Hard Disk Repair | DataRecoveryUnion.com

As we know, both PC3000 and HRT are professional hard drive repair tools. Before we decide to buy one of them, here are some useful views for us.

Hello Everyone, I am still new to the industry and have a question in regards to Software/Hardware complex products. I recently called Ace Labs and got a quote for the PC3000 pci. It was more then I expected! I know PC3000 is great to Re-flash Firmware, repair Firmware.I also know it can be used for ATA Master password recovery. But I was not able to find a manual, which references all of PC 3000’s functionality. I have also looked at HRT 3.0. I was able to download the English manual to look at the GUI and some of it’s functionality. I did not see anything mentioning that the HRT can repair Firmware corruption. Does it have this ability? I did notice that HRT 3.0 has the ability to read from each Head separately can PC3000 do this as well? I could not find a HRT 3.0 distributor outside of Russia, what would be the best place to purchase and how many $$$. What is the functional difference between PC3000 and HRT 3.0? What is the price difference? I have found HRT on EBay, is there a way to distinguish the real version from Chinese copy? What is your experience with either product?

Personally I wouldn’t recommend HRT to anyone (I believe it is crap and cannot be used in a DR business. You will have zero support, and you have to be rather a firmware engineer than a DR tech to operate it). As far as i know, there are indeed no distributors outside of Russia, and some people say they receive no reply when they even ask for a quote (not to mention the product support). Pc3000 isn’t perfect as well, but at least it is possible to use it. Data extractor (an Acelab product) can read from each head separately (as far as I know).

thank you for your opinion. I guess then It’s PC3000 or the highway Do you use PC3000? AceLabs stated that it is dificult to use PC3000 and they wanted to sell me additional training. Since I can’t seam to find a manual online, it’s hard for me to say if It is difficult to use or not, what is your opinion? I would say I have intermediate HD and DR knowledge as well as Expert IT knowledge and some knowledge in Programming. I belive I should be able to figure most of the stuff out myself, but again, I don’t know If PC3000 is all Windos GUI based program or if commandline and some sort of scripting is required. Thanks again

PC3000 is a GUI program but coded pretty badly. It is very hard to use it. I’ve never used it (I am only using my own software ) but seen lots of people who are using it and struggling… In other words it does have a GUI but the problem is that AceLab did not understand clearly what the GUI should be used for So yes, it is hard to use it. It does not matter what are your skills unless you have skills recovering the system area. Therefore some basic training would be useful…

The manuals that come with the PC3000 are actually quite good (translations aside) .. AceLAbs don’t presume to know everything about every hard drive ever manufactured and they’re not afraid to admit that. But this card works very well.The difficulty in using it is no different to using any other NEW APPLICATION for the first time. I’m still having trouble with MS Acess!The GUI is difficult the first few times but practice makes perfect – especially if you are working on similar HDD.

I use PC3000, and I use Data Extractor very very often. I have never used HRT but am considering the Data Recovery edition ( http://www.bvg-group.ru/eng/diagnostic/HRT_DRE.php). this does not seem to have any repair utilities just recovery and seems very similar to Data Extractor. It has a similar interface, and supports HFS and EXT filesystems has built in partition and translator editors, is able to mount a failing disk to use with standard software. I have got a quote for 3000 USD, but this seems a little expensive. Anybody have any experience with this at all?

If you have any other views, please feel free to share it with us.

Hard Disk Repair

How To Fix Hard Drive with built-in Hard Drive Utility

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM15 years ago4 years ago014 mins

Before you start to fix a hard drive, make sure you have an up-to-date backup. After that, let us do some simple diagnostics and repairs. Both Windows and Mac OS come with built-in hard-drive utility that scans your hard disk for errors and attempts to fix them.

Fix Bad Sectors on a Hard Drive

For Windows
1. Double-click on My Computer to open the My Computer window.
2. Select the Drive that you want to diagnose and repair.
3. Choose Properties from the File menu. You should see the Properties window for the drive that you selected.
4. Choose the Tools tab.
5. Click the Check Now button under Error Checking Status.
6. Depending on your version of Windows, choose either “Thorough” or “Scan for and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors.”
7. Click on Start

Fix Hard Drive Crash

Computer hard Drives may fail or crash. One of the common causes is a computer virus, it may have corrupted or broken your computer system. Here is a way to fix a hard Drive that has crashed.

1. Look for tell-tale signs that your computer is about to crash or fail. Extreme slowness, repeated blue screen and noise or clicking are sometimes signs that your computer hard drive is about to crash. When you hear the sound of clicking, scraping or grinding, immediately turn off or shut down your computer. Doing so will prevent any loss of data.

2. Power down and then power up. Sometimes, hard drive crashes can be easily recovered by doing a power shutdown of the computer. Then, after waiting for a couple of minutes, power it back up again. The initial hard drive crash may not be too serious, but if it happens often, start performing a full system backup, if you haven’t been doing so, to be able to recover your data should the inevitable happen.

