Blog – Computer Physicians Longmont Boulder Denver CO

What is Data Recovery?

Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado customers frequently ask many questions about their computers.   Therefore we have created a blog to help customers understand some topics in the computer and internet world. 

Computer-Repair

Data recovery is the retrieval of inaccessible or contaminated data from media that has been damaged in some way.

With data storage devices such as hard drives, USB flash drives, etc. all becoming larger and capable of storing large gigabytes and terabytes of data.  Data recovery is important since you could lose a lot of information at once.

There can be several causes of data loss.

Data loss causes

Accidental deletion of a file or folder

Depending on the file system, each OS acts differently to delete a file. For Windows FAT file system the OS marks file directory entries as unused and destroys file allocation information (except beginning of file), for NTFS – just marks file entry as unused, deletes record from directory and marks disk space as unused; for most Linux/Unix file systems it destroys file descriptor (information about file location, file type, file size etc.) and sets disk as free.

The main purpose of each file deletion is to release storage space used by the file for a new file. Storage space is not wiped immediately (for performance reasons) making actual file data remain on a disk until this storage space is reused to store a new file.

  • File system format

File system format can be started by mistake, for example, by specifying a wrong disk partition or unclear actions as to storage handling (e.g. NAS devices usually format internal storage after attempt to re-configure RAID).

Format procedure creates empty file system structures on the storage and overwrites any information below. If file system types coincide, it destroys existing file system structures by overwriting them with the new ones; if file system types differ – the structures are written to different locations and may destroy user data.

  • Logical damage of a file system

This kind of failure may occur due to power loss or hardware failures. Sometimes logical damages are also caused by software failures. Modern file systems have a high level of protection against file system logical damages, nevertheless, useless against hardware or software malfunctions.

Even small piece of wrong data written to a wrong location on the storage may destroy file system structures, break file system object links and make file system non-readable.

  • Loss of information about partition

This kind of failure may occur due to different reasons, including failed ‘fdisk’operation or user errors that usually results in loss of information about partition location and size.

  • Storage failure

If you detect any physical problems on the storage (e.g. storage doesn’t start, makes unusual noises, overheats much, has problems to read data etc.),

Data loss can occur from unexpected incidences including national tragedies such as floods and earthquakes.

Often power failure can cause loss of data from hard drives. Sudden power surges can also cause a lot of damage to a computer’s hard drive.

Successful Data recovery depend much on the actual cause of data loss and further user’s actions. To get maximum data recovery results it’s strongly recommended to stop any write access to the storage and bring the storage device to Computer Physicians immediately.

Data loss caused by file deletion
Any deleted file remains on the storage until the storage space is re-used by other data. After file deletion OS may re-use disk space anytime to store a new file. Thus, even minor write to the storage may cause permanent data loss. Internet browsers may be involved in overwriting of deleted files as well by saving cache or cookies to the storage. If you install the software to the same drive, your data is also under the risk of overwriting.

Another factor that influences data recovery chances after file deletion is file deletion algorithm dependent on the file system. For Windows NTFS file system recovery chances are quite high, because if file descriptor remains on the disk, the software may easily take all required information about the file. Unlike NTFS, BSD UFS file system destroys information about file start, location and size permanently and together with high degree of file fragmentation typical of this file system leaves very slim chances for successful data recover.

Other file systems (like FAT) feature average chances for data recovery. Here only part of information is destroyed (like information about file fragments), but information about file name, start and size still remains on disk. Heuristic algorithms still allow to ‘guess’ file fragments and recover good files. Please keep in mind, that due to lack of real information about allocation of file fragments any data recovery software may fail to detect real file position, especially if several fragmented files were deleted close to the same location on the storage.

It’s not recommended to take any actions by yourself, since doing so may cause the data to be more difficult or impossible to retrieve.

You will need to bring your storage device that contains the data (computer, USB flash drive, external hard drive, floppy, etc.) to Computer Physicians to examine and determine if the data be retrieved.

 

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Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado provides:

  • System Crash Recovery
  • Data Recovery
  • Internet setup
  • Computer, internet, and network Troubleshooting
  • Virus, spyware, malware, and adware removal
  • Hardware and software computer repair
  • Computer Sales, systems, parts
  • Upgrades and Installations
  • Building PC computer systems
  • tutoring & training
  • Computer and network security
  • Computer PC repair

Located in Erie, CO we service the Colorado front range, including:

Erie, Boulder, Longmont, Denver, Brighton, Louisville, Lafayette, Fredrick, Firestone, Fort Lupton, Thornton, Northglenn, Arvada, Superior, Broomfield, Gunbarrel, Henderson, Englewood, Aurora, Lakewood, Berthoud, Lyons, Niwot, Dacono, University of Colorado at Boulder, Weld and Boulder counties, and surrounding areas of Colorado.

By computerpy, ago

Why do computers crash?

Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado customers frequently ask many questions about their computers.   Therefore we have created a blog to help customers understand some topics in the computer and internet world. 

