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When Software Cant Help: SSD, Cloud and Online Services
In the first part of the article, we took a look at programs for recovering data from traditional hard drives. In this second part of the series “When Software Cant Help” well talk about flash-based (solid-state) storage, cloud storage systems and online storage services.
Solid-State Drives (SSD)
Solid-state drives are often used in place of traditional hard disks. SSD drives offer smaller capacities but much higher speed, especially when random access speed is concerned. With no moving parts, SSD drives are more robust mechanically. They can withstand higher shocks, which makes them particularly great for portable applications. Another laptop-friendly feature is a much lower power consumption compared to magnetic hard drives.
SSD drives do come with their share of issues affecting data loss and data recovery situations. These issues are highly dependent on the ways SSD drives record information. With SSD drives, recovering a file deleted a few minutes ago is far from a given. Same goes for formatted disks; however surprisingly, corrupted SSDs may be recovered just as well as traditional hard drives. But lets elaborate.
Why Recovering Deleted Files from SSD Drives May Not Work
All fairly recent SSD drives implement a special set of procedures allowing them to optimize their writing performance. These procedures include background garbage collection and TRIM.
Why do SSD drives need garbage collections and magnetic hard disks dont? Because flash chips have much faster clear writes compared to erase-then-write times. In other words, flash cells that contain information need to be erased (emptied) before new information can be written in, and that erase process is very slow compared to plain write operation. In order to speed up the writes, solid-state disks erase flash cells occupied with deleted information in background. When the system needs to write anything on the disk, the write operation then has enough empty cells to complete quickly.
How does the disk know a particular sector becomes available? The operating system tells the drive via the TRIM command. The TRIM command is issued every time the system deletes a file or formats a volume. The drive will then add released sectors into the garbage collection queue, wiping their content with zeroes slowly but inevitably.
Remember why data recovery works? Windows itself does not wipe or erase the content of a file being deleted, but simply marks its disk space available. Well, this is not the case with SSD drives anymore: SSD drives will wipe available disk sectors in just a few minutes after a file is deleted.
When SSDs Can Be Recovered
SSD recovery may still work if the TRIM command was not issued. This could be the case if any one (or more) of the following is true:
Old version of Windows. Windows versions before Vista did not support TRIM, so SSDs behave pretty much like magnetic hard drives, and can be recovered.
Corrupted data. In a case of corrupted data, damaged file system and similar things, the TRIM command is not issued, and the files remain recoverable.
External SSD drive. SSD drives connected via a USB, FireWire or Ethernet port do not support the TRIM command, and can be recovered with data recovery software.
RAID arrays. TRIM is not supported in RAID configurations.
File system other than NTFS. At this time, Windows only supports TRIM on NTFS-formatted SSD drives. If your SSD drive uses a different file system, the TRIM command is not issued, and the drive remains recoverable.
Tools for Recovering Data from SSD Drives
In order to recover information from an SSD drive, you can use data recovery tools such as Hetman Uneraser, Hetman Partition Recovery, or Hetman Photo Recovery depending on your exact needs. Try Hetman Uneraser if youre recovering from a healthy drive that has not been formatted or repartitioned. If you did format or repartition your SSD drive, or if you have an inaccessible device with corrupted file system, use Hetman Partition Recovery.
Cloud Storage and Online Services
Cloud storage systems are gaining popularity among all kinds of users. Online backups, online photo albums (Flickr, Picasa), online file sharing and online document processing (Google Docs) are all over the place.
They are great as “Desktop”, “Mobile phone” or “My Documents” backups, perfect as redundant storage, and absolutely irreplaceable for sharing information and socializing. However, cloud storage systems are not exactly great as your primary storage. In other words, if you want to replace a big hard drive with an Amazon cloud storage account take a second look.
Granted, cloud storage systems are not susceptible (or much less susceptible than single-hard-drive solutions) to hardware faults and virus attacks. They are usually quite redundant and have excellent self-backup facilities. Your data may be safe there for a while.
Relying exclusively onto a cloud-based storage means giving up complete control over your information. Your data will be subject to someone elses policies (which may change without notice). The amount of storage space available may be limited, while plans allowing larger than a single hard drives worth storage space may cost you more than the cost of a similarly sized hard drive, per month.
Finally, if you delete a file, or if your entire account is compromised and wiped by a hacker, there is no recourse. No data recovery tool can restore deleted information from the cloud. This is a classical case where data recovery tools do not help.
The Best Budget Hosting for All Your Needs
If you were thinking of trying your hand at blogging to attempt to generate an e-based income you will need to acquire budget hosting solutions first in order to do so. Without a budget hosting account and a domain name for your blog site you may find yourself over budget and unable to afford your hosting fees. One should definitely take the time to educate themselves on the wide variety of web hosting solutions and what they could be missing out on by acquiring a more affordable web host.
