Category Archives: Data Backup and Protection

Help with data backup and data protection.

No Bootable Devices Found

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No Bootable Devices: Strike F1 to Try to Reboot, F2 for Setup Utility

If you press F1, the computer reboots back to the same message and F2 will take you the BIOS setup screen.  If you do go into the BIOS, check and see if the system is seeing your hard drive under the IDE or SATA device screen.  If the hard drive is seen here then Windows is likely corrupted.  However if the drive is not in the list, then there are only a few other options.  First, check for any loose cables inside the computer (assuming desktop.)  Replacing the cables may fix the problem.  The other option is that the hard drive is dead or the motherboard is failing.  Hooking up the hard drive to another computer will determine this.  If the hard drive is dead, getting your data back may prove challenging.  If the operating system is corrupted, getting the data back could be as easy as hooking it up to another computer and copying the data over from it.

Simple Answers:

 •  Software Failure:  Reinstall the operating system.

•  Hardware:  Time to buy a new hard drive.  May need to send the drive to a professional for data recovery.

S.M.A.R.T. Error: The kiss of death

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S.M.A.R.T. Error: The kiss of death

Hard DriveS.M.A.R.T. short for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology is typically the kiss of death warning for a hard drive.  This built in function of a hard drive is to let the user know that there is major problems with the physical structure of your hard drive and that failure is imminent.  If it is possible for to back up the data by booting into your operating system, do so as soon as possible (Now!).  This could be the last time the drive will boot, spin, or work altogether, so taking this time to backup data is essential and very critical, as for it may the the last time.  If you are not able to recover your data, we encourage you to visit Drive Savers Data Recovery to discuss options to recover your data.

 S.M.A.R.T. Error Messages:

 •  Status BAD, Backup and Replace

•  Hard Drive Detects Imminent Failure

•  Drive/controller time-out error

•  Drive seek error

•  Controller failed

•  Drive sector not found error

•  Write fault error

•  Drive track 0 error

•  Head select error

•  Error Correction Code (ECC) error

•  Sector buffer overrun

•  Bad address mark

•  Internal controller diagnostics failure

•  Data compare error

•  Drive not ready

•  Track 0 indicator failure

•  Diagnostics cylinder errors

•  Surface read errors

•  Hard drive type error

•  Bad diagnostics cylinder

•  Data compare error

•  Controller error

•  BIOS undefined error return

•  Bad command error

•  Data corrected error

•  Bad track error

•  Bad sector error

•  Bad initialization error

•  Bad sense error

•  Drive verify failure

•  Drive read failure

•  Drive write failure

•  Drive random read test failure

•  Drive seek test failure

•  Controller failure

•  Controller Error Correction Code (ECC) test failure

•  Controller head select failure

•  Seek failure; drive 0

•  Seek failure; drive 1

•  Controller test failure

•  Diagnostic cylinder read error; drive 0

•  Diagnostic cylinder read error; drive 1

 What Causes a Drive to Give These S.M.A.R.T. Messages?

 •  A known mechanical part is currently failing: spinning mechanisms, head movement, etc.

•  Major defects on the disk’s platter(s) (Known as bad sectors)

•  Electronic failure in the circuitry.

 What To Do about S.M.A.R.T. Errors:

 •  If the drive is working, don’t waste any time getting data off of the drive onto to another media source, IMMEDIATELY!

 •  If the drive is not working and you hearing noises, turn off your system immediately and call for professional help to recover your data.

 •  In the end, you will need a new hard drive to replace the existing.  S.M.A.R.T. errors are permanent errors and will not self-heal.  You are on borrowed time to retrieve your data of the drive.

 Worse Case:

 •  If your drive is beyond recovery that files are not retrievable,  you may want to send the drive to a recovery specialist such as datarecovery.com.  Remember the first attempt to recovering data is the best attempt.

 •  If you did manage to get the data backed up to another medium (DVD, CD, external hard drive, or flash drive) then relax.  All you need to do is replace your existing hard drive with a new Seagate brand hard drive.  Seagate is the industry leader at this time with superior warranties and technical support.  So when you choose your next hard drive, go with a Seagate hard drive.

