard drive(s), tape(s), floppy, jaz, zip, optical, flashcard, microdrive etc..
• Handle a hard disk drive as you would handle an egg. Handle failed hard disk drives with the same care as new drives.
  Use the original shipping materials, if you still have them. If not, they are relatively easy to replicate.
• Wrap media in an anti-static bag or tinfoil to prevent Static Electricity.
• Use a box that is at least twice the size of the media so that the media can be suspended in the middle of the box. We recommend a minimum of two inches of insulation all around for a 1 Kilo drive.
• Pack securely with foam, bubble wrap, or newspaper so the media will not move from the middle of the box. Avoid using peanuts as contents will settle to the bottom of the box.
• If sending a computer, laptop or notebook, use great care to ensure proper cushioning and protection. We recommend at least 6 inches for insulation. The heavier the unit, the more insulation required.

At one point or another everyone will face the need for hard drive recovery. Call DTI if your disk is making any peculiar noises or acting slow.

Fujitsu Laptop Hard Disk Drive Data Recovery

Fujitsu Laptop Hard Disk Drive Data Recovery.

Even though Fujitsu doesn’t have the market share of Sony, IBM or Dell, they still sell quite a bit of laptops. When it comes to hard drive recovery the name Fujitsu brings to mind the debacle of MPG disks that failed at the drop of a hat! Well that wasn’t really their fault was it? Maybe they should have had better quality control on their hard drive vendor electronics.

Now Fujitsu makes a solid laptop hard drive. Like any disk, their greatest enemy is heat. Heat Kills Hard Drives was one of my most read articles. With Fujitsu drives, when they fail, they fail all the way. We see a lot of platter damage when it comes to physical Fujitsu data recovery. The most common problem we see is head failure. The main symptom of head problems is a clicking sound coming from the hard drive.

Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form if your Fujitsu laptop needs hard drive recovery. Here You can find detailed hard drive packing and shipping instructions.

With the advent of larger capacity hard drives, Fujitsu certainly has been keeping pace. Below is a list of the best selling Fujitsu laptop hard drives.

One of the most exciting Fujitsu laptop hard drive is the MHX2 BT series. With perpendicular recording, this hard disk can hold a lot of music and videos! I was able to get permisiion to do some research and developement on it, so a product review will be forthcoming.

MHX2 BT Series

FEATURES

• Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) technology achieves to massive capacity of 100GB per one disk, and 300GB per drive (3 disks) high capacity. A definite fujitsu hard drive recovery issue
• Power consumption is minimized to 0.5 watt at idle and to 0.13 watt at standby.
• Idle acoustic noise level is 2.1 Bels and superior to silence.

Fujitsu Mobile 40 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2040AT
Fujitsu Mobile 40 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2040AH
Fujitsu Mobile 80 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2080BH
Fujitsu Mobile 80 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2080AH
Fujitsu Mobile 100 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2100BH
Fujitsu Mobile 120 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2120AT
Fujitsu Mobile 120 GB Internal Hard Drive Recovery
Part #: MHV2120BH

Database Design Solutions: RAID 0

Database design and RAID 0

This article is presented by Dick Correa, DTI Data Recovery’s head programmer and RAID Data Recovery engineer.

Databases, by design, are probably one of the single most demanding applications in regards to I/O throughput. This article will take a look at this fact and offer a solution using RAID 0 technologies. In order to do that, let’s first take a look at a standard database and dissect its functioning.

Databases are comprised of two basic elements. A flat file, and an index into that flat file. For example, one may have a database of patients. Each patient should have basic information, such as name, address, phone, insurance carrier, etc, etc. Each one of the patients, and their information is called a record. There is one record for each patient and a record is stored in a file, a ‘flat file’. Flat file meaning a file which is not sorted. For illustration lets say that each record, will take approximately 300 bytes of storage. As each new patient is added, the new patients record is appended to the end of the file. I have personally worked with many hospitals and doctors and I can safely say that there can be millions of patients in one hospital over a period of 2-3 years.

We now have a flat file, with millions of patients, and in walks Mr. Johnson. Now we need to look up Mr Johnsons record. Are we going to look at EVERY record to find Mr Johnsons record? How long would that take? How much pressure on the server would that transfer? Compound this with the fact that there may be several clerks querying the database simultaneously. How do we, as database administrators, stop the I/O bottle neck, and ultimately a long wait between queries?

