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Backup and hard drive imaging:
You should perform scheduled backups of important files
you store on your computer. In addition you should create "drive
images" on a scheduled basis. What is a drive image (also called a disk image)?
A drive image is an exact copy of the contents (and structure) of a computers hard
drive or partition. Like a photograph it represents a moment in time.
How can creating a "drive image" help you? Example: You create
a "drive image" of your computers hard drive when your computer is operating
correctly. What if six months later your computer no longer works because it has
been infected with a computer virus, Trojan or spyware. The solution is simple,
copy the "drive image" you created back to your computers hard drive. Your computer
will now operate as it did when you originally created the drive image. A drive
image will be less likely to help you if your computer develops a mechanical problem.
However, most computer related problems are not the result of a mechanical or device
failure.
UBCD contains a couple of different drive imaging solutions. One of my favorites is
"DriveImage XML" because it is very
simple to use and has worked perfectly every time. If you use Windows XP you can
also install it on your computer to create or restore drive images while your computer
is running.
Securely erase:
the contents of a computers hard drive before you donate or sell it. You do
not want to leave any information on the hard drive that could be used to steal
your identity or commit a crime. Many people believe that when you delete a file
from your computer hard drive the data is gone and no longer accessible.
However, the computer operating system (example: Windows 98) does not
remove the file from the hard drive. Depending on the operating
system the file is only removed from the master list of all the files on the computer.
The file remains on the hard drive until another file is written over it. In some
cases even if the original file is written over by other files it is still possible
to recover it.
Using partitioning programs like Microsoft's FDISK does not remove the data from
the hard drive. Formatting a hard drive does not remove the data from the drive.
UBCD includes "Eraser" and other programs that can be
used to securely wipe/erase a computers hard drive. Eraser works by overwriting
a drive many times with carefully selected patterns. Eraser can wipe hard drives
adhering to the US Department of Defense standards as defined in the National
Industrial Security Program Operating Manual of the US Department of Defense.
Recover deleted or damaged files:
Have you ever deleted a picture, letter, spreadsheet or other file and later
realize it was something you needed? Have you ever tried to open/view an important
file only to find that it was damaged and not accessible? UBCD has several different
applications that can be useful in recovering deleted or damaged/corrupted files.
No software based data recovery application will work in all cases. If physical
damage has occurred to the hard drive you may not be able to access and recover
your files. The various data recovery tools on UBCD can help in some circumstance
and they are all FREE to use.
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