Most everything that is done in a law firm today, from email to preparing court documents to billing clients and keeping their information current, requires the use of the computer through which electronic data is generated.  Just as malpractice insurance is an important part of protecting a firm, safeguards must be put in place to protect electronic data and to ensure that a firm is back up and running quickly following an outage.

The means by which most law firms today protect their data is through tape backup.  Because tape backup has been around for years and on the surface it may seem inexpensive, most law firm IS/IT personnel see it as the most effective backup solution.  But, for electronic data dependant law firms today, it is frought with inefficiencies and multiple points of failure which could have a negative impact on the future health and wellbeing of a firm. Let’s review:

• Tape backup requires personnel and human intervention which can mean success or failure – think about the last time Bob forgot to put the backup tape in.
• Once the backup is completed, is the tape transported to a secure offsite location?  And no, Tim’s sock drawer is not exactly secure.
• Is the data quickly and readily available in the event a restore is necessary?  Does someone have to drive an hour to pick up the tape or, do wait hours for a courier service to deliver it?
• Equipment malfunctions are common with tape backup so what safeguards are in place to ensure a complete and accurate backup?
• Although seemingly inexpensive tape backup can involve the high cost of human resources, hardware (tapes, drives, etc.), software (licenses, maintenance, etc.), courier service fees and off-site storage and recovery efforts.

A cost-effective and not so new technology that is beginning to gain speed within the legal community is online backup and recovery.  A process that occurs automatically and according to the firms needs, it recognizes and captures changes to files (at the block level), encrypts the data for enhanced security and compresses it to minimize transmission time.  Retrieval can be accomplished online, real-time from the firm or remotely and is ideal for firms who do not have technical personnel or those who have multiple branch or satellite offices.

One thing is for certain, there are a number of new backup and recovery technologies on the market today.  Law firm technology personnel should choose a solution according to their needs and wants.  But, for many, tape backup is not a viable solution and other solutions such as online backup should be examined.  It just makes good business sense.

The file system encryption is a technique that allows you to transparently encrypt critical files on NTFS (New Technology File System) file system to protect your private and sensitive data from unauthorized access. This is generally used for critical financial documents, business related data and information as it is essential to keep them safe. But in some situations, file system encryption might cause serious problems and make hard drive partitions inaccessible. Such case might result into partition loss and need Partition Recovery to be sorted out.

Sometimes when you open an encrypted hard drive partition, you may find that a software tool is automatically creating folder in the drive and some of your existing files are missing. In some situations, the whole partition may become invisible. The problem could be due to virus infection or some issues with NTFS file system like corruption.

Sometimes while booting your system, which has encrypted file system drives, you might come across the following error message:

“Corrupt Master File. Cannot continue.”

After this error message, the boot process fails and Windows tries to run CHKDSK (Check Disk). In such situations, you should format the disk partitions that are having problems. If that partition contains critical data, formatting is not suggested. It may cause partition and data loss.

In some situations, formatting the hard drive partitions by simply using the “Format” function in Windows by right clicking the partition and reinstalling the operating system makes other hard drive partitions, which are not formatted, inaccessible. You can see the files but can not access them.

This behavior cause serious problems with your partitions and you need to format entire hard drive and reinstall operating system. This method is capable of resolving most of the disk related issues. Though, it works in a majority of such situations but it also has a disadvantage. Formatting deletes all of the hard drive partitions and data. In such cases, you need to carry out Partition Recovery to recover lost Windows partitions.

This is best possible with the help of third party tools, known as Partition Recovery Software. These are advanced applications that use effective scanning mechanisms to thoroughly scan entire hard drive and recover all of the partitions and data from them. With interactive, simple and graphical user interface, these software are completely easy to use.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is the most advanced and comprehensive tool to recover lost Windows partitions. It recovers all FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file system partitions. This Partition Recovery Software is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7 RC1, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000.

It happens all the time: You know you saved a file on your computer but you simply can’t remember what you named it or where you stored it. Fortunately, with a little detective work and computer know-how, you can find those illusive files.

First, you’ll need to open Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer is a built-in file manager that is part of the larger graphic interface of Windows. Not only can you use Explorer to explore your computer’s folders, it has filter, sort, and search features that you can use to fine-tune your searches and find that missing file.

To open Windows Explorer, simply right-click the Windows Start button and choose Explore (or Open Windows Explorer if you have Windows 7). Alternately, you can click on Start and choose My Computer. Once Windows Explorer launches, you’ll want to decide how to progress. You can either manually look through folders in hopes of stumbling across your file or you can enter a search term in the search box.

While manually looking through folders may seem low tech, it’s not a bad idea, especially if you have a general idea of the type of file it is, its creation date, and most likely location. For example, if you’re looking for a Word document that you created two months ago (let’s say November), you can use that information as a starting point. After all, you know that you are looking for a.doc file created in November. Before you begin randomly looking for documents created in November, think about the most likely folder where you would have saved it such as “Work Documents” or “My Documents.”

Now, go to that folder and click it. Notice the labels above each column (Name, Date Modified, Type, and Size). Each of these columns can be sorted and filtered. Click the File Type label and restrict results to display only the type of file you want to find (in this case, Word 97-2003 documents). Next, click the Data Modified label to sort the files by date last modified. Since you know the document was created in November, you’ll be able to look through the list of files created from that point forward in search of the document you need.

The search box is also useful, especially if you have a general idea of the file’s name. For example, if the document that you are looking for is a press release and you normally name all press releases with the “PR” prefix such as PRnewproduct.doc or PRdecembercoupon.doc then you can enter “pr*.doc” into the search box and view all files that start with “pr” and end with “.doc.” From there, you can scroll through the results to find your exact file.

Depending on your version of Windows, when you hover your mouse over a file in the results pane, you should see a brief excerpt or preview of the file. Like other files listed in Windows Explorer, the search results can be sorted. The sorting feature is a bit different, though. Instead of clicking the label, find the “arrange by” option and choose either “top results or date modified.”

When you deal with a lot of documents, it’s inevitable that you’ll forget a filename or two. However, if you store your documents in folders that make sense (such as having separate folders for work and personal documents) and know how to use Windows Explorer, finding illusