DVD-RW backup corrupted?

omegax255

I recently backed up all my data on 6 or so empty DVD-RW discs, and later had to have my computer formatted.

When I started retrieving what I would need from my backups, I found that everything seemed corrupt / unreadable / missing!!

Word documents open up blank, with all the pages there, but no text, pictures or anything. Same for Notepad, Spreadsheets and Presentations.

Pictures - "Photo Gallery can't open this picture or video. The file format is not supported, or you don't have the latest updates to photo gallery." The format is simply jpg.

I play video files with VLC Media Player, and it can't seem to read them.

Most of my Zipped files (with WinRAR) show the "No archives found message".

I also had some saved webpages, which open into a blank page.

music files seem to be the only thing left intact.

I'd done the backup with Nero --> Data DVD, but unfortunately didn't bother to check if everything was fine afterwards. Same results come up when I open the files from the discs themselves. And the thing is, the file size is still there, they occupy the same space as before.

I just don't understand what's going on. I've done this before, and always managed to retrieve the data perfectly fine. Is there and solution or way to get back the data intact? And what, after all, is the problem?!?!?

Thanks.

Answer
From what I've read, DVD-RWs are not completely reliable for important backups.

If the DVDs had been used before, I've known them to just 'wear out'. No warning, just read / write errors.

As for recovery, you might have to take them to a repair shop & see if they can recover the files.

It won't help now, but in the future, consider getting a small external hard drive or two. Then use a program like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image to create a backup on one drive, and a copy on the other.
You could also create a backup partition on your hard drive. Save one copy there, another on a portable drive.

Question about laptop's motherboard?

rachael

I was told that the only way to fix my laptop is to replace the motherboard or something like that. I don't know anything about computers and I was wondering if my information (videos and pictures especially) would still be on it or if it would be erased.

Answer
The hard disk (where your data is) is normally under a cover on the bottom, or side. This is totally independent of the motherboard. The people replacing your motherboard should be able to keep all your data for you. Even if they needed to reinstall windows they should be able to back it all up first.

If the shop doesn't want to help with that, maybe you can get a computer savvy friend to help.

You can take the hard drive out of the laptop by removing a few screws. This can then be put into a 2.5" USB drive caddy, so you can connect it up to another machine (like an external portable drive) so you can get your data off before the repair is done.

Getting a drive caddy is even better if you decide to not have the repair done, but instead get a new laptop. With a drive caddy, all your old data is kept, and you have a place to do backups on in the future.

You will need a 2.5" USB drive caddy, but will need to see if your drive is IDE, or SATA which will determine which you buy.

I highly recommend getting a friend to have a look at it.... if you have no geeky friends... now is the time to make some!

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Looking to buy a slick external hard drive for Macbook Pro?

portable hard drive future shop image

Adia

I'm looking to buy an external hard drive for my macbook pro. I'd like to keep it in the $100 dollar-ish range, and I'd also like it to be reasonably small- I don't want a huge thing because I have limited desk space. It must be mac compatible- some aren't. I've been looking around on the Future Shop and Best Buy websites, but there are an overwhelming amount of them available and I just don't know where to start.

Any recommendations? I need a reasonable amount of diskspace too- my internal hard drive is pretty cluttered atm. I'm thinking 320-500 gigs.

Thanks!

Answer
The small portable external hard drives that are only powered by your USB port are not nearly as nice as the ones that are a bit larger and have there own power. The larger ones run much quicker. I would recommend buying one with a power cord. As for which one, most all of the market are great right now. I just would not go out and pay for the lowest base price one, look for sales of the nicer version and you can get a great deal. If you can wait till after Thanksgiving, they are on HUGE sales. I bought a 500 GB one from Target for $45 normally $150. Hope this helps!

JORDAN

whats wrong with my hard drive and how can i fix it ?

Damian

i bought a 1 TB small external portable hard drive last year, it worked fine, but now there is only like 175 GB free space left so almost all my stuff is in there.
Now when i plugged it in, i hear a "krick, krick" sound.
the light usually stays on, but now it goes on and off during the reading of my 1 TB hard drive.
it is sometimes able to read and other times it takes 5 min and sometimes i laptop won't be able to detect it, so i have to unplug it and replug it, and sometimes it works,
if that doesn't work i have to put it side ways than it might work.