3. Ensure that your hard drive and other internal components are seated properly. If Steps 1 and 2 do not work, you may need to open your computer’s CPU to check on some of the drive connections. Sometimes connections get dislodged, especially if you move your computer box often. The symptom will manifest as if the hard drive has crashed, giving you a “Drive error” when you try to boot up your computer. First, turn off your computer and unplug it. Then remove the case of your computer box. Press on each connector to connect it properly. Put the cover back again, plug the computer and power it back up.

4. Insert your boot disc and try to boot up your computer using the disc. Once you are able to do so, you can reinstall your operating system. After installing your software, proceed to perform data recovery using your ghost CD or backup.

5. Use an emergency repair disc to get your computer to work again. Then restore from the last known good configuration.

6. Reinstall your operating system using the installation or system restore CD that came with your computer when you first purchased it. It will take you through a series of steps that include formatting your hard drive, which will then erase your data. Do this as a last resort.

7. Recover your data by using a restore and recovery software or using your most recent backup after you have reinstalled the operating system in the previous step.

8. Reinstall your applications that did not come with your computer when you bought it. Some examples would be Adobe Photoshop, anti-virus software and movie-making software.

Fix Locked Up Hard Drives

A hard Drive is a computer storage device that manages and organizes computer data from the actual CPU. The hard Drive also stores all critical system data required for a computer to startup. Without a hard Drive, a computer cannot function. Fixing a locked up hard drive that prevents a computer from functioning is an important aspect of computer maintenance and repair.

1. Check that the computer hardware is plugged into a reliable power source. Turn on the computer.

2. Hold down the “F2” key on your keyboard if you’re using the Microsoft Windows operating system. If using the Mac operating system, hold down “Option-Command-Shift-Delete” on your keyboard.

3. Use your keyboard’s arrow keys to select “BIOS Setup Menu” in the screen that appears (Windows OS). If using a Mac, wait for the startup bypass process to finish and use your keyboard’s arrow keys to select a primary startup volume.

4. Select “Hard Drive Priority” in your Windows BIOS system, or your main hard drive in the Mac operating system.

5. Check that your boot hard drive is listed on the top of the boot-up list (applicable in both PCs and Macs). In Windows, continue further by selecting the “Disable Hard Drive Auto-lock” option in the BIOS system screen.

6. Save and exit, allowing the operating system to boot-up. This will clear any system errors causing the wrong hard drive to lock up.

Fix an External Hard Drive

As with any piece of electronic equipment, plenty of things can go wrong with an external hard drive. There are two types of problems: hardware and software. Hardware problems are physical flaws that prevent the Drives from spinning and accessing data. Software problems are digital mixups that make retrieving data more difficult.

1. Figure out whether you need a hardware or software fix. Look for grinding sounds from your drive or humming that starts or stops. These are signs that the actuator arm and discs are no longer in alignment and your drive is timing out. If it seems as though nothing is wrong with your hard drive, it’s probably time for a software fix.

2. Run one of the many software fixes, if you think the problem is related to software. These programs feature on-screen directions, making it easy for you to progress through them. If this works, you don’t need to fix a physical problem.

3. Remove the many tiny screws that holds the drive together. Eventually, you’ll get to the innards of your drive. Be very careful not to bend or force a piece to go where it doesn’t want to.

4. Determine if you’ve set things straight. Look to see whether anything was loose inside your external hard drive. If you have recently dropped it or traveled with it, it is possible that something came loose. Also check that all the arms and platters are straight and do not appear bent in any way. If they are bent, straighten them with your hands or pliers.

5. Put everything back together and check that everything in your external hard drive is working properly.

6. Try using the external hard drive on another computer. Maybe your computer or USB port is the problem and needs replaced.

Fix a Physically Broken Hard Drive

Like cars, computer parts can give out when you need them most. The hard drive is one of the most important computer components. Luckily, it gives warning signs before a complete crash. “Bad Sector” or “Read/Write Errors” warn that the hard drive is failing. It is important to back up your important data at least once a week.

The hard Drive Makes No Noise, or Powers on and Makes a Grinding Noise
1. Open the computer and remove the hard drive. Find and remove the drive’s logic board. Inspect the area underneath the board. Look for signs of other damage.

2. Replace the board with the logic board from an identical working hard drive. If you find more damaged areas, just replace the entire hard drive.

3. Test the repaired drive.

The Hard Drive Powers on and Then Goes Silent
1. Separate the logic board from the hard drive. Ground the hard drive to an electrostatic point.

2. Replace the logic board and re-install the hard drive.

3. Boot the hard drive. If successful, immediately back up all data. Disk utilities, like ScanDisk, can move data from bad sectors to undamaged areas. This is only a temporary solution-the drive will fail again.

