Quickbooks File Repair...

   Hello all and thanks for stopping by, this week I'd like to talk about database repair as it pertains to Quickbooks. I hope you enjoy the discussion and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about one of our services.

   Quickbooks is one of the most widely used accounting software available. With literally millions of users worldwide this software has without a doubt revolutionized the way businesses and individuals maintain their accounting books. By and large it is an extremely stable software platform that creates a CIndex or SQL Anywhere database (depending on the version) which is utilized to store your accounting data. This file will normally look something like <your_company_name>.QBW for both Windows and Mac versions. The vast majority of users run a daily or weekly backup of this database which creates a  compressed copy of this file with the extension .QBB. This process is normally sufficient to stave off any need for repair should something happen to your main data file.  

   But what happens when the database that contains your critical accounting information becomes damaged, lost or corrupted and you don't have a backup? Or as in so many cases, your automated backup plan was not working as it should.  While rebuilding a couple days of lost data is not such a big deal, losing weeks or months worth of data can be a crushing blow to a business that relies on Quickbooks to be running day in and day out. Luckily there are some options for recovery beyond just restoring a backup and rebuilding weeks worth of lost data. Often this time consuming rework can be saved by allowing a qualified database engineer to repair the current data file for you.

   There are some things you should take into consideration when trying to make a decision either for or against using a recovery service.

• Cost of Repair vs. Cost to Manually Rebuild:  This is one of the first things you should consider, which would you rather do spend time re-entering your data or pay someone to fix your file in a fraction of the time. While it may be possible to re-enter 20 or 30 transactions by hand, re-entering 500 or 1000 transactions can be quite an undertaking.

• Time to Repair vs Time to Manually Rebuild:   This is perhaps one of the biggest deciding factors for a business that runs Quickbooks. A database engineer can do in hours what could take you weeks to recreate. Repairing a database will almost always be faster then attempting to manually rebuild one. Even if you have all of the lost data on hand, the act of re-entering 100s or 1000s of transactions can be extremely time consuming.

   So... you find yourself in a situation where you want to have a database repaired, if you found us you have obviously done some research and now your asking... what next?

   Well we suggest contacting a qualified database repair service such as Quickbooks Data Recovery or QuickbooksRecovery.com. You will be required to fill out some basic submission forms and submit your file for a review. Usually by uploading the database to a secure private FTP site. Although mailing the data is an option FTP provided a much quicker and in many ways more secure option.

   Most reputable services such as the ones listed above will offer a "Standard" level free evaluation of the database and provide you with details of what can be done in your particular case. This "Standard" level service will usually require 1-3 days to complete the evaluation. Costs are usually based on flat rate pricing depending on the level of service you require. It's best to inquire with the service you choose and ask what the fees are for repair. In light of the fact it could take days even weeks to manually re-enter data and reconstruct a database. This makes database repair an affordable and viable solution in many cases.

   I hope you find this information helpful, please feel free to ask questions or post related information. We welcome any input and are always willing to help when and where we can. More to come soon... stay tuned!

Hard Drive Repair vs Hard Drive Data Recovery

As a first topic of discussion I could not think of a better place to start then taking some time to explain the differences between hard drive repair and hard drive recovery. It's a common misconception that these two issues are one and the same. In point of fact they are completely separate and as such require quite different methods and specialized services to recover lost data. I will do my best to explain each, give some pointers and offer some general guidelines to follow when attempting to find a solution that will retrieve your valuable data.

Physical Drive Repair aka. Hard Drive Repair:

     This is the most invasive and intensive form of data recovery relating to hard drives. Reputable data recovery companies will offer clean room facilities where this type of work is performed. Typically a drive will be placed in a class100 clean room, where the drive can be safely opened without fear of contaminating the platters (magnetic disks that contain the data).   These recoveries require specialized knowledge of the inner working of a hard drive along with a steady hand and eye in order to perform the intricate repairs necessary to be able to replace parts and realign drive heads. If these repairs are performed properly an image of the drive is made and the data is then recovered from the drive image. Drive that go through any type of physical repair are usually not repaired with the intentions of continuing to use the media as storage and repairs are only performed to retrieve the data and move it to a trustworthy location.