What is wrong with my external drive ?
How can i fix it ?
and how can i prevent this from happening in the future ?

Answer
Sounds like there is physical damage to your drive, take it to a service and repair shop or if the warranty is still vaild then send it to the manufactures for repairs.

Make sure there is adequate power supplied to the drive if it uses and external power source, use your external HD only when required, don't plugged it in all day.

I suggest you better backup whatever is there in your drive before it goes completely kaput!

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Looking to buy a slick external hard drive for Macbook Pro?

portable hard drive future shop image

Adia

I'm looking to buy an external hard drive for my macbook pro. I'd like to keep it in the $100 dollar-ish range, and I'd also like it to be reasonably small- I don't want a huge thing because I have limited desk space. It must be mac compatible- some aren't. I've been looking around on the Future Shop and Best Buy websites, but there are an overwhelming amount of them available and I just don't know where to start.

Any recommendations? I need a reasonable amount of diskspace too- my internal hard drive is pretty cluttered atm. I'm thinking 320-500 gigs.

Thanks!

Answer
The small portable external hard drives that are only powered by your USB port are not nearly as nice as the ones that are a bit larger and have there own power. The larger ones run much quicker. I would recommend buying one with a power cord. As for which one, most all of the market are great right now. I just would not go out and pay for the lowest base price one, look for sales of the nicer version and you can get a great deal. If you can wait till after Thanksgiving, they are on HUGE sales. I bought a 500 GB one from Target for $45 normally $150. Hope this helps!

JORDAN

whats wrong with my hard drive and how can i fix it ?

Damian

i bought a 1 TB small external portable hard drive last year, it worked fine, but now there is only like 175 GB free space left so almost all my stuff is in there.
Now when i plugged it in, i hear a "krick, krick" sound.
the light usually stays on, but now it goes on and off during the reading of my 1 TB hard drive.
it is sometimes able to read and other times it takes 5 min and sometimes i laptop won't be able to detect it, so i have to unplug it and replug it, and sometimes it works,
if that doesn't work i have to put it side ways than it might work.

What is wrong with my external drive ?
How can i fix it ?
and how can i prevent this from happening in the future ?

Answer
Sounds like there is physical damage to your drive, take it to a service and repair shop or if the warranty is still vaild then send it to the manufactures for repairs.

Make sure there is adequate power supplied to the drive if it uses and external power source, use your external HD only when required, don't plugged it in all day.

I suggest you better backup whatever is there in your drive before it goes completely kaput!

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One white pixel in the middle of my laptop screen?

portable hard drive future shop image

University

I have a Samsung laptop I bought brand new in November, about 6 months ago.

I am just noticing a white pixel in the middle of the screen. It's really annoying. Are there any techniques to get rid of it? I'd rather not return it if I can avoid it, and I don't know if they'd even accept the return for one pixel. I bought it from Future Shop.

Thanks for all advice!

Answer
I used to work for a big name computer company & usually received a lot of call regarding your issue.
That's what you call a dead pixel & no amount of rubbing would be able to get it out.
Your computer is still in warranty, but it takes a certain number of dead pixels before you can ship the computer in for Depot Repair.

I would suggest you call Samsung's Consumer Electronics support hotline number: 1800-SAMSUNG, & ask about how you go on about sending your laptop for repair.
Make sure to write down the name of the person who'll take your call.

FYI, which ever country your call will be routed to, please be patient & polite to the person who will take your call. After all, you are the one calling them for assistance with whatever issue you are having with your portable computer. Make sure to speak your name clearly (spell it, if need be) & provide all the info needed & asked for. They are trained professionals for handling simple matters, so I believe they should be able to assist you w/ any issue as long as IT IS WITHIN THEIR SCOPE OF SUPPORT. It depends on the company but be cooperative because these phone technicians have a specific handle time to be able to resolve the issue of a caller, so please do not be a jerk. Listen carefully to their instructions & follow it, because IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW MORE, then WHY CALL FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Best time to call, after midnight Pacific Time.

