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Six months ago my computer crashed. When I turned my computer on it would not load Windows XP and so I could not get into my two hard drive files. As an author and writer of ebooks, I had all my files in two hard drives without any other backup. At first, I panic. The thought of losing all my data files and writings was unthinkable. Then I got angry with myself for letting myself get into this situation.

Have you ever felt the terror, fear, and then anger connected with losing data that you value so much? I started to think about the different ways I could try to get my data. After trying different things, I knew I could not recover my data by myself. I finally gave in and knew that I need help.

I thought about pulling the hard drives out or taking my computer to a data recovery service. As I looked in the yellow pages and through goggle search for local data recovery computer services, I was able to find a few. I knew it was going to cost me a few dollars, but I needed my data and I needed my computer to do my work.

Finally, I decided to call a computer friend of mine that had done some work for me in the past. After he tried what he could with his knowledge, he could not get windows to open. So here is what we decided was the best course of action:

* Buy a new 120-megabyte hard drive

* Format and install Windows XP on the new hard drive on another computer.

* Remove one hard drive C from old computer and install new hard drive on old computer

* Copy files from drive D that was left on old computer onto new hard drive

* Remove drive D old computer and install drive C

Job complete. With the new hard drive now call drive G, I now had drive C with all my old data and drive D with my old data.

There would have been many other ways to configure and transfer old hard drive data but this one worked for me and I was happy because I could access my files.

Cost was $150 for my friend and $100 for 120 MB hard drive and about a week of lost productivity.

I don’t know what cause my computer to fail but I could have been a virus. If your computer crashes, can you afford to be a week without your data? As an individual, maybe you can fix it yourself or with the help of a computer expert. For a company computer you will need the help of a data recovery service if you don’t have a resident IT person.

Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics from the University of San Jose. He is author of ebooks and has a variety of sites on various subjects. For more information on data recovery methods and techniques check out his site at: http://www.datalostandfound.info

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If you have work files, private financial information or bookkeeping stored on your computer, this could be the most important article that you will ever read. As with any electronic device, glitches can occur without warning and, when it comes to computers, they can often result in the loss of important files. But, what if there was some way to recover the data that you thought was lost? For many, this theory is music to your ears. The good news is, however, that it’s not a theory because your computer may have an excellent data recovery capability that you didn’t even know about.

The first and most reliable way to ensure data recovery is to make a back-up copy of your file(s) and store them onto a CD or another location in your computer. In some cases, you may even prefer to store a back-up file on a different computer. This will help greatly in the event that your original file becomes corrupted or is missing.

If you are operating your computer using Microsoft Windows XP, you may use the System Restore feature to undo harmful changes to your computer and restore its settings and performance. System Restore returns your computer to an earlier time (called a restore point) without causing you to lose recent work, such as saved documents, e-mail or history and favorites lists. As an added benefit, any changes that System Restore makes to your computer are completely reversible. You may access this feature by clicking on Programs, then Accessories and choosing the System Restore feature. This will work as an effective data recovery method for most computer users.

If you experience problems with your startup screen, you may be able to restart the system in Safe Mode. This will allow for you to make some changes and access several features in an effort to find the problem. In Safe Mode, you will only have access to basic files and drivers, but will not be able to logon to the internet.

If you are still experiencing difficulty with data recovery, you may find success with inserting the appropriate Restore/System CD that came with your computer. When prompted, you can choose to repair the system without affecting any data or software programs. To do so, restart the computer with the CD inside and press R to start the Recovery Console. From there, you can access the drives on your computer and make any needed changes. This approach is effective if the computer is experiencing a problem with startup or is not working properly and no other remedy will work.

If you are experiencing problems that none of the aforementioned methods will correct, your last resort may be to use the Windows Installation CD, which will reinstall the operating system to it’s original configuration. This will erase all files, including data files, which means the only way to have a successful data recovery using this method is if you have saved back-up copies that you can access via CD-Rom or another computer and transfer them onto the reinstalled system.

In conclusion, the most successful data recovery will come from back-up copies and/or being able to use the Repair feature without affecting current files or programs. In some cases, the manufacturer of the computer may be able to recommend additional steps for data recovery, but the most common ones are outlined above.

Find more about desktop computers bundle, Internet access speed or how to make an emergency data recovery on http://www.emergencydatarecovery.org

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