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Firewire is a technogy for transferring data between computers or their periphial devices like external hard disk drives. In the early 1990’s Apple developed the technology that became Firewire. Its technical name is IEEE 1394, and there are a few updates that have improved transfer rates. The original was capable of about 100-400 Mb/s on a cable up to 14 feet in length.

Firewire made its debut on the PowerMac G3 and has since spread to many other products and computers. Its popularity was due to its simplicity and its great speed. USB was the closest competitor and it only claimed data transfer rates of about 12 Mb/s. The only problem was that USB had originally been made for all personal computers, not just Apple, and it had been out first so it was already in use. Firewire was widely used in the entertainment business and actually won 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award in 2001 for the impact that it had.

Using Firewire for an external hard disk is a great application of the technology. The cord is relatively small so that portability can be maximized. Now, more than ever, we are sharing information and that means we need ways to carry it. A Firewire drive also offers an easy expansion to your current computer. Hard disks’ failure rate goes up extensively when they are filled with data beyond 70% of their capacity. A problem with these types of disk drives is that you do need to supply the power. This adds another plug to your already cluttered power strip and the cord needs to be carried with it if you would like to use it on a remote computer.

Firewire is now a very fast transfer rate that has had a couple of updates since its emergence. The first was named IEEE 1384-1995 in 1995, and it was not improved upon until 2000 with the release of IEEE 1384-2000. The newest version, IEEE 1384b is capable of speeds up to 800 Mb/s and is the current standard in Firewire technology.

Find more information about hard disks at http://hard-disk-help.info

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The spring season is in bloom. For most, it represents a time of warmer temperatures and relaxation. But unfortunately, it can also mean strong storms including lightning strikes. As these storms are now appearing on a more frequent basis, is your computer system protected? A power surge can cause a computer system to crash and can also cause data loss by causing the read/write heads to malfunction. It can occur as one large surge or multiple spikes over a period of time. The following tips provide information on how you can ensure your system does not fall victim to a power surge.

Power Down and Unplug The System During Bad Weather

This is a tip that most users disregard, but powering down and unplugging the computer system during bad weather is the best way to safeguard against a power surge. For those operating servers, this may not be an option. For those who fall into this category, continue reading below. But for most home users, powering down and unplugging is certainly an option that can be followed.

Use a High Quality Surge Protector

During a power surge or spike, there is excess voltage in the electrical lines above that which is normal. A high quality surge protector can absorb the excess voltage preventing it from damaging your system. It is important to do your homework before you purchase a surge protector. You should compare the ratings and ensure you are getting a good quality surge protector. It is also important to remember that while a surge protector helps, it is not a guarantee against a direct lightning strike. Powering down and unplugging the system is the sure way to protect against lightning strikes.

Consider Using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

A UPS can protect your system from damaging power surges by allowing your system to remain running after a power outage. A built-in battery inside the UPS unit allows it to accomplish this. This enables users to save their files and shutdown the software properly. Many high quality UPS units have the capacity to automatically power down the computer system and save any data that was work in progress.

Contact a Hard Drive Recovery Company If Your System Has Suffered a Power Surge

If the data on the hard drive is worth preserving, you can contact a hard drive recovery company to recover the data. A power surge can cause the read/write heads to malfunction or cause a head crash. Continuing to operate the drive can cause damage to the platters- which can in turn cause permanent data loss. A data recovery lab can replace the internal parts of the hard disk and retrieve the existing data.

As the winds blow and the lightning strikes, it is important to know if your system is protected. A power surge can be devastating to your computer system and hard drive. By following the tips above, you can ensure that your computer system and data remain safe.

This article can be freely published on a website however it must not be modified in any way including the author bylines, and the hyperlink must be made active as shown below.

Andrea Stone is employed with ReWave Hard Drive Recovery, a worldwide data recovery company. Visit the company’s Hard Drive Recovery website for more information.

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If I asked you the question: which part of your computer is the most fragile, what would you say? What if I asked: which part is most important to you?

Often, the answer to both of these questions is your Hard Drive.

Your hard drive is likely one the most important things you own. It contains work data, school data, emails, photos, music, movies, tax information, etc Incidentally, the hard drive is also one of only two moving components in your computer (the other being your optical drive). The following is a list of important maintenance and monitoring techniques you can use to maximize the life of your hard drive and prevent data loss.

