- 1. Upcoming Event: Data Recovery Seminar
- 2. Platter Damage
- 3. Product Comparison: Craftsman vs. WIHA Tools
- 4. HDD Storage Management for Data Recovery Businesses
- 5. Who We Are
Ji2 Inc.
11235 S. Knott Avenue, Suite C
Cypress, CA 90630
Blog:
http://ji2.com/blog
E-mail: info@ji2.com
Phone: 562-597-1482
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday
9:00 - 5:00 PM (PST)
Free Consultation and Diagnosis
Free one-way UPS Ground Shipping
Free password removal for any drive that we perform service on
10% Off* Any Data Recovery Service Performed
(*10% Off Promotion good until 2/28/08 only)
Upcoming Event: Ji2 Data Recovery Seminar
Ji2 will be holding a hands-on, in depth, 3 day data recovery seminar April 8-10 in Cypress, California. The seminar will focus on in-depth Atola Insight use and general data recovery procedures, plus an introduction to clean room and HDD disassembly and physical repair work.
Event brochure: http://ji2.com/DR_Seminar_Flyer.pdf
For more information and pricing, please contact us at info@ji2.com .
Platter Damage
Unfortunately when you work in the data recovery field, more often than not there are cases that are seemingly un-recoverable. There are countless variables involved in determining if a drive is un-recoverable, some much more obvious then others. The most obvious sign that a drive is not recoverable is platter damage.
What is platter damage?Platter damage occurs when a mechanical failure, physical shock, or foreign material breaches the casing within the hard disk, and the media surface (platters) sustains physical damage
Common causes of platter damage include:
- Head crash caused by moving or dropping the drive while it is performing an operation
- Dropping the hard disk from nearly any height (even a few inches)
- Spilling liquid on the hard disk or notebook (liquid will seep through and get to the HDD)
- Using the drive over it's MTBF (mean time between failure) typically ~3 years
- Head crash caused by powering off the computer or drive while it is performing an operation
At this point in time there is not very much a data recovery technician can do about platter damage; the material that coats the platter is extremely complex and difficult to duplicate, especially because every manufacturer produces different coating, and also the coating changes often. Even if you could duplicate the coating solution filling in the damaged space would require a device with precision down to the micron.
What can the user do to prevent further damage?Most platter damage is mild, and is only made fatal when the user continues to tinker with the drive after the head crash has occurred. If your drive begins to make strange sounds, we recommended that you:
- Stop any copying or deleting that you are doing
- Turn the computer or drive off immediately
- Contact a data recovery expert
- Store the drive safely until you can have it properly diagnosed
Please visit our blog later this month, when we will have more information about platter damage.
http://www.ji2.com/blog
Data Recovery Tool Comparison:
Craftsman versus WIHA Screwdrivers
| Value | Craftsman: These craftsman screwdrivers come in a 24pc set for $49.99, 10pc set for ~$24.99, or singular for ~$3.99. Sounds like a great deal - but don't be fooled. They snap with even a very slight amount of pressure, the casing is cheap plastic that is not much stronger then your average ink pen. WIHA: WIHA tools make some quality tools, but they do come at a price. Expect to pay ~$5 per screwdriver for the "precision series", and ~$7.40 for the "ESD dissipative series" the ESD series is identical to the precision, but with modified materials that alleviate the chance of static build up on the driver. While these drivers are pricey (~$300 USD for all of the possible drivers you would need for data recovery) |
| Reliability | Craftsman: Don't count on these drivers for much; factory sealed hard drives have machine tight screws that are going to require some force to open. I have limited success with these tools. I always have to be careful with the way the force is applied or it will surely snap. WIHA: The ESD series is crucial to data recovery; ESD can damage the internal components of the HDA without you even knowing it occurred. Having the extra safety precautions, including these types of tools likely saves data recovery firms thousands of dollars in failed recoveries every year. |
| Usability | Craftsman: They do have the free-moving cap at the top, which allows you to more easily spin the screwdriver once the screws have been loosened. The design is comfortable, until the driver undoubtedly breaks. WIHA: These tools are available in a soft-grip ergonomically design which of course comes at an extra cost, but obviously is important if you are experiencing RSI symptoms, and want something that will help reduce your chance of further injury. Otherwise these screwdrivers have all of the usual, a cap on the top to allow easy turning. |
| Performance | Craftsman: If you are able to use these without breaking them, they get the job done well. If you are performing work that is on a deadline, getting the casing for an external drive apart quickly can be crucial. With these weak tools, you must slow down to a crawl to make sure you don't break it, which is when these screwdrivers fail. WIHA: There are only so many areas to look at in determining a screwdrivers performance. The first is durability. Hand wounds are not on a users list of desired features, and these drivers do a wonderful job of making sure you work day does not include a trip to the medical cabinet. I was unable to break one of these with anything less then unnecessary force. |
| Overall | Craftsman: Not recommended. These tools are easily broken and not reliable. Hopefully Craftsman catches this one and begins to produce higher quality products. WIHA: The only good reason to not pick these tools up for data recovery is the price, but even the small tools are not good to go cheap on, making sure that your clean room technician are using ESD safe tools is imperative to keeping a high success rate in the clean room. |
| Ji2 Pick | WIHA Tools |
HDD Storage Management Procedure for Data Recovery
When starting up a data recovery business it is important to keep track of your HDD inventory. You will need to purchase or create a database that can track your inventory, and the parts that you have used out of each donor or original hard drive, plus be able to access all this detailed information easily.
Tools and items needed- Database application
- Barcode scanner
- Label maker
- ESD/weather safe storage containers
- ESD safe partitioning material
- PC (for utilizing the database)
HDDs are fairly simple to inventory. All hard drives have a serial number which is completely unique to that drive. So it is highly recommended that you use this number to catalog the drives, and then allow other various search options on your database.
Fields you will want to include:- Brand
- Model
- Interface
- Capacity
An optional addition to your database would be to add special search fields based on brand. Each manufacturer uses different codes to identify changes in the manufacturing process. Therefore, your need special fields for each brand to help narrow your search for compatible parts. This will improve the efficiency of your database greatly.
Who We Are
Ji2 has been a major player in the data recovery industry for years with a strong background in hard drive testing, duplication, wiping, repairing, imaging, and diagnostics, as well providing successful data recovery services to customers from all over the United States
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