First of all, we use indexing. ISAM is one method, B+tree is another. We design indexes into the flat file. The key here is that all indexes are sorted and therefore search engines can be designed to use that fact. ISAM uses ascending ascii as a parameter, B+Tree uses a modified ISAM and a balanced search engine. The point here is that the indexes are usually very small, and sorted. For example, an index may only contain the last name of a patient. So, we enter Johnson, we use the index to search for Johnson, then we look at the index pointer which tells us where in the flat file Mr. Johnsons record is. Now, there may be many Johnsons in the index, so we may have another index of just social security numbers. So, the key to indexes is the sorting methodology used, and index design. How does RAID 0 figure into all of this?

RAID 0 uses several drives across separate I/O ports to perform as a single drive. The RAID is striped using a user defined size and the data is stored using the stripe as a basis. For example, lets take a four drive RAID 0, with a stripe size of 8K. We have a 256k block of data that we are trying to save. The procedure executes like this, 8K to drive 0, 8K to drive 1, 8K to drive 2, 8K to drive 3. 32k written. Then the procedure starts again and continues until all 256K is written. The RAID card that controls the array does not wait for each write to finish until it goes to the next drive, it notifies all 4 drives simultaneously and instead of one 8K block being written, a 32K stripe is written, in the same amount of time. For purposes of illustration lets say that it takes 1 second to write an 8K block to a single drive. With 256K of data to write it would take 32 seconds to write the data to a single drive. With a four drive RAID 0 it would take one quarter of the time, or 8 seconds. The data is the same, the data size is the same, but having a RAID 0 makes your throughput four times faster.

Now we can take our example one step further. When writing to the drive it is the head positioning and notification that takes all the time, the actual write is theoretically instantaneous. With that in mind it is better to write as much data as possible once the head is in position. How do we accomplish that with RAID 0? Instead of a stripe size of 8K, lets increase the size to 32K. We can use the same write speed in our example since we understand that it is head positioning, and not the actual write that takes the time. So, using the same math we can speed up throughput from 32 seconds to a single drive, to 8 seconds for a RAID 0 with an 8K stripe, to 2 seconds with an increase in the stripe size to 32K. Ultimately you can take this and change the stripe size to 64K and take only one second to write a 256K block of data.

Although this is very simplified in order to make a point it is easily seen that a RAID 0 configured properly will in fact increase throughput and ultimately speed up database access.

When designing a storage system for a database look at record size, cache sizes on the RAID card as well as the drives. How well does the firmware handle look ahead, on the RAID card as well as the drives themselves? Does the database cache in chunks that can be optimized to work well with your RAID caching schema? These are only a few factors that must be taken into consideration when designing your database.

Lastly, although RAID 0 may seem to be the end all and be all to database design, it has one drawback. It contains no native recovery functions. In other words, it is not like RAID 1 which is mirrored, or like RAID 5 which uses XOR math and single drive parity. However, with RAID 1 capacity is diminished and I/O speed is severely throttled. With RAID 5 you may have the same capacity, but the firmware still must calculate parity, and that parity has to be written to the drive. In other words for every write there is a calculation and an extra write. With a large and active database the I/O bottleneck could be significant.

So with RAID 0, institute a well planned backup system that takes all possibilities into account include restoration drills. Design your database so that it works well with your I/O system. Do those things and you will find that RAID 0 can be the answer to all of your storage requirements.

If ever you require RAID 0 Data Recovery please call DTI at (866) 438-6932

Hard Drive Recovery: Toshiba Laptop Failed Bearings

Toshiba laptop drives MK, GAS, or GAX most common reason for failure is due to the bearings seizing within the hard disk drive. The spindle motor and the bearings within the hard drive are getting stuck. This is one of the most common reasons for Toshiba laptop hard drive recovery.

When the motor seizes, the heads get parked, touching the platters, and this causes the drive to seem like it is not spinning, but if you listen close enough you will hear a faint sound of the motor sticking. This situation must resolved in a clean room . There is no way to recover the data without invasive hard drive recovery services.

If you are here you need Toshiba laptop data recovery, more than likely, internal hard disk repair. Call Toll Free: 1-866-438-6932 or fill out an online quote form.

Here are some facts about Toshiba’s newest laptop hard drives: The MK2035GSS, possesses the largest capacity of its class, 200GB, using only two platters which seems a little scary. While this drive has the capacity, it also gets hot! We all know what heat does to a hard drive, If you are unsure read this post: Speed Kills? With Hard Drives It’s Heat!

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