4. If the drive does not boot, you will need to make it a secondary drive in a different computer. Change the jumpers from “master” to “slave” position. Use Data Recovery Software to transfer your data.

Useful Tools:
1. Free Disk Image/Backup Software
2. Hard drive diagnostic software
3. Free file and disk Utilities
4. Disk Repair Tools
5. Data Recovery Softwares

Hard Disk Repair

Disk Image Tool: DeepSpar Disk Imager

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM15 years ago3 years ago27 mins

What is DeepSpar Disk Imager?
DeepSpar Disk Imager is a disk imaging tool built to solve disk-level problems and to recover bad sectors on a hard drive.

Main Features of DeepSpar Disk Imager:

DeepSpar Disk Imager is able to retrieve up to 90 percent of bad sectors that are partially corrupted and cannot be cloned/imaged by ordinary means.
While system software, such as BIOS or OS, tries to prevent you from retrieving and copying corrupted data, DeepSpar Disk Imager bypasses it to give you access to all available data, good and bad.
Special vendor-specific ATA commands are used that pre-configure the hard drive for imaging, reduce the number of read operations and the intensity of the operations, which causes disk degradation.
DeepSpar Disk Imager reduces the time it takes to image a disk with bad sectors, doing in hours what could take days or even weeks with ordinary clone/image tools.
Failing hard drives are imaged with care and intelligence, using as few passes as possible to get the most information.
Stop and continue imaging as needed – configuration information together with the map of good/bad/unprocessed sectors are saved on the destination drive, so whenever you stop you will have the read status of each imaged sector.
The imaging hardware automatically resets/reboots drives that become unresponsive to continue imaging process, so you don’t need to stand around watching and waiting for the entire system to be rebooted.
Real-time reporting gives you a window on the type and quality of data you’re imaging – while the process is still underway. You can even see the number and type of files or OS structure elements imaged so far.
You have total control over imaging parameters: single or multiple passes, read timeouts, retry attempts, bad sector retrieval (Error Correction Code (ECC) processing), selectable ATA read commands, and error-dependent imaging algorithm based on UNC/AMNF/IDNF/ABRT bad sectors or read/ready timeouts. This gives you ability to apply all possible methods to retrieve data from bad sectors of partially failed hard drives in multiple passes.
DeepSpar Disk Imager supports only selected ATA controllers, either add-on or onboard. This is required to bypass system software and work on a hardware-level to achieve maximum performance and reliability of the imaging process.

What is DeepSpar Disk Imager Forensic Edition?
DeepSpar Disk Imager Forensic Edition is a portable version of DeepSpar Disk Imager with addition of forensic-specific functionality.

Main Features of DeepSpar Disk Imager Forensic Edition?

DeepSpar Disk Imager makes an imaging process “visual”, so you see the read status of each retrieved sector (i.e. whether the sector is integral, partially corrupted or unreadable), what data is being imaged (i.e. whether you are imaging used or unused space of the drive), and what type of files you are imaging (i.e. Pictures, Microsoft Office files, executables, etc.)
Stop and continue imaging as needed – configuration information is saved on the destination drive, so you can just select “continue imaging” to continue from wherever you stopped.
The map of good/bad/unprocessed sectors is saved in HPA area of the destination drive, so you have integrity status of each sector of the image, which improves quality of the acquired data.
Special vendor-specific ATA commands are used to disable Auto-Relocation of bad sectors so that you retrieve data rather then lose it due to the fact that the drive modifies data by itself (remaps bad sectors). Read more about this process in our whitepaper “Disk Imaging: A Vital Step in Data Recovery”.

About DeepSpar:
DeepSpar is an Ottawa, Canada-based company dedicated to providing “serious gear for data recovery professionals”.

DeepSpar was founded on an exclusive partnership with ACE Laboratory Russia to market the PC-3000 family of products in North America.

Useful Links:

Read a data sheet on DeepSpar Disk Imager
Read a data sheet on DeepSpar Disk Imager Forensic Edition
Download a DeepSpar Disk Imager Demo Video
Download a DeepSpar Disk Imager Data Recovery Edition Demo Video
Read what clients say about DeepSpar Disk Imager
Read about the 3D Data Recovery Process
Read a white paper: “Disk Imaging: A Vital Step in Data Recovery“
Contact Deepspar to find out more about DeepSpar Disk Imager, Such as DeepSpar Price (Cost)

Hard Disk Repair

Low-level Hard Drive Diagnostics Freeware: MHDD

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM15 years ago4 years ago03 mins

MHDD is the most popular freeware application for low-level HDD diagnostics.

Interfaces Supported:
MHDD supports these interfaces: IDE, Serial ATA, SCSI. Also there is a possibility to access an USB storage, there are drivers for emulation (USB->SCSI).