Make sure to back-up all your pictures, files & important documents on your computer on an external Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive, b'coz if you send your computer in for repair, they will erase all the data in it & restore it back to factory settings just like when you first got it out of the box.

Additional info, read on:
A brand new computer's battery comes w/ a Standard 1yr Limited Warranty w/c means the expected life time of battery is only 1 year. Same thing goes for the charger.
So, if you don't know how to take care of it, it will die out on you sooner than than expected.

FYI: I always tell my customers, a laptop's battery is similar to a cell phone's. You charge it when it's depleted & you unplug the adapter when it is already fully charge (this will prevent the battery from getting overcharged & extend the life of the battery). So for less hassle, I always advice my customers to JUST REMOVE THE BATTERY IF THEY PLAN TO USE THE COMPUTER FOR LONG HOURS STRAIGHT (more than 1 hour) and just run it on AC power alone so as not to overcharge it & shorten the battery life.
ONLY USE THE BATTERY FOR PORTABILITY, if you need to go on a trip or you're at McDonalds or Starbucks.

For chargers, make sure you don't stretch out the cable too much that the one by the power jack that you plug into the side of the computer gets bent. Make sure this part is always straight or else the copper wires inside will break & soon you'll have the problem of the charger not working anymore like what happened to some of my callers.

What's the best way to back up info on your computer?

ezrprofit

Should I buy an external hard drive or is there a place you can save your info into cyber space? Oh... is saving your hard drive into cyber-space safe if you can do this?

Answer
yes it always easy and inexpensive to store data in external storage device but there is every chance of loss of damage during natural calamities, human mistakes etc..
if u wanna buy go for maxtor one touch series

when it comes online do not worry abt safety of data with below mentioned :



Here's a look at five major online backup services, including annual service fees.

@Backup. The service offers eight plans, geared toward consumers and small businesses with minimal storage requirements. I've used @Backup and found it to be reliable and its Windows Explorer-inspired interface easy to use. But its rates are higher than most. Plans begin at $50 for 50MB and top out at $995 for 2GB.

DataProtector. Connected's online backup and recovery service, for small businesses and home users, includes patented technology that prevents duplicate copies of files on your hard drive from being backed up online, according to the company. For example, if you have inadvertently stored a file in two folders, and you've selected both folders for backup, DataProtector will back up that file only once, which saves storage space and time, the company claims. (I haven't tested this service.) Plans begin at $80 for 250MB and go up to $800 for 30GB.

IBackup. Pro-Softnet's service is for consumers and small businesses who want lots of options to choose from. IBackup offers 21 different plans, including workgroup subscription options that provide online storage and file sharing for a "large number of users," the company says. Unlike most services, IBackup lets you choose your backup interface. You can download a desktop backup utility, for instance, or handle everything entirely through a Web browser. I've used IBackup, and I like the many options it provides and its competitive rates. Plans start at $30 for 50MB and max out at $8640 for 100GB.

Iomega IStorage Online. This service lets you download files backed up online to a wireless Palm OS or BlackBerry device, as well as to a computer. Its five online backup plans include the ability to securely share files with others, the company says. (I've not tested IStorage). Plans begin at $25 for 50MB and go to $180 for 1GB.

Xdrive. This service offers just two online backup plans, which include file sharing--but its rates are among the best I've seen. I haven't tried Xdrive, but because of its compelling rates, I plan to. I'll report my experiences in a future newsletter. Plans are $119 for 5GB and 10GB for $239.
Netting It Out

As you can see, online storage is pricey. For instance, if you bought a Maxtor OneTouch 300GB external hard drive for $296, your one-time cost would be 99 cents per gigabyte. However, if you backed up just 2GB of data to IBackup, you'd pay $162 per gigabyte.

What to do? Here's what I suggest.

Protect Critical Files. Some people say "Remember the Alamo." I say, "Remember Kim Novak." Back up at least your most critical files online. If for no other reason, you may find yourself on a business trip without a file you need. If you backed up the file online, no problem--just go on the Internet and get it. And be sure to back up those files every business day. Because online backup