While S.M.A.R.T. attempts to give you a predicted warning of failure, it may not give you the time you need to backup your data inevitably. In our (RCCS) experience we have found that some SMART crashes are not conventionally recoverable.  This is why it is a great idea to always have the data on a computer backed up periodically to another source other than the hard drive inside the computer.

Invalid Drive Specification

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Invalid Drive Specification, Drive Not Found

Bios Battery CMOS

This can be a simple little fix, because most of the time the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the chip that keeps track of the date, time, and all the basic settings of the motherboard needs a new battery. I know it sounds weird that a computer has a watch battery in it, but they do. Their cost run about $5 to $10 bucks at your local watch battery store, or Amazon.  A simple way of testing to see if your battery is not keeping charge is to enter into the BIOS and set the settings to recognize the hard drive. If the hard drive recognized, save your settings, reboot, see if it goes into your operating system. If all goes well, power off your system for about 5 minutes and unplug it from the wall. After this time reconnect the power to your computer and see if the settings kept. If they did not you will get that error message again and it is time to get a new battery for your computer. These batteries are internal to your computer, and are separate from your main battery if you have a laptop.

Disk Boot Failure Error

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Boot Disk Failure, Not Detecting in BIOS

Hard DiskIf you turned your system on and come to screen that says “Boot Disk Failure”, you may have problem, or maybe not.  When you computer powers up it goes through a process called POST (Power-On Self Test).  During this time there a many things happening, to keep it simple, your hardware is being recognized at a basic level of the computer’s functionality.  If there is a problem with the operating system loading you get the infamous error:

 “Boot Disk Failure” operating system not found (or similar)

 There are few things to consider before you think all is lost and it is the end of the world as you know it.

 •  Check and make sure you do not have any removable disk inserted into your computer.  These devices include, but are not limited to:  floppies, flash cards, usb storage, external hard drives, iPods,  etc.  It is possible that your computer is searching for an operating system on one of these drives before it proceeds to the primary hard drive and is stuck on it.

 •  Be sure all cables from the hard drive and to the motherboard are snug and in known to be working.  Sometimes trying a new cable does the trick.

 •  There may be a recognition problem within your BIOS (Basic Input-Output System).  This is all the gibberish that flies across and down your screen as the computer first boots (during POST). Consult your user manual to check to see if the hard drive is registering with your BIOS.  If it is not this can mean there is a mechanical failure with the hard drive and you will need to consult a professional such a Drive Savers Data Recovery to recover your data files.  If the drive is posting, the drive may just have corrupted files and data may be recoverable by conventional means.

In past experiences, we have had old and new hard drives come up as “unknown device” in the BIOS.  If you getting this message check out the suggestions below.

 •  Could be a motherboard failure

 •  Drive capacity is too large for BIOS to recognize it.  See if there is a new BIOS release for the motherboard and flash it (refer to manufacturer on how to perform this procedure.)

 •  Board on hard drive may be electronically bad, return the hard drive if it is new or under warranty.  Otherwise you will need a new hard drive.

Data Backup and Data Protection

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Data Backup & Protection

1: Never trust your hard drive 100%, it  will fail eventually. Always back up your data to an offsite or fire/water safe place.  Ryan’s Computer Consulting Services uses and recommends Backblaze Online data backup.

2: Avoid loss of data and program failure by properly exiting programs before exiting Windows and shutting Windows down by the start menu. Resort only to a cold shut off (pulling the plug, holding the power button in, etc.) as a last resort.

3: All computer equipment should have a surge protector. A better solution would be a surge protector and a battery backup.

4: Never move the hard drive’s chassis (computer case) while running. If you do, proceed with extreme caution as for a bad bump or jar could damage the hard drive.

5: Avoid rapid temperature changes. If your computer has been in your car overnight and it was freezing, turning it on without naturally warming to room temperature could be fatal to the hard drive an many other parts in the machine. ALWAYS ALLOW THE PARTS TO GRADUALLY WARM TO ROOM TEMPERATURE!!!. It is just the opposite of putting a cool liquid on a hot light bulb. It explodes. The chips at a cold temperature are expanded and if taken from an expanded state to a hot state rapidly, it will cause circuits to cross and ultimately fry your system

6: If you ever hear strange noises coming from the inside of the computer that you have never heard before. Immediately turn the system off and call RCCS for professional help. This could be the death call or early warning of the hard drive or another important mechanical device in the machine. Prolonging the damage could lead to fatal or permanent damage to the machine. In some cases, complete loss of data by conventional means.