What can MHDD do?
This software can make precise diagnostic of the mechanical part of a drive, view SMART attributes, perform Low-level format, bad sector repair, different tests and tens of other functions.

Platform:

· Intel Pentium or higher CPU
· 4 megabytes of RAM
· DR-DOS, MSDOS version 6.22 and higher
· Any boot device (USB, CDROM, FDD, HDD)
· A keyboard

IDE/SATA Controllers:

· Any integrated into motherboard north bridge (addresses: 0x1Fx for primary channel, 0x17x for secondary channel)
· PCI UDMA boards (detected automatically): HPT, Silicon Image, Promise, ITE, ATI and so on. Even some RAID boards are supported. In this case MHDD works with each physical drive separately
· UDMA/RAID controllers integrated into motherboard as additional chip

Hard disk drives:

· Any IDE or Serial-ATA drive with size bigger than 600Mbytes, in other words, LBA mode is supported in full.
· Any IDE or Serial-ATA drive with size lower than 8388607 TBytes, in other words, LBA48 mode is supported in full
· Any SCSI drive with sector size 512-528 bytes
· Any SCSI removable media such as tape, CDROM. Maximum sector size for such devices is 4096 bytes

What’s New in MHDD v4.6?

· Fixed rare hangs when working with slave device
· Fixed TOF/ATOF problem with determining maximum file size when operating with SCSI devices
· Fixed displaying firmware version instead of serial number in SMART ATT
· Added PCI device ITE 8211 PCI IDE
· Added PCI device VIA VT6421 IDE RAID
· Fixed several issues with some modern BIOSes
· Jumps while scanning now logged properly
· Resets (“R” key) while scanning now logged properly
· ASPI drivers now have latest versions

Related Links:

· MHDD FAQ
· MHDD Documentation
· Change log
· Magic Boot Disk with MHDD

MHDD Free Download:
MHDD 4.5 (older version, but includes ATA/SCSI Terminal)
· MHDD 4.5, self-extracting floppy image
· MHDD 4.5, CDROM iso-image
· MHDD 4.5, just-an-archive (MS-DOS executables only, no SCSI support)
· MHDD 4.6

Hard Disk Repair

Top 25 Free Anti Spyware/Adware Software Download (Part II)

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago4 years ago014 mins

Eraser 5.86a
– secure file deletion
Eraser is a secure file deletion tool that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with sophisticated patterns (Gutman, USDoD and others). You can simply drag and drop files and/or folders onto the on-demand eraser, use the convenient Windows Explorer right-click extension or use the built-in scheduler for automated wiping of unused disk space, browser cache files etc. Easy to use and secure!
Download: Eraser 5.86a

Startup Delayer 2.5.138
– delay the startup of programs
Startup Delayer allows you to configure which programs to start first and which ones to delay when your computer is rebooted. You can set a custom delay for each one, even drag the visual display graph which shows you exactly how your programs are starting and allows you to easily modify the order or adjust delay times.
Download: Startup Delayer 2.5.138

Avira AntiVir Personal 9.0.0.394
– anti-virus scanner
Avira AntiVir Personal offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation. It detects and removes more than 50,000 viruses and an Internet-Update Wizard for easy updating. The built in resident Virus Guard serves to monitor file movements automatically, for example when downloading files from the internet. Heuristic scanning protects Protection against previously unknown macro viruses. Note: This free version brings up a daily nag screen that advertises the Professional versions which are available from the company.
Download: Avira AntiVir Personal 9.0.0.394

TrendMicro HijackThis 2.0.2
– investigate browser add-ons
TrendMicro HijackThis is a tool, that lists all installed browser add-on, buttons, startup items and allows you to inspect, and optionally remove selected items. The program can create a backup of your original settings and also ignore selected items. Additional features include a startup list report, hosts file manager, uninstall manager and some other tools. Intended for advanced users.
Download: TrendMicro HijackThis 2.0.2

Access Manager 2.1.58
– password manager
Access Manager provides fast, easy and secure storage for all your passwords. You can organize passwords into types and categories for easy access and keep notes, web site links and e-mail addresses with each password. Email addresses or web site URLs can be automatically launched from within the program. The program is easy to use and uses a clean MS Outlook style interface and can be protected with a master password. Also included is an option to generate random passwords, search functions, printing of password lists and more. Free for personal use.
Download: Access Manager 2.1.58

Windows CleanUp! 4.5.2
– clean-up junk files
Windows CleanUp! is an easy to use privacy cleaner that can remove traces of your Internet activity as well as delete a variety of junk files that accumulate over time and litter your hard drive. It offers 4 levels of cleaning, the maximum level is designed for the case that you are selling your PC and want to thoroughly eliminate all personal references, including your IE Favorites. The program can also clean custom directory locations and optionally wipe the deleted files, so they cannot be recovered.
Download: Windows CleanUp! 4.5.2