The more costly and service filled web hosting available to you today is known as dedicated website hosting. This is a very high priced hosting solution typically used by large e-commerce sites. This is due to the security provided by renting your own private server. With monthly fees as high as $150 this is definitely not a low cost or budget hosting solution for those of us looking to save a little money on hosting.
The next website hosting service down the line can be considered budget hosting. This depends directly on your overall budget though. This type of hosting solution is known as VPS (virtual private server) hosting and is so called because it is a shared partitioned server which creates a virtual private space for your website. And while you may not have the whole server to yourself it will still offer you the same basic features as a dedicated hosting package without the budget wrecking monthly fees.
The best thing about a VPS hosting package is the similarities to dedicated hosting with budget hosting plans starting at less than $10 a month. As your website or blog grows in popularity and traffic you can expand tour VPS services to as high as $100 a month to help accommodate this new growth. This is how VPS hosting can allow you to shrink your overhead while expanding your profit margins and hosting account accordingly.
And last but not least, we find ourselves looking toward the cheapest available hosting solution you can find today. This is the budget hosting solution employed by most bloggers today. It is known as shared website hosting and is so called due to the fact that your website shares a server with multiple other websites being hosted on the same server. You may however find it is less secure and has a greater chance of downtime than dedicated or VPS hosting does. While many argue that shared web hosting is less secure, it is simply a more affordable hosting solution for your budget to bare.
You can find these shared web hosting solutions for as little as $3-$20 a month in many cases. This is dependent entirely on the level of service you choose from the website hosting firm you decide upon. The higher cost shared hosting packages do offer you an increased level of security and the ability to host more domain names to boot!
And if you like many of us these days are on a budget, you want to be sure your blog hosting solutions are the best they can be for the price you can afford. Listed below are five helpful tips to help guide you through the process of finding the best budget hosting for your blog or e-commerce website. As a blogger your success is dependent on a budget web host with reliable services, and a low overhead is a solid business strategy for any online business.
The Top Five Tips for Finding Budget Hosting Packages
1. Make and stick to an attainable budget
The most important thing to account for is the amount you can afford to dedicate to your monthly hosting budget. Keep in mind that you will have to pay around $12 for your domain name for the first year and may even need to spend a little on some design and creation tools for your web site. And be very sure of what you think you can part with monthly for your hosting package before you go any further.
2. Find a top hosting firms comparison list for reference material
There is definitely no lacking of websites dedicated to showcasing the top ten web hosting firms in their opinion. These types of websites can be a valuable resource in your search for budget hosting solutions for your blog. The top hosting firms are usually the most capable of rendering high quality services with a minimal impact on your budget. And though it may be a cheap hosting service it will still be a viable and reliable solution for your blog.
3. Narrow the scope of your search through review sites
Different web hosting reviews are usually found on the same sites as top 10 hosting comparison sites. Top 10 hosting reviews can make all the difference in your quest for hosting solutions for your blog. You should take the time to read multiple reviews to become more familiar with what is offered in the different types of hosting offer the end user. These are a few of the more reputable and reliable hosting reviews today: BlueHost review, JustHost review, GreenGeeks hosting review, FatCow review, HostMonster review, iPage review, and InMotion hosting review.
4. Put the customer support to the test
Customer support should be rapid, reliable and readily available. These are all the hallmarks of a reliable web host with quality web servers. The support test should also be reserved for the few firms you find to be the most appealing and affordable. This will assist you in deciding which hosting firm offers the best budget hosting for your particular needs and requirements.
5. A side by side comparison says it all
After assuring the support meets your quality requirements you may only be left with one or two firms to choose from. And now that you have all of the costs, web reviews, benefits and features in one place you can compare them side by side. A side by side comparison of these features and options can help you separate the viable hosting firms from the less than desirable firms.
The Final Approach To Budget Hosting
If in fact you are dead set on blogging and want to be sure you have a solid business foundation then it is recommended you acquire a VPS hosting plan from the start. You could start out with the lower cost, $10 a month budget hosting package and grow your hosting plan as your website or blog grows in popularity. This is one of the best options for those of us who wish for or expect rapid growth and want to be able to maintain our blog through it all.
Ultimately, if you feel you will not outgrow your shared hosting account then you may do just fine with a shared hosting account. You will want to be sure however, that the shared hosting plan you choose allows you to host unlimited domain names as well as a little more security than the rest of the web hosts out there.
While choosing the right hosting solutions for your budget may not be easy, it will definitely be worth the time you spent researching. And to insure your success, be sure to avoid the entanglements found in the world of free web hosting and get the solutions your budget can afford. So be sure to use these tips and guidelines when you seek out budget hosting solutions for your blog or website.
The Best Budget Hosting for All Your Needs
If you were thinking of trying your hand at blogging to attempt to generate an e-based income you will need to acquire budget hosting solutions first in order to do so. Without a budget hosting account and a domain name for your blog site you may find yourself over budget and unable to afford your hosting fees. One should definitely take the time to educate themselves on the wide variety of web hosting solutions and what they could be missing out on by acquiring a more affordable web host.