Why do Computers Crash?

A computer crash is when your computer will not boot into the Windows operating system, or freezes and will not run at all.

Computers crash because of errors in the operating system (OS) software or errors in the computer hardware.

A variety of hardware components must function correctly in order for a computer to work. These components, like many things, age over time and can develop faults.  These faults are often transient and they do not appear consistently. The system power supply can fail in this manner. Normally a computer’s power supply converts alternating current to clean direct current. If it starts to fail, the computer can crash accidentally when the power supply generates a noisy signal. The random access memory (RAM) can also fail in an intermittent way, particularly if it gets hot. Because the values RAM stores get corrupted unpredictably, it causes random system crashes. The central processing unit (CPU) can also be the source of crashes due to excessive heat. The (often loud) fans on most common computers are there to prevent this type of crash, though they may eventually fail.

More permanent faults happen with errors on a computer’s disk. Each disk stores information in units named sectors. Most new disks come with bad sectors that occur in the manufacturing process and are marked at the factory. Makers expect this and include ample additional sectors to replace the defective ones. Sectors can go bad later, however, and lose the information stored on them. If these sectors happen to hold system information, they can cause a crash. Worse, a disk can fail completely when the computer gets jarred and the head that reads information makes contact with the disk surface.

Computer crashes can also be caused by software.

The OS does more than provide an interface for the user to operate the computer. It also provides a consistent interface between applications and the hardware, and acts to share system resources between different programs. As a result, there are a number of errors that can occur. Perhaps the most common is a glitch that arises when the OS tries to access an incorrect memory address, perhaps as a result of a programming error. In Windows, this can lead to an error known as a General Protection Fault (GPF). Other errors drive the OS into an infinite loop, in which the computer executes the same instructions over and over without hope of escape. In these cases, the computer might seem to “lock up”–the system doesn’t crash, but is no longer responsive to input and needs to be reset. Still other problems result when a bug allows information to be written into a memory buffer that is too small to accept it. The additional data “overflows” out of the buffer and overwrites information in memory, corrupting the OS state. These same errors can occur in application programs. Newer Operating systems are robust against application crashes, but in older systems application bugs can affect the OS and cause a system-wide crash. Modern operating systems are carefully tested, and tend to be relatively stable, but drivers that are added to the OS to allow the use of additional devices such as printers may not be, and are often the source of crashes.

The OS can also crash when it fails in its job of managing system resources correctly. It is possible for the OS to reach a state of deadlock, in which multiple programs each have control of some resource another program needs, and each is waiting for the other to relinquish control of the resource. Alternatively, the system might be switching back and forth between a few programs, each of which needs a significant proportion of memory resources. Because the switching takes time (as memory information is stored to and read from the disk), it is possible for the machine to thrash, which means it spends so much time swapping programs back and forth that little or no productive processing occurs. A crashing machine may be slow or unresponsive, but its disk is still operating and it will generally recover after being left to itself for a few minutes.

Crashing can occur as a result of the OS failing to allocate and recover memory space properly. As the OS allows programs to run, it allocates memory to them. A memory leak occurs when the OS fails to recover the memory correctly when programs stop. Over time, the OS’s internal accounting will show that there is little memory available. Computers can crash as a result of different devices trying to use the same internal ID to operate. These types of crashes are more common after adding new, conflicting hardware to a system.

An OS can crash if information it needs is corrupted on disk. This often happens when a computer crashes, loses power, or is shut down without having the opportunity to write the contents of memory to the appropriate files. A system crash can therefore lead to later crashes upon rebooting. A virus infecting the system can also cause file corruption and cause a computer to crash.

 

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Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado provides:

  • System Crash Recovery
  • Data Recovery
  • Internet setup
  • Computer, internet, and network Troubleshooting
  • Virus, spyware, malware, and adware removal
  • Hardware and software computer repair
  • Computer Sales, systems, parts
  • Upgrades and Installations
  • Building PC computer systems
  • tutoring & training
  • Computer and network security
  • Computer PC repair

Located in Erie, CO we service the Colorado front range, including:

Erie, Boulder, Longmont, Denver, Brighton, Louisville, Lafayette, Fredrick, Firestone, Fort Lupton, Thornton, Northglenn, Arvada, Superior, Broomfield, Gunbarrel, Henderson, Englewood, Aurora, Lakewood, Berthoud, Lyons, Niwot, Dacono, University of Colorado at Boulder, Weld and Boulder counties, and surrounding areas of Colorado.

By computerpy, ago

What are Malware and Computer Viruses?

Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado customers frequently ask many questions about their computers.   Therefore we have created a blog to help customers understand some topics in the computer and internet world. 

What is Malware?

Malware is short for “malicious software.” Malware is any kind of unwanted software that is installed without your adequate consent. Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are examples of malicious software that are often grouped together and referred to as malware.