The Vault 0.9.4.13
– store files in a secure vault
The Vault enables you to store files and folders in a password protected and encrypted database (vault), out of sight and inaccessible by other users. You can create multiple vaults with virtual folders to organize your files, add new files via drag and drop, launch files from within the vault, and also extract or delete items as needed. The program and vault contents can optionally be transferred to a USB drive. Supports Blowfish, Rijndael, Serpent and Twofish encryption algorithms.
Download: The Vault 0.9.4.13

Norman Malware Cleaner 2009.06.16
– virus and malware removal tool
Norman Malware Cleaner is a standalone virus and malware removal tool that can detect and remove specific malicious software (malware) from your PC. The program does not require installation and does not provide proactive protection from future infections. It is designed to clean a computer that has already been infected.
Download: Norman Malware Cleaner 2009.06.16

SpywareBlaster 4.2
– prevent installation of malware
SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of many so-called spyware, adware and malware programs by disabling the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls, and also prevents the installation of any of them via a webpage. This allows you to run Internet Explorer with Active-X enabled, but it will never download or even prompt you for any of the known ActiveX controls. All other Active-X controls or plug-ins will work fine. The SpywareBlaster database contains information on these known spyware Active-X controls and can be updated with the click of a button. The application windows displays a list of all controls that it is able to detect (this is not a list of what was found on your computer). The program cannot detect if you have any of the known objects already installed, but if you do, they will be disabled. The program also allows you to take a snapshot of your computer (certain settings) in its clean state and later revert many changes made by spyware and browser hijackers.
Download: SpywareBlaster 4.2

RoboForm2Go 6.9.95
– portable password manager
RoboForm2Go is a secure password manager and form filler. It stores all your login information and can run directly from a USB drive. Once launched, it attaches itself to Internet Explorer (or other IE based browser) and allows you to login to your sites with a single click from the toolbar. When you remove the USB drive from the host computer, no traces of Pass2Go are left behind. The program can also store personal data for automatic form filling or reference (credit card numbers, social security, driver license numbers etc.). Pass2Go uses AES encryption and password protection to secure your data on the USB drive. The auto-login features work in Internet Explorer and IE-based browsers, however you can also access your stored data from the program interface on any computer, regardless of any browser. The free version allows you to store up to 10 logins.
Download: RoboForm2Go 6.9.95

RISING Antivirus Free Edition 2009 21.22.30
– antivirus program
RISING Antivirus Free Edition is a full-featured antivirus program that protects your computers against all types of viruses, Trojans, Worms, Rootkits and other malicious programs. It offers real-time protection, email scanning (POP3/SMTP), automatic updates, scheduled scans and all others standard features, as well as a set of advanced system protection tools that monitor for system changes, suspicious application behavior and other potential issues. The free version offers the same level of protection as the commercial version but does not include a firewall.
Download: RISING Antivirus Free Edition 2009 21.22.30

Comodo Internet Security 3.9.95478.509
– personal firewall and antivirus
Comodo Internet Security (formerly Comodo Firewall) combines Comodo AntiVirus with a personal firewall that filters ingoing and outgoing traffic on your computer. It alerts you of any applications that attempts to connect to the Internet and allows you to permanently or temporarily allow or block the connection. Advanced users can customize the application and TCP/IP rules based on IP address, protocol and destination port, however this is not required unless you have a reason to customize the rules. In addition to application behavior and network connections, Comodo Firewall also monitors components (dll files etc.) that initiate network connections, as well as parent processes and modifications to executables (checksum verification). Other features include attack prevention (port scanning, flooding), adjustable security levels, trusted networks, activity log and more. The firewall and antivirus features can be installed individually, you do not have to install both.
Download: Comodo Internet Security 3.9.95478.509

ZoneAlarm 8.0.298.000
– personal firewall
ZoneAlarm provides essential protection for Internet users. Combining the safety of a dynamic firewall with total control over applications Internet use, ZoneAlarm gives rock-solid protection against thieves and vandals. ZoneAlarm makes ironclad Internet security easy-to-use. ZoneAlarm gives you control over the door to your computer. With Stealth Mode enabled, ZoneAlarm`s Firewall renders your computer invisible to the Internet and potential intruders. If you can t be seen, you can t be attacked. Because you tell ZoneAlarm how you use your computer, the firewall only allows traffic that you understand and initiate. ZoneAlarm s firewall provides the ultimate intrusion security for your personal computer. ZoneAlarm also introduces MailSafe which enables users of ZoneAlarm to detect and control Visual Basic Script attachments to emails they receive while ZoneAlarm is running. Free for personal and non-profit use.
Download: ZoneAlarm 8.0.298.000

Hard Disk Repair

Top 25 Free Anti Spyware/Adware Software Download (Part I)

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago4 years ago114 mins

whether you are concerned about your online privacy or have suspicions that someone may be spying on your PC activities! From here you’ll find a solution that you can download and try, use it for free! All softwares has been downloaded and tested.

