How much to charge for data recovery?

Q. I ended up recovering the data off someone's supposedly dead hard drive (all of it, about 40 GB in all). Took me 2 hours to set up.

Question is, how much should I charge? I know Best Buy is overpriced so what is the reasonable price for this much data? Thanks.
People, I ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED THE DATA. This is for another person.

I'm just not sure how much to charge THEM for MY services.

A. When a hard drive malfunctions, it can mean that files are corrupted or deleted. Corrupted files can often be fixed using data recovery software.

When the drive makes whirring or clicking noises or is unusually hot, or if the computer won't start, the hard drive could be physically damaged, in which case a data recovery firm may be able to extract data from the damaged drive.

Typical costs:

* Data recovery software applications are good choices for hard drives with deleted or corrupted files but no actual physical damage. The applications range from $40-$129.00. PC Magazine recommends StompSoft's Recover My Data ($40) as their top-rated application for 2007.
* For disks that are physically damaged, Aero Data Recovery charges a flat rate as low as $219.00 for a single hard disk drive of any capacity with any operating system.
* Some vendors charge based on the capacity of the hard disk. Disk Doctors charges $375 to recover data from a 30 GB single hard disk drive running Windows and charges $1,000 for a 500 GB drive.
* Others firms provide only estimates. Factors that influence price include the number of files to be recovered and the turnaround time.

Is it possible to wipe out an entire computer from the password screen?
Q. Hubby asked me that this morning. He puts a password on the computer of his shop to keep the nieces and nephews off it, and when he went to the computer the other day, everything was gone on it. All the Quickbooks, resources and things important. He was smart enough to back up his files on disk the other day and was able to do a system restore to recover most of it back. We think the kids sit there and put in password over password to try to get on. But how is that possible to lose everything like that from a password screen? Is there a way to prevent it from happening again?

A. There is a possibility they put in a Windows XP install disk in to try to get around the password and accidently ran a reformat.

If it still had windows and rebooted in windows but all his stuff was gone, maybe they deleted his user account and his user files by mistake.

It is very easy to get in to windows without a password.

Windows Lost Password tips.
http://www.hsinlin.com/tips/lost_password.html

How to Reset Forgotten Windows XP Passwords
http://www.goitexpert.com/entry.cfm?entry=How-to-Reset-Forgotten-Windows-XP-Passwords

Active Password Recovery Software
http://www.download.com/Active-Password-Changer/3000-2092_4-10618486.html?tag=tab_pub

Login Recovery
http://www.loginrecovery.com/

You can also perform a repair install to reset all the passwords.
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To prevent it from happening again.

Restricting access to your computer:

Most computers allow creating a BIOS password. Without a password your DVD/CD or floppy drives can not be used to boot the computer or reinstall Windows, bypassing all your Windows passwords. It also prevents the hard drives from being used, preventing entering Windows âsafe modeâ which can be used to modify your passwords.
http://www.protectiveparenting.com/web/html/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=10
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2204p103id114727.htm

How to clear an BIOS password:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000235.htm

Lockdown PC
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2204p103id114727.htm

Windows XP passwords:
All accounts must have passwords. Each person must have a separate username and password to sign on the computer. You must have an âAdministrativeâ account. Everyone else should have âRestricted Accessâ accounts.
Do not enable automatic logon.
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-350.html
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/accounts.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/switchusers.mspx

Turn off the guest account
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/soleuser.mspx

Protect your computer from access when you are temporarily away from your computer by using a screen saver password
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/display_assign_screensaver_password.mspx?mfr=true

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Ran across this the other day, they use it at schools, libraries etc, to make computers kid proof. If I had kids I would probably use it.


Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for XP FREE

To make your computer kid proof install "Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for XP" . This powerful tool basically allows you to automatically undo anything they do.

DEMO WATCH: (Excellent)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/demo/index.html

The Shared Computer Toolkit allows those who manage shared computers in these environments to easily:

⢠Defend shared computers from unauthorized changes to their hard disks.

⢠Restrict users from accessing system settings and data.

⢠Enhance the user experience on shared computers.


Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP product overview
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/overview.mspx

Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP Handbook
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sct/SCTHCH04.mspx

Case Studies
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/whatsnew.mspx

The Shared Computer Toolkit requires you to add a partion to your hard drive. To add a partition without formatting use one of the following:

VistaBootPRO (free) Supports Vista,XP http://www.vistabootpro.org/

GParted: Gnome Partition Editor (free) Supports Vista,XP http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
Modify Your Partitions With GParted Without Losing Data
http://gparted.free.fr/screenshots/VISTA/Howto_move_VISTA.html
http://www.howtoforge.com/partitioning_with_gparted

Partition Logic (free) Supports Vista Some limitations, XP
http://partitionlogic.org.uk/
http://partitionlogic.org.uk/manual/vista.html

Norton Partition Magic (buy) (does not support Vista yet)
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=sp&pvid=pm80

Partition Commander (buy) Supports Vista,XP
http://www.v-com.com/product/Partition_Commander_Home.html

what is name of best software to use to create exact image of my laptop to transfer to my new laptop?
Q.

A. 1. Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/)

2. Norton Ghost (http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=br&pvid=ghost10)


Read PC World Magazine's review
"True Image 9 Edges Past Norton Ghost 10
For backups, Acronis's latest True Image remains powerful and affordable, while Symantec's newest Norton is simple and effective." -- written by John Jacobi, pcworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123202-page,1/article.html)

Disk-imaging software lets you create sector-by-sector copies of hard-drive partitions, including boot information--so when disaster strikes, system recovery is a snap. Symantec and Acronis take different approaches to this crucial task in the latest updates of their disk-imaging applications. While Symantec's $70 Norton Ghost 10 focuses on improved usability, Acronis's $50 True Image 9 contains several new, must-have features.

Both programs perform the same basic functions of creating and restoring full and incremental images to hard drives, CDs, or DVDs. And the two apps simplify automating and scheduling those processes. But the shipping version of True Image 9 that I tested permits differential images, which Norton Ghost 10 does not. Whereas incremental backups include only the data that has changed since your last backup, differentials allow you to create a single file containing all of the changes that have occurred since your initial full backup. That way, you never have to restore a large number of small incremental images.

Equally useful is the new option to back up selected files and folders, which eliminates the need for a separate file-level backup program. Acronis has also added a Snap Restore function so you can work in Windows before you finish restoring an image--great if you're on deadline.

The biggest change in Norton Ghost 10 is the program's new interface, which does a nice job of guiding beginners through tasks while keeping various advanced options out of sight--but not out of reach.

However, Ghost 10 cannot create an image while operating from its extremely slow-booting installation/recovery CD. So if your system goes down, the utility can't create an image to help you recover any un-backed-up data stored on a crashed partition. Symantec does bundle the older Norton Ghost 2003 (included mainly for Windows 98 users), which can create an image while running from its CD. But True Image 9's recovery CD handles everything that its Windows application can, and that's a far better approach.

When it comes to features and price, you can't beat True Image 9. But I give credit to Ghost 10 for making an esoteric task easier for new users.




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