These Are A Few Of The Signs That Malware Has Entered Your PC:

  • You start seeing an excessive amount of pop-up ads.
  • Your PC’s operating system slows down significantly.
  • The amount of spam you receive in your email increases.
  • Your email account may send out messages to your contact list that you did not send. Sometimes it contains pornographic material or even a trojan or worm.
  • The home page you have set in your browser is altered.
  • When you try to access a web page in your favorites list, another web page appears that contains advertising or content that encourages you to enter your personal information.
  • Your computer completely crashes.
  • You are unable to access your antivirus program to remove the malware.

If your computer has become unstable, that’s a sign that something’s wrong. Some malware messes with important files that keep your computer running properly. That could cause your computer to crash. If your computer crashes when you try to run a specific application or open a particular file that tells you that something has corrupted the data. It could be malware.

Does your computer seem to run much more slowly than it used to? This could be the result of malware as the malicious code begins to drain your computer’s processing resources. If you aren’t running a resource-heavy application but your computer is very slow, you might have a computer virus.

Strange messages indicating that you can’t access certain drives on your computer are another sign that something is wrong. In a similar vein, applications that won’t run or files that won’t open may also be the result of infection. Other indicators include hardware (like printers) that no longer responds to commands. While none of these guarantee the presence of a virus, they do suggest that something is wrong with your machine.

If you notice that file sizes are fluctuating even if you aren’t accessing those files, that’s another sign of a computer virus. And finally, if you access menus and their appearance is odd or distorted, you could be the victim of a malware attack.

It’s important to remember that computer viruses are one potential cause of problems like the ones we’ve listed here, but that they aren’t the only cause.

 Types of Malware

The more you educate yourself on malicious software, the better off you’ll be. Malware is not a virus. In fact, it consists of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, adware, rootkits and many other nasty infections. Some of these programs are more of an annoyance than anything, while others pose a serious threat to your computer. Regardless of the type, each of them offer their own unique security threat, and they should be avoided at all costs.

Viruses

The computer virus is the most infamous form of malware. It is a self replicating program that infects a system without authorization. A virus is often transmitted via email but can also be distributed through various storage mediums such as a flash drive. Once installed, it will execute itself, infect system files, and attempt to propagate to other systems. The impact of a virus ranges widely from slow system performance to wiping out every file on your computer.

Worms

Though closely related, worms and viruses are two completely different types of malware. Both have the ability to self-replicate and propagate by attaching themselves to files. While a virus moves from machine to machine with the help of a human, a worm tends to leach onto network traffic and can be a corporation’s worst nightmare. In no time, it can travel through the internet and inflict great damage from deleting files to creating backdoors that give its creator control of a system.

Trojan Horses

Similar to the mythical wooden horse used by the Greeks to invade Troy, the Trojan horse is a very deceptive program that appears harmless but is actually one of the most dangerous types of malware. It may arrive as a friendly email attachment or present itself as a useful application on a website. Because it does not have the ability to self replicate, a Trojan cannot be classified as a virus. However, it does have the ability to deliver destructive payloads and unload viruses, worms or spyware.

Spyware

Spyware is a sneaky program that tracks and reports your computing activity without consent. While it isn’t designed to inflict damage, spyware can terribly affect the performance of your computer over time. Spyware usually comes bundled with free software and automatically installs itself with the program you intended to use. Signs of spyware include sudden modifications to your web browser, redirects of your search attempts and the frequent displaying of pop-ups. In this instance, spyware can also be termed as adware which is essentially add-supported software that has the ability to track your activity.

Rootkits

A rookit could be a single program or collection of programs designed to take complete control of a system. This type of malware is employed by hackers and gives them all the abilities of a system administrator from a remote location.

Rootkits are very sophisticated as they make hackers very difficult to find. They are often used to infect other computers and enslave them as zombies, forcing them to attack other machines, distribute spam or steal passwords. When attempting to track a rootkit’s creator, the search usually ends with the first zombie while the hacker goes undetected.

Staying Safe

As you can see, malware is abundant and will attempt to attack your from every direction. However, there are several security solutions and system updates that will help to keep you protected. Combine these tools with safe computing and you have a much better chance of keeping the malicious software away.

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Computer Physicians, LLC Colorado provides:

  • System Crash Recovery
  • Data Recovery
  • Internet setup
  • Computer, internet, and network Troubleshooting
  • Virus, spyware, malware, and adware removal
  • Hardware and software computer repair
  • Computer Sales, systems, parts
  • Upgrades and Installations
  • Building PC computer systems
  • tutoring & training
  • Computer and network security
  • Computer PC repair

Located in Erie, CO we service the Colorado front range, including:

Erie, Boulder, Longmont, Denver, Brighton, Louisville, Lafayette, Fredrick, Firestone, Fort Lupton, Thornton, Northglenn, Arvada, Superior, Broomfield, Gunbarrel, Henderson, Englewood, Aurora, Lakewood, Berthoud, Lyons, Niwot, Dacono, University of Colorado at Boulder, Weld and Boulder counties, and surrounding areas of Colorado.

By computerpy, ago