These Anti Spyware/Adware softwares can detect serious spy activity like keyloggers, activity monitoring software, web site loggers and also common Adware, web bugs, tracking cookies and many other items that are frequently encountered on the web.

1. WinSock XP Fix 1.2
– fix XP internet connectivity
WinSock XP Fix offers a last resort if your Internet connectivity has been corrupted due to invalid or removed registry entries. It can often cure the problem of lost connections after the removal of Adware components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify the XP network and Winsock settings. If you encounter connection problems after removing network related software, Adware or after registry clean-up; and all other ways fail, then give WinSock XP Fix a try. It can create a registry backup of your current settings, so it is fairly safe to use. We actually tested it on a test machine that was having a Winsock problem due to some Adware removal, and after running the utility and rebooting, the connectivity was restored.
Download Now: WinSock xp Fix 1.2

2. Ad-Aware Free 8.0.3 AE
– remove adware components
Ad-Aware Free is an adware and spyware removal tool that scans your memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives for known data-mining, aggressive advertising, and tracking components. It then lists the results and offers to remove or quarantine the components. The program detects a wide range of adware/spyware related issues and can be updated with the latest signatures via the built-in update utility. The free version has limited real-time protection, only processes are scanned.
Download Now: Ad-Aware Free 8.0.3 AE

3. avast! Home Edition 4.8.1335
– anti-virus scanner
avast! Home Edition is a complete anti-virus package, that is is free for registered home non-commercial users. It contains an on-demand scanner with two interfaces (simple for novices and advanced for experienced users), an on-access scanner with Standard Shield (which protects against execution and opening malware programs) and an embedded e-mail scanner which scans incoming and outgoing email messages. avast! Home integrates with the Windows Explorer right click menu and also includes a special screen saver which is able to scan your system while your computer is not in use. Updates are incremental and frequently made available for manual or scheduled download. You will download a 60 days demo, if you would like to continue free usage beyond that time, you`ll need to register from the home page to obtain a free activation key by email.
Download Now: avast! Home Edition 4.8.1335

4. SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Edition) 4.26.1006
– find and remove adware and spyware
SUPERAntiSpyware scans your computer for known Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers and many other types of threats, and allows you to remove or quarantine them. It offers daily (manual) definition updates, as well as home page hijack protection and customizable scan options. Furthermore, the program includes a Repair feature that allows you to restore various settings which are often changed by malware programs, but usually not corrected by simply removing the parasite. The free version lacks real-time blocking and protection as well as several other advanced options. Download Now: SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Edition) 4.26.1006

5. Dr.Web CureIt 5.0
– on-demand virus scanner
Dr.Web CureIt is a standalone anti-virus and anti-spyware scanner that scans your PC for viruses, trojans, adware, spyware, hack tools, rootkits, and other malware. The program does not require an installation and can be run from a USB drive. This is an on-demand scanner only, it can detect and remove virus infections but does not provide any real-time protection. Dr.Web CureIt is based on the ICSA certified Dr. Web scanning engine and should provide reliable detection.
Download Now: Dr.Web CureIt 5.0

6. Starter 5.6.2.8
– manage your startup programs
Starter is a startup manager, that allows you to view and manage all the programs that are starting automatically whenever Windows boots. It lists all the hidden registry entries, as well as the common Startup Folder items as well. You can choose to safely disable selected entries, edit them or delete them altogether (if you know what you re doing). Expert users can even add their own entries. Nice interface, easy to use, no documentation though (but hardly needed).
Download Now: Starter 5.6.2.8

7. CCleaner 2.19.901
– remove junk files and Internet traces
CCleaner is a tool to clean your system from temporary and unnecessary files that accumulate over time. This also includes rather thorough cleaning of Internet and PC usage tracks like browser cache, recently used files, web sites visited and more. You can select the items that you want cleaned and also specify cookies that should not be deleted. In addition, the program comes with a registry scanner that scans for invalid references (advanced users) and options to start cleaning automatically or from the command line. (Slim version, no toolbars)
Download Now: CCleaner 2.19.901

8. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.5
– anti-virus scanner
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is an anti-virus scanner that offers Resident Protection, e-mail Scanner, On-Demand Scanner, and Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files and automatic updates. The free version is limited in features, but includes all basic scanning functionality as well as real-time protection. It uses the same scanning engine as the commercial version, however updates are provided on a low priority basis.
Download Now: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.5

