PC Data Rescue

Western Digital Corp. today launched a new 3.5-in. Caviar hard disk drive than can store 640GB of data on two platters, twice the capacity of the previous high-end offering.

The desktop-oriented SE16 line currently runs to 750GB, the top-of-the-line drive being a model with three 250GB platters. So it surely won’t be long before WD has a 960GB unit out that packs in three 320GB platters.

The new platform was designed for cool and quieter computing. Western Digital is rolling out the new technology across its product lines, including desktop, enterprise, and external hard drives. The drives are targeted toward users of data-intensive applications, thanks to “performance with their extreme areal density, 3GB-per-second transfer rate, and Native Command Queuing (NCQ),” according to the company.

“The 640GB capacity point will be an important one for our desktop customers, and WD is leading high-volume shipments to the channel and OEM customers. Two-platter hard drives have always been the perfect balance of value, capacity and performance for many of our customers. Today’s common two-platter drives are limited to 500GB, but we are expanding capacity by 28% on the same design with WD’s leading technology heads and disks,” said Don Bennett, general manager and vice president of WD’s desktop business unit.

The 640 GB SE16 drives are available now from resellers Western Digital’s online store at a suggested retail price of $139.99.

A lot of important data is being stored on laptops today. Laptop use has increased significantly in recent years. Increased demands for portability and convenience have been envisioned in this mobile technology. Demand for laptops has gone up in part due to the spread of telecommuting in businesses today. Businesses often allow employees to work on laptops at home and bring them to work.

Data loss in a laptop can end up costing the company a lot of employee hours worked. Even people who use their laptops for personal use are not pleased if they lose any important data. Carrying around a laptop all day can cause stress on the machine and increase the chances of data loss. There are many companies that can help you with the laptop data recovery process. After you contact a company, first you will likely go through an evaluation process to evaluate the extent of damage done.

A lot of companies will offer a free evaluation and a quote if they feel they can successfully perform recovery operations. It may be a good idea to shop around for services to make sure you are getting the best deal. Each company may offer a different price. Some companies even have fixed pricing. If you are panicking over a blank laptop screen or a hard drive crash, you will be happy to learn that a high percentage of the requests data recovery companies get are successful completed.

However you still need to be prepared that some of the data may never be recovered. The only way to find out is get proactive and contact representatives from data recovery firms.

Several data recovery companies have specialized departments for performing data recovery operations on laptops. You can get a lot of your data recovered and receive it in a readable format, even from badly damaged storage devices.

Laptop systems are more fragile and therefore highly susceptible to damage to their hard drives. There are many companies online that can offer you internet-based laptop data recovery. This allows you to ship of your laptop to company headquarters and have it shipped back to you after the data has been recovered.

Some problems you may experience with your laptop are a dead screen, hard drive crash, etc. There are different types of laptop data recovery operations you can perform. Laptop data recovery can allow you to recover files after such events and after technical malfunctions. You may also be able to recover MS Word, Excel or Power Point files that you may have accidentally deleted.

Laptops can receive a lot of abuse and their hard drives can get damaged. You may need laptop data recovery supports if:

• You dropped your notebook and it no longer turns on.
• An unsolicited e-mail has downloaded a Trojan or virus on your laptop.
• The laptop’s hard drive crashes.
• You accidentally deleted some important company files and you want them retrieved in a hurry before your boss finds out.

If you have lost important company data and your boss just says to go and recover it, rapid data recovery can be a solution. Often companies can perform emergency operations to recover lost data and get you on your way in only 24-48 hours.

However be prepared to pay up for these services. The services will be worthwhile depending on how important the lost data is to you or your business.

If you are involved in the management of a company, you may want to keep the contact information of a reliable data recovery specialist near your desk. You never know when you may need one.

San Diego-based data storage firm Iomega said Tuesday that the firm has upped the capacity of the firm’s REV removable hard drives to 120GB. The firm said that the new drives are expected to be available in April.

The new drive will be available from next month in external USB 2.0 form, or as an internal SATA drive, with an ATAPI-based model promised for later in the year.

“Compared to entry-level tape products like LTO-1 and DAT160 format tape drives, the new REV 120GB Backup Drive offers more native capacity, near instantaneous random access to files, faster backups and restores, and ruggedized cartridges - all at a much better drive price,” the company’s chief operating officer Tom Kampfer said.

REV drives offer a multimedia enthusiast a storage package for libraries of content, with each 120GB REV disk holding approximately 48,000 photos, 2,000 hours of music or 12 hours of high-definition video, Kampfer said.

The company hasn’t announced pricing for the new drive or disks, but it should be close to that being asked of the current range to remain competitive. A five-pack of 70GB REV disks can be had for around $380.