Effective
precaution-measures
The
following information does not help you, if you must now recover data. However
it is helpful for a future data recovery. You can increase the chances to recover
data, if you consider some points.
- Do not store
important files in the root directory.
Files,
which are stored in the root directory, are sensitive to a loss by quick formatting,
because file entries are set-aside in the root.
Avoid to store files directly in the root since the file disappears, if the
directory entry is damaged.
In an emergency, one can recover data very quickly if it is in a sub-directory.
- Defragment
the hard drive regularly (using a defragmentation program)
Data is stored
in successive clusters, if sufficient connected free storage location is available.
Repeated deletion and write operations fragment the drive.
An example:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) - should represent 8 small files
(1) (2)
(3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
- now files (2), (4), (7) and (8) were deleted
(1) (9) (3) (9)
(5) (6) (9) (9)
- disk is fragmented if a larger file is stored
If data is deleted from the disk, new data can take the free place. If the
new data is larger than the old one however, the data is not set aside in
coherent range, but in fragments.
When reading fragmented data the head of the hard disk has to 'jump' (i.e.
the head moves to the looked track). Thus the read and write speed is reduced.
In order
to make the read and write procedure again more efficient, it is necesscary
to reorganize the fragmented disk. After defragmentation, the data is in sequential
order and then look in such a way:
(1)
(9) (9)
(9) (9)
(3) (5) (6)
- after the drive is defragmented
A usually fragmented disk will degree the efficiency of a data-recovery, if
e.g. the FAT is overwritten by a quick format or a virus. Then it is necessary
to analyse exactly, how a file scattered over the disk lies. If however connected
data is present, a data-recovery is very quickly possible on the basis of
the information about its position and size.
Important: A non-fragmented disk will increase you rate
of recovery because the complete data is stored at the beginning of the first
cluster of a file.
- Do not store
important data on drives with small capacity
The probability of the recover is lower, the smaller the disk capacity is.
Important data should be saved on a free drive. The smaller the capacity is,
the higher the risk of fragmentation is.
- Defragment
your floppy disk, after data is stored on it
Disks are fragmented with very high probability. Therefore it is advisable
with important data, to distribute the files into several directories and
then defragment the floppy disk.
- Do not use
a drive, which you require to the data-recovery.
Do not install recovery software on a drive that contains data for your data-recovery.
Otherwise data could be overwritten and success on a data recovery becomes
smaller. Avoid working with the drive and do not save any data on it. Do not
use a usal program, including the Windows(R) Explorer, in order not to overwrite
important deleted data.
For the data-recovery you should use a second hard disk.