9. Spyware Terminator 2.5.7.140
– adware and spyware scanner
Spyware Terminator is a feature packed adware and spyware scanner with real-time protection that can remove or quarantine spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, home page hijackers and other malware threats. The scan behavior can be customized based on your level of experience, ranging from automatic interception to complete user control over how to handle any potential threats. Spyware Terminator offers manual and scheduled scans as well as real-time protection for your browser settings, HOSTS file, startup entries and other system areas. The program can optionally use ClamAV for additional virus protection. Other features include a file analysis tool, system restore, Locked File Removal, integrated spyware reporting, automatic updates and more.
Download Now: Spyware Terminator 2.5.7.140

10. Eraser 5.86a
– secure file deletion
Eraser is a secure file deletion tool that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with sophisticated patterns (Gutman, USDoD and others). You can simply drag and drop files and/or folders onto the on-demand eraser, use the convenient Windows Explorer right-click extension or use the built-in scheduler for automated wiping of unused disk space, browser cache files etc. Easy to use and secure!
Download Now: Eraser 5.86a

11. avast! Virus Cleaner 1.0.211
– portable virus and worm removal tool
avast! Virus Cleaner is a free tool that will help you remove selected virus & worm infections from your computer and also performs necessary fixes to your system registry, Startup Folder etc. if needed. The program can also deactivate the virus present in memory. avast! Virus Cleaner is currently able to identify and remove the following worm families: MyDoom and Beagle/Bagle,Badtrans, BugBear including B variant, Nimda, Opas (aka Opasoft, Opaserv), Sircam, Sobig including B, C and D variants, Yaha (aka Lentin), and others.
Download Now: avast! Virus Cleaner 1.0.211

12. Spybot – S&D 1.60
– adware and spyware removal
Spybot – S&D (Search and Destroy) is an adware and spyware detection and removal tool. This includes removal of certain advertising components, that may gather statistics as well as detection of various keylogging and other spy utilities. In addition, it also securely removes PC and Internet usage tracks, including browser history, temporary pages, cookies (with option to keep selected) and more. The program offers an attractive outlook-style interface that is easy to use and multi-lingual. Spybot – S&D allows you to exclude selected cookies, programs or extensions from being reported, allowing you to prevent false positive messages for items that you dont want to be alerted of every time. It can even scan your download directory for files that have been downloaded, but not yet installed, allowing you to detect unwanted programs before you even install them. SpyBot produces a detailed and easy to understand report before it deletes any files and allows you to deselect any item that you do not want to be processed. In addition, a recovery feature allows you to restore your settings if needed.
Download Now: Spybot – S&D 1.60

Hard Disk Repair

Fix MBR in Windows XP and Vista By Yourself

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago4 years ago08 mins

What is the MBR?

A master boot record (MBR), or partition sector, is the 512-byte boot sector that is the first sector (“LBA Sector 0”) of a partitioned data storage device such as a hard disk. (The boot sector of a non-partitioned device is a Volume Boot Record. These are usually different, although it is possible to create a record that acts as both; it is called a multi boot record.) The MBR may be used for one or more of the following:

Holding a disk’s primary partition table
Bootstrapping operating systems, after the computer’s BIOS passes execution to machine code instructions contained within the MBR
Uniquely identifying individual disk media, with a 32-bit disk signature; even though it may never be used by the machine the disk is running on

If, for any reason, the MBR becomes damaged or corrupt, then the operating system will be unable to load. You will normally see error messages like:

Error loading operating system
Missing operating system
Invalid partition table

These messages are definitely not fun, especially if you are not familiar with computers. Most people would automatically assume their computers are dead! However, that’s not true. Being in IT myself, these errors are actually preferably to other types of Windows errors. Why?

Well, it’s actually fairly easy to fix the Master Boot Record in XP and Vista. All you have to do is load up the Recovery Console and run a simple command. All of your data, applications, settings, etc are still intact on the drive and once the MBR is fixed, the computer will load normally.

So how can you repair your damaged MBR?

Here are the steps to follow:

1. First, restart your computer with the Windows XP setup disk in the CD drive. If you don’t have your original disk, borrow one or download a ISO image from a torrent site.

2. When prompted, boot from the CD drive by pressing any key. If Windows loads automatically, you will first have to enter the BIOS setup and change the order of the boot devices to start with the CD drive.

3. Once the setup loads, you will see the option to press R to repair a Windows installation.

4. Once the Recovery Console loads up, you will have to type in a number that corresponds to your Windows installation. This is normally just 1. Press Enter and then type in the Administrator password.

5. Now at the prompt, type in fixmbr. Your damaged MBR will now be replaced with a new master boot record and your computer should now be able to boot properly. Note that you may also want to run the fixboot command to repair the boot sector with a new one.

Also, make sure you only use these commands on a system with one operating system installed. If you have more than one operating system installed, fixmbr and fixboot could mess up everything.

Fix MBR in Vista

In Vista, the procedure to fix the master boot record is a bit different. You have to start up Vista in the Recovery Environment and then run the bootrec command. Here’s how.