Hard drives are physically fragile - handle with care
Statistics show that 25% of lost data is due to a failure of a portable drive. (Source: 2001 Cost of Downtime Survey Results)
Contrary to its seemingly rugged appearance, your hard disk is a very delicate device that writes and reads data using microscopic magnetic particles. Any vibration, shock, and other careless operation may damage your drive and cause or contribute to the possibility of a failure. This is especially relevant for notebook users, as they are most at risk of drive failure due to physical damage, theft, and other causes beyond their control. That’s why we recommend regular backup of notebook hard drives, as often as possible.
Possible solutions include external USB or Firewire drives (although these are prone to the same risks), desktop synchronization, or backup at a data center through the web.

Hard drives write data in a non-linear way forcing it to become fragmented.

When files accumulate on your hard drive, they do not just get written in a linear fashion. A hard drive writes files in small pieces and scatters them over the surface. The fuller your hard drive becomes and the more files you save and delete the worse file fragmentation can be. Hard drive access times increase with fragmentation since your drive must work harder to find all the pieces of the files. The more fragmented your data is, the harder the actuator arm has to work to find each piece of a file.

A case in point:
Disk fragmentation is a common problem for users of Outlook Express and database software. Each time outlook saves new mail, it does so in a different physical location from the previous time. This results in extreme fragmentation, causing longer hard drive access times and forcing more strain on the heads. This strain can eventually lead to a head crash, and often that means a virtually unrecoverable drive.Finally, in the event of a total crash, a fragmented drive is much more difficult to recover then a healthy defragged drive.

Luckily, Windows makes it remarkably easy to defrag your hard drive, simply launch the Disk Defragmenter utility (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools), choose which disk or partition you’d like to defragment and set it to work overnight or while you are not actively using your computer. Defragmentation will speed up your computer and ensure a longer life for your hard drive.

A very small power surge can fry a hard drive - use a UPS and turn off your computer when you can

Another little-known fact about the fragility of your hard drive is its susceptibility to electrical failure. An electrical failure can be caused by a power surge, lightening strikes, power brown-outs, incorrect wiring, a faulty or old power supply, and many other factors. If a power surge enters your computer, it may do an unpredictable amount of damage, including destroying your hard drive’s electronics or crashing the heads and possibly resulting in total data loss.

The best way to protect your computer from such dangers is to use a highly rated protected power bar or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Although these devices won’t eliminate the chances of a crash, they will serve as effective protection in most cases. Also, you can minimize the danger of an electrical problem and reduce wear of your hard drive by turning off your computer or using power-save modes whenever possible. It’s a known fact that 100% of drives fail, the question is when will it happen and will you be prepared? Make sure to check out the knowledgebase section of our website for more detailed information on how electrical power affects your computer.

Be SMART, monitor the health of your drive to prevent unexpected crashes

All modern hard drives have a self-monitoring technology called SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology). What most people don’t realize is that the majority of hard drive failures do not have to be unexpected. Most failures occur as a result of long-term problems which can be predicted. By regularly monitoring disk health and performance, you can know about potential hard drive problems before you lose any of your data.

Several excellent utilities are available, including DiskView and Stellar SMART for standard IDE and SATA desktop drives. Also available are tools that monitor the health of SCSI drives and full RAID Array systems. Ariolic Software offers a great utility called ActiveSMART.

The only fool-proof way to prevent data loss is… Backup!
If you only take one of the suggestions here to heart, let it be this one: always back up your important data. After all the monitoring and all the prevention measures are in place, one fact still remains: all hard drives fail. Backing up regularly will ensure that you’re never caught without your critical data. For individuals, the simplest solutions include external portable hard drives, dvd’s, and online storage. For businesses, we recommend renting space at a secure data centre and implementing a disaster recovery plan, regardless of the size of your business.
I hope that the above techniques give you some idea of the importance of hard drive maintenance and provide some insights in how you can protect yourself from data loss.

Alex Bezborodov is the technical writer for Accurate Data Recovery, specializing in data recovery for end users, academia and small businesses. Check out the ADR Resource Center for more useful information.
Let ADR bring your data back to life!

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