Clearing Computer Temporary Files

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Empty Computer Temporary Files and History

Every time a program is installed  or uninstalled, a webpage is viewed, etc, there files that lay in special “temporary folders” (directories/indexes) on your computer’s hard drive. With that said, there is a user friendly freeware called “CCleaner” to help you. This tool is a one button click to take out the trash on your system. We were surprised that the first time it was used on a system, that it found over 2 gigabytes of trash on one client’s computer.  However, we have noticed that it doesn’t catch everything as well as some other commercial applications does, it will keep most of the left overs off the system.  

If you’re concerned about security and completely removing highly sensitive evidence or information from your system, then we recommend you scale up to a specialized application such as Evidence Nuker.  Like CCleaner, it will do what it does and then some (or really much more.)

Defragmenting and Optimizing Hard Drive

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Defragment: Optimize Your Hard Drive

Fragments of data (like building blocks) get scattered across a hard drive over time.  Windows will begin to act sluggish if these blocks of information are not put back in their proper place. It is kind of like kid’s not cleaning up their room. This leads to a dangerous mess of data on a hard drive. Defragging the drive is one of the best and effective things to do first if when a computer is acting slow. This will not change the speed of a system, just the time it takes to find the data on the hard drive. Defragmenter can be found under your start menu, program files, accessories, then system tools folder. (Assuming you are using Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.)

Keep in mind that cleaning up temporary files, programs not longer used, start-up files, and running scandisk are also important in this process.  Alternative Freeware that can be downloaded is Defraggler.

WARNING:  DO NOT USE ANY DEFRAG TOOL ON A SOLID STATE STORAGE DEVICE.

iPad, iPhone, Android Data Recovery

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iPad, iPhone, & Android Data Recovery

An incredible amount of data is stored on portable devices these days.  When one is not able to access the information on the device, you are going to need a qualified iOS company with vast experience (decades.)

Pioneering in data recovery technology, Drive Savers Data Recovery has made possible iOS/Android data recovery through their industry professional services.  They can repair flash chips, hard drives, and logic boards in their Class 5 clean room, and with expedient turnaround times put your data back in your hands within days.

 

Water Damaged Computer Need To Recover Data

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What to Do if Water Damaged Computer Hard Drive

Many times over and over I have received calls from clients panicking that their computer was flooded (submerged) in water and they have no working backup to their precious valuable data.  These clients range from a mom with her baby pictures and iTunes to a government office.  Never the less, time and time again, many of them seem to try the old method of dry it out and maybe it will work.  This is the furthest thing from the truth with hard drives.  Water and impurities that get into the drive can destroy the data when it is dried on the drive’s platter and the drive spins up for the first time with obstructions on the platter.  This will turn your data to dust!

Here is what should be done:

1:  Never attempt to power up potentially wet electronic devices (NEVER!)

2:  Do not attempt to power up potentially wet electronic devices.

3:  Do not attempt to wipe or clean a drive or any storage media of debris, mud, soot, etc. This could cause additional damage to the drive or it’s circuitry.

4:  Do not attempt to dry out the drive or media in any way!  

5:  Place the media in a plastic bag with an airtight zip enclosure. If the drive is wet, we want it to remain wet. Hard drives are not hermetically sealed. Water, mud and debris typically enter the mechanism. Once the drive is dried out, debris and contaminated water may crystallize on the platter surfaces causing corrosion.  

6:  To properly ship a wet drive, place it in a container that will keep it damp and protect shipping material from getting wet. Wet boxes can break apart during transit and cause further damage to the drive.

7:  If the drive is in an external enclosure, do not remove the drive from the enclosure. 

8:  Do not use off-the-shelf utility software programs on water-damaged drives.

9:  Unplug all electronic devices from outlets, surge protectors and battery back up systems before power is restored.