1. First, load up the Windows Vista disc in your drive and press any key to boot from the disc.

2. Choose the language, time, currency, etc and click Next. Now click on Repair Your Computer.

3. Choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options dialog comes up, choose the Command Prompt.

4. Now type bootrec.exe and press Enter. This will rebuild the boot configuration data and hopefully fix your problem. You can also run the command with switches to fix just the master boot record (/fixmbr), the boot sector (/fixboot), or rebuild the entire BCD (/rebuildbcd).

Fix MBR on Windows 7

1. Insert Win 7 installation DVD and boot from DVD drive. While in some older systems you may have to change boot order through system BIOS, most newer systems allow booting from DVD without changing boot order by simply clicking on any key when prompted to doing so.

2. Choose your default “Language”, “Time”, and “keyboard Input” on the first window and click next.

3. You’re now presented with 3 choices. Click on “Repair Your Computer” to gain access to the System Recovery window. Now choose “Command Prompt” in order to run the desired utility which is called “bootsect.exe”. Bootsect is located inside the boot folder so change your directory to boot. Now run “bootsect /nt60 C:\” if you had Win 7 initially installed in the C partition. Alternatively, you can run “bootsect /nt60 SYS” or “bootsect /nt60 ALL” to repair the system partition or all partitions. Eject the DVD, and restart computer. Your computer should now boot Win 7 again.

Hard Disk Repair

Intel RAID Controller Troubleshooting Guide: Overview

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago11 months ago05 mins

In the unlikely event you encounter issues, this guide will help you troubleshoot and identify possible problem areas. If you are unable to resolve a problem using this guide, please follow these steps:

1. Visit http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server and choose the model of the
RAID controller you are using. This site will contain the latest information of known
issues and solutions.

2. If you are unable to resolve the issue, send an e-mail to Intel Customer Support using
this form: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/server_form.htm

3. Contact Intel Customer Support using one of the numbers listed here:
http://www.intel.com/support/9089.htm

This guide will help you collect the data we will need to help you resolve your issues. Each
issue includes suggestions that may help you, and a list of information we will need to know you if you need to call us. Please visit the Intel Support website for updated versions of this
document at http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server
Server boards, RAID controllers, and many other computer devices use programmable flash
memory parts to store BIOS or firmware code. Please visit the support site for your server
board and the RAID controller you are using and download and install the latest BIOS and
firmware for the server board and RAID card. Intel® server board and RAID card downloads
can be found at: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server.

Your Intel® RAID Controller may include several LEDs that can aid in troubleshooting your
system. Please refer to your specific RAID controller’s documentation for location and purpose
of the LEDs. These LEDs may signal the following events:

• Indicate that the controller is online (i.e., installed correctly).
• Indicate that the controller is in Firmware Recovery Mode.
• Indicate activity on the SCSI Channel.
• Indicate Bus Master DMA transfers.

These LEDs may be referred to later in this document. In addition, the controller may emit a
series of beeps. Refer to your specific RAID controller’s documentation for definition of the
beep code. These beep codes may signal the following events:

• State of the controller upon boot-up.
• A change in the state of an array.
• A change in the controller’s environment status (during normal operation).
• A hardware failure.

A series of beep codes may be audible during POST or during RAID array event. Some RAID
controllers emit a 1-3 beep code during POST, signifying normal operation. The server board
or other add-in peripherals may also emit beep codes. Refer to the documentation for your
RAID controller, server board, or add-in components for specific beep code information.

Troubleshooting Overview

Intel® RAID Controller Troubleshooting Guide
1. My server will not power on
2. Upon booting, my server starts beeping
3. My system appears to power on, however there is no video
4. Some of my hard drives show up during POST and some do not
5. My RAID controller has an issue not addressed above

Additional Questions and Answers
1. How do I update the firmware?
2. I am unable to complete the firmware update, I get a message that the firmware is intact or the system hangs during when entering StorCon
3. I do not see the zero channel RAID card / Modular RAID on Motherboard (MROMB) card during POST
4. How do I disable the integrated components

Hard Disk Repair

Intel RAID Controller: How to disable the integrated components?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago12 years ago01 mins

On-board controllers can usually be disabled through the server board BIOS setup. For
information on how to enter the server board BIOS setup utility, refer to the documentation that came with your server board.

Hard Disk Repair

Intel RAID Controller: I do not see the zero channel RAID card/Modular RAID on Motherboard card during POST

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago12 years ago01 mins

Zero channel RAID cards are designed to work with the on-board hard drive controller built into the server board you are using. The zero channel RAID card must be inserted into a RAIDIOSenabled slot that is usually on the same bus as the on-board hard drive controller. Ensure that you have inserted the zero channel RAID card into the RAIDIOS enabled slot. Refer to your server board documentation to determine which slot is RAIDIOS enabled. This slot is sometimes labeled “Zero Channel“, “RAIDIOS“, or “MROMB“.