    Symptoms of physical damage include noises emanating from the hard drive such as clicking, tapping and scraping. These noises are usually related to the "heads" (small magnetic instruments which read the platters). In some cases you can hear a subtle whirling noise or no noise at all, this usually denotes a damaged servo, bearing seizure or circuit board issue, all of which prevent the platters from spinning making data unreadable.  There are many data recovery services out there, but really only a few that offer quality hard drive repair service like that offered by Data Recovery USA, Inc. It's extremely important for any physical issue to be handled within a quality clean room facility. Beware of any company that does not have at least a class 100 clean room, a mere speck of dust that touches the platters in a drive will cause them to be unrecoverable and all your valuable data will be permanently lost.

   Costs for single drive repair have a rather wide range and are usually based on the replacement parts required, difficulty of the repair and time required to create a usable image of the drive. Realistically you can expect a minimum of $500 and up to a maximum of $2500 in worst case scenarios. Typically an evaluation of the drive is performed to determine what is required to properly complete the repair. A quote is provided to the client and once approved the repair work is performed and the data is returned to the client or the replacement media of their choice. Standard turn around times will usually range from 3-7 days to complete the entire process. I guess that about covers hard drive repair, let's move on and talk a bit about drive recovery, I'll do my best not to be so long winded :)   

Logical Drive Recovery aka. Hard Drive Data Recovery: 

   This type of recovery work is much less invasive and in turn less expensive and less time consuming. First and foremost a clean room is usually not required for this type of recovery. Although drive recovery is not as complicated as drive repair, don't be mislead into thinking it is simple. Typically specialized software is required to first create an image of the data, then reassemble the binary data based on the operating system, file structure and partition information. There are literally thousands of what I like to refer to as "over the counter" data recovery programs available that claim to be able to recover your data. Some work, some don't and many can be downright dangerous if you value your data. The best programs usually cost 100's sometimes thousands of dollars and require extensive knowledge of a multitude of information to properly use to scan and reassemble data when it becomes inaccessible through normal means. It's my opinion that using a professional data recovery service is always your best bet.

   So what defines a logically damaged drive? Well this could be anything from a accidentally formatted disk, dropped partition or virus corrupted file structure to a drive that has had the operating system re-installed over the original data. Bad sectors, accidentally or intentionally deleted data, all fall into the logical data recovery category. In fact almost any case where the drive still functions but the data is inaccessible will be classified as a "Logical Recovery".

  As I mentioned previously, costs on these types of recovery work are significantly less then the physical repair of a drive. You can realistically expect a minimum cost of $300 with an extreme high end cost of $1200 in cases of severe file system corruption. Usually evaluations of these drive are completed free of charge and require 24-48 hours to complete depending on the size of the drive and condition of the file system. Once again a quote is presented to the client for his or her approval. When approved the drive is usually reformatted and the data is restored to the drive as a return form of media, there are however some cases where it is advisable to replace the media. This is usually determined at the same time the initial evaluation is completed.

   I hope you have found this information useful, if you have a question I have not covered here please by all means, send me a message, post a comment or feel free to email me and I will do my best to get you an answer. Drop by our website for a full list of our services, we can be reached 24/7 if you are experienceing a data recovery emergency.

Stay tuned, we will be discussing database repair in the near future. Thanks to everyone for their interest and support!...

Welcome to Data Recovery USA, Inc's Official Blog

Hello and Welcome,

    It is our sincere hope that we can provide an informative and educational blog dedicated to helping users at all levels deal with the stress of losing critical data. We will discuss new technology, hardware, software and methods for recovering your data. We welcome questions and discussions about data recovery and hope to provide you with a valuable resource and service.

   We would like to thank you for your interest and hope that you will come back and visit us often, we will be posting new information regularly. The staff at Data Recovery USA, Inc enjoys helping people and we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about our services. Please stop by our website or drop us an email and we will respond as quickly as possible (usually within 24 hours).  If you have any requests, suggestions or would like us to give information concerning a specific aspect of data recovery please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your requests.

more to come soon...
DRUSA Staff