The PC tune-up experts at iolo technologies provide tips on how to roll back the clock if you mistakenly erase digital documents
LOS ANGELES, CA – March 16, 2009 – As spring approaches and the weather peaks into warm territory, consumers enjoy more travels, weddings, and other photo-provoking activities, causing increasing numbers of irreplaceable memories to be eventually stored on their computers. The average American adult has amassed about 1,800 digital files ranging from photographs and videos to business documents and personal letters and more than half of those Americans (52 percent) don’t currently have a second copy, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Given this widespread lack of preparation and available budgets to deal with the inevitable fat-fingered photographic accidents this season, it becomes even more imperative for consumers to ensure they have a cost-effective disaster recovery plan if these files were to disappear.
In time for the spring and summer photo seasons, iolo technologies has just released an updated version of its top-selling Search and Recover™ software which is now compatible with all 64-bit versions of Windows. The latest version provides users of both new and old computers, as well as those transferring files in-between their old 32-bit and new 64-bit systems, with the benefits of this powerful data recovery tool. Search and Recover is designed to work as a virtual “panic button” when something is accidentally erased. It instantly rescues deleted files – including photos, music, videos and documents – and even emails from virtually all known hard drives, memory storage units, and portable devices, giving busy photo enthusiasts the ultimate peace of mind this season and beyond.
To further help consumers salvage their accidently deleted photos, iolo technologies shares the following tips on how to ensure the valuable shots never disappear off the PC:
1. Transfer photos to a computer and back up: Always transfer photos to a PC and make sure you have a back up solution. As the numbers from Consumer Electronics Association indicate, most people do not realize the importance of a complete backup system. That means a majority of consumers run a high risk of losing a digital file forever. Additionally, camera memory cards are sensitive to corruption caused by static electricity, so relocating those precious memories to a safer place should be a top priority.
2. Stop if a photo is deleted or missing: The moment you discover a digital photo or file is gone, stop! Do not take any more pictures or use the disk where the files were stored. When a file is deleted in Windows, it is not actually erased from the hard disk, but the area is marked as available for new data. Until this area of the hard disk is used to store another file, the original ‘deleted’ file remains intact and can be recovered.
3. Yes, don’t start any disk-intensive processes: It is worth repeating, since this is the most crucial step in ensuring successful recovery of erased data: do not conduct any disk-intensive actions such as restarting your computer, saving any files or starting or using any programs other than a data recovery tool. Restarting your PC is a disk-intensive process that causes the system to read and write data to the drives, which can overwrite the data you want to recover. Saving files (or taking more pictures) is another culprit – as more new data is written to the disk or memory card, the chances increase that data associated with the deleted files will be overwritten. Finally, starting programs can cause the system to commit data that is cached in memory to the hard drive, which can also overwrite your deleted files.
4. Use a good file recovery tool: Run a file recovery program like iolo technologies’ Search and Recover to rescue the files. To prevent writing any new data to the disk you’re trying to recover files from, make sure to load the program from its CD or, preferably, have a copy pre-installed on your computer as a precaution. To ensure maximum chances of recovery, it’s a good idea to make a byte-by-byte image of the drive where your deleted data is located before attempting a rescue, and this can be done using Search and Recover’s disk imaging feature. Finally, since recovering deleted files to their original location can actually overwrite or “cannibalize” the deleted file as it is being recovered, use Search and Recover to save to another drive or writable disc whenever possible.
5. Don’t panic even if you directly erase photos from a memory card or camera: If your photos are accidently deleted before you even had a chance to transfer them to a computer, iolo’s Search and Recover can help, as it is designed to resurrect files from any portable device, including all types of memory cards.
“Accidentally erasing files, especially family photos, can be a traumatic experience, but it doesn’t have to be,” said JJ Schoch, iolo’s VP of marketing. “Whether it is the result of an accidental deletion or a hardware failure, many consumers do not realize that all is not truly lost. iolo technologies continues to develop ways to help consumers get back their valuable digital files, so they can get the most out of their PCs – and out of their upcoming photo opportunities – without worrying about an occasional accident.”
ABOUT SEARCH AND RECOVER
iolo technologies’ Search and Recover™ is a powerful data recovery tool for retrieving deleted files – including digital photos, music, videos, documents, and emails – from hard drives, cameras, digital devices, memory cards, and more. Proprietary StrongScan™ and SmartScan™ technologies allow recovery of erased data after even the worst PC accidents and disasters — up to years after the data was lost. For more information, visit www.iolo.com/sr.
ABOUT IOLO TECHNOLOGIES
iolo technologies, LLC, a privately held firm founded in 1998 and headquartered in Los Angeles with offices worldwide, produces award-winning software that repairs, optimizes, and protects Windows computers. The iolo product line includes System Mechanic®, the #1 best-selling PC tune-up software; System Mechanic Professional®, an all-in-one suite of both PC tune-up and security tools; Search and Recover™, a powerful data recovery tool for retrieving deleted files and photos; DriveScrubber®, the #1 best-selling utility for permanently erasing data from hard drives; as well as System Shield®, iolo AntiVirus™ and iolo Personal Firewall™, Internet security software. For more information see www.iolo.com.
