Archive for the ‘data migration’ Category

Migrating Data on Old Storage Devices

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

You probably have seen many different technologies come and go if you have been around computers for very long. You might remember the floppy disk in 3.5, 5.25 or even the 8-inch formats. These magnetic storage media were very popular and were a mainstay of computer construction for a long time. Most new computers, however, do not even have a floppy disk drive installed. The popular high-density 3.5-inch disk held 1.44 megabytes of information when formatted. The LS-120 super floppy that eventually followed could handle 120 megabytes of data. A computer user might remember popping in multiple diskettes when installing large programs, such as operating systems.

Other forms of magnetic media followed, such as the Zip and Jaz drives and diskettes. They boasted even more capacity. From 100 MB clear up to 750 MB, the Zip drive seemed like a good replacement. However, the hardware to run them was expensive and cheaper alternative methods were developed. CDR and CDR-W soon replaced magnetic media for storage and installation.

Even hard drive technology has changed over the years. The Small Computer System Interface drive, or SCSI, was a common and reliable drive configuration. Most personal computers now have EIDE or SATA drives installed.

The upshot of all of this technology evolution is that a user may have data stored on media that is no longer accessible. A data recovery company, like The Data Rescue Center, can migrate the data to media that is compatible with the user’s current equipment. Along with emergency data recovery, The Data Rescue Center can make most of your old data accessible again.

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Turning Your VHS Family Movies Into DVDs

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Many people take home movies of their family experiences. Music recitals, sporting events, birthday parties and family vacations are all great subjects for home movies. VHS tapes store many of these memories, letting us relive them over again and again. However, the VHS tapes do break and it probably will not be long before the machines used to view them will be gone, just like the old 8-track players.

Data storage continues to advance and old forms of media become outdated and eventually disappear. It is still possible, for example, for audiophiles to find a turntable which they can listen to their favorite vinyl records. Ask just about any young person, however, to describe what an old album is or how it was used and they might look at you as if you were joking with them or talking about some long-lost time from yesteryear.

Additionally, when trying to share the movie memories with other friends and family, the VHS tape owner might find that most people don’t have a VCR any more. Yes, VHS players are still available for now, but for how much longer?

The Data Rescue Center, a data recovery service in Livermore, California, can take those old videos and transfer them safely and securely onto DVDs that can be played in DVD players and most new computers. Their services include much more than just computer and notebook data recovery. They do more than just search your computer for data recovery information to restore. The Data Rescue Center can help you preserve your family movie memories for generations to come.

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What is Data Migration?

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

When a data recovery service is mentioned, most people think of hard drive failure, data corruption and missing or deleted files. However, a recovery service, like The Data Rescue Center, can offer more than just data recovery. One of those services is data migration. So, what is data migration and why might it be needed?

Data migration is the process of moving data from one media to another. It may be moving from one hard drive to another, from one computer to a new one, or from one form of media to a different kind. For example, you might have family movies recorded on a VHS tape and want to transfer them to a DVD to protect them from loss due to aging or to be able to share them with family and friends.

Another reason for data migration is that some older technologies are no longer in use. If data was stored on floppies, Zip or Jaz drives or obsolete SCSI hard drives, new computers may not be able to access them anymore. Transferring these files often requires special equipment. While it might be possible for individuals to do this themselves, it would not be prudent to buy special equipment that is going to be used one time and then scrapped. Furthermore, the equipment available at retail stores is usually not professional quality and the results may not be acceptable.

An additional benefit of migration is having important data recovery information available in the event of a drive failure. Because portable computers are very susceptible to damage, the success of notebook data recovery is improved with migrated data.

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