The more costly and service filled web hosting available to you today is known as dedicated website hosting. This is a very high priced hosting solution typically used by large e-commerce sites. This is due to the security provided by renting your own private server. With monthly fees as high as $150 this is definitely not a low cost or budget hosting solution for those of us looking to save a little money on hosting.
The next website hosting service down the line can be considered budget hosting. This depends directly on your overall budget though. This type of hosting solution is known as VPS (virtual private server) hosting and is so called because it is a shared partitioned server which creates a virtual private space for your website. And while you may not have the whole server to yourself it will still offer you the same basic features as a dedicated hosting package without the budget wrecking monthly fees.
The best thing about a VPS hosting package is the similarities to dedicated hosting with budget hosting plans starting at less than $10 a month. As your website or blog grows in popularity and traffic you can expand tour VPS services to as high as $100 a month to help accommodate this new growth. This is how VPS hosting can allow you to shrink your overhead while expanding your profit margins and hosting account accordingly.
And last but not least, we find ourselves looking toward the cheapest available hosting solution you can find today. This is the budget hosting solution employed by most bloggers today. It is known as shared website hosting and is so called due to the fact that your website shares a server with multiple other websites being hosted on the same server. You may however find it is less secure and has a greater chance of downtime than dedicated or VPS hosting does. While many argue that shared web hosting is less secure, it is simply a more affordable hosting solution for your budget to bare.
You can find these shared web hosting solutions for as little as $3-$20 a month in many cases. This is dependent entirely on the level of service you choose from the website hosting firm you decide upon. The higher cost shared hosting packages do offer you an increased level of security and the ability to host more domain names to boot!
And if you like many of us these days are on a budget, you want to be sure your blog hosting solutions are the best they can be for the price you can afford. Listed below are five helpful tips to help guide you through the process of finding the best budget hosting for your blog or e-commerce website. As a blogger your success is dependent on a budget web host with reliable services, and a low overhead is a solid business strategy for any online business.
The Top Five Tips for Finding Budget Hosting Packages
1. Make and stick to an attainable budget
The most important thing to account for is the amount you can afford to dedicate to your monthly hosting budget. Keep in mind that you will have to pay around $12 for your domain name for the first year and may even need to spend a little on some design and creation tools for your web site. And be very sure of what you think you can part with monthly for your hosting package before you go any further.
2. Find a top hosting firms comparison list for reference material
There is definitely no lacking of websites dedicated to showcasing the top ten web hosting firms in their opinion. These types of websites can be a valuable resource in your search for budget hosting solutions for your blog. The top hosting firms are usually the most capable of rendering high quality services with a minimal impact on your budget. And though it may be a cheap hosting service it will still be a viable and reliable solution for your blog.
3. Narrow the scope of your search through review sites
Different web hosting reviews are usually found on the same sites as top 10 hosting comparison sites. Top 10 hosting reviews can make all the difference in your quest for hosting solutions for your blog. You should take the time to read multiple reviews to become more familiar with what is offered in the different types of hosting offer the end user. These are a few of the more reputable and reliable hosting reviews today: BlueHost review, JustHost review, GreenGeeks hosting review, FatCow review, HostMonster review, iPage review, and InMotion hosting review.
4. Put the customer support to the test
Customer support should be rapid, reliable and readily available. These are all the hallmarks of a reliable web host with quality web servers. The support test should also be reserved for the few firms you find to be the most appealing and affordable. This will assist you in deciding which hosting firm offers the best budget hosting for your particular needs and requirements.
5. A side by side comparison says it all
After assuring the support meets your quality requirements you may only be left with one or two firms to choose from. And now that you have all of the costs, web reviews, benefits and features in one place you can compare them side by side. A side by side comparison of these features and options can help you separate the viable hosting firms from the less than desirable firms.
The Final Approach To Budget Hosting
If in fact you are dead set on blogging and want to be sure you have a solid business foundation then it is recommended you acquire a VPS hosting plan from the start. You could start out with the lower cost, $10 a month budget hosting package and grow your hosting plan as your website or blog grows in popularity. This is one of the best options for those of us who wish for or expect rapid growth and want to be able to maintain our blog through it all.
Ultimately, if you feel you will not outgrow your shared hosting account then you may do just fine with a shared hosting account. You will want to be sure however, that the shared hosting plan you choose allows you to host unlimited domain names as well as a little more security than the rest of the web hosts out there.
While choosing the right hosting solutions for your budget may not be easy, it will definitely be worth the time you spent researching. And to insure your success, be sure to avoid the entanglements found in the world of free web hosting and get the solutions your budget can afford. So be sure to use these tips and guidelines when you seek out budget hosting solutions for your blog or website.