 Getting your data back, safely and the right way:

Not all data can be recovered conventionally (slaving it to another computer to copy data off).  When the drive is mechanically dead, you will want to contact a trusted and experienced recovery service.  Drive Savers Data Recovery is well known for this and many more reasons,  from everyday people, to Hollywood, to highly sensitive data of the Government, they serve very well.

Hard Drive Crash Data Lost

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Hard Drive Crashed? Not Working? Clicking, Grinding, Need your Data?   

Hard drives will fail, whether or not they are conventional or solid state drives.  The question is when, why, and how.  First, if you are here looking for a way to recover your data, then you have come to the right place.  Below you will find what causes a drive to fail, what to do, and great backup tips.

Before we proceed it is very important that you heed to the warnings below:

•  If your drive is clicking, grinding, or making unusual sounds, it is very important that you shut down the computer immediately.  These sounds can very well be the read/write heads physically hitting or scraping the platters of the hard drive.  Severe or complete data loss can result from this.  DON’T RISK IT!  This applies too as well if your drive has been exposed to fire, flood, physical shock (earthquake), etc.

•  Sounds of a physically failing hard drive are:

•  Bad Bearings:  Continuous screeching across a chalk board.

•  Cycle Click:  Sounds like rapid clicks, stops, and does it again.

•  Excessive Click:  Rapid clicking that sounds like tapping a pencil on the table

•  Grind:  Sound of metal being ground away (can squeal loudly)

•  Ray Gun:  Sounds like it is from a cartoon space cadet type gun.

•  Remember that hard drives are very sensitive to static electricity and physical jarring or jolts.  Handle them like a new born baby, gently.  Always unplug the power before removing the hard drive or any component inside a computer.  Discharge yourself by grounding to the metal of the computer chassis or a static strap to a grounded object.

Reasons other than the above why hard drives fail is:

•  Accidental deletion of critical operating system files.

•  Virus’, Spyware, Malware, Greyware, etc.

•  Boot Sector damage, lost.  Can be caused by a virus.

•  Power failure, and/or frequent loss of power.  This also includes shutting your computer down without seating the hard drive (Windows:  Shutdown or Turn Off)

•  Accidental formatting (Clearing the drive)  This can happen under the false guidance of a recovery disk.  RCCS has heard many stories of people using their recovery disks, only to find out that it erased everything and restored the system back to the factory default.  Meaning they lost all their data, pictures, mp3’s, etc.

•  Encrypted data that doesn’t allow you to access the files any longer (Normally do to permissions and user rights that were lost).

Data Backup Tips:

•  Never 100% trust your drive(s).  It will fail eventually, that is a guarantee.  Always back up your data to an offsite medium or a fire/water safe place.  Media that can backup your data are jump drives (flash drives), external hard drives, DVD, CD, tape drives, and online services.  Software can make backing up a hard drive a breeze, we recommend Backblaze Online Backup.  Always have your data in two places, preferably separate or fire/water safe.

•  Avoid loss of data and program failure by completely exiting programs before shutting down your operating system.  Resort only to a cold shut down (pressing the power button to turn off computer) as a last resort.

•  Surge protectors and battery backups are a must for any computer system.  You can find these at Tiger Direct.com.  We recommend APC brand surge and battery backup units.  When selecting a battery backup unit, be sure that it will support the wattage that your system uses, otherwise the backup time will be decreased significantly.

•  Never move the hard drive’s chassis (computer case) while running (desktop computers).  If you must, be gentle and when seating, do so gently.  A hard jar or jolt can spell disaster for your data.

•  Room Temperatures should be kept as constant as possible between 65F and max at 80F.  Inside your case (assuming good air flow) it is much hotter as the room temperature is hotter.  Heat will reduce the life of your drive and the rest of the computer.  The same applies with sub freezing temperatures.  If you must leave your system in the cold (below freezing) allow the components to warm up (naturally) before you turn the computer on.  This will help against stress and remove any condensation that may have occurred when you brought it from a cold environment to a warm one.

•  As mentioned in the beginning of this article, don’t fool around if you hear any strange noises coming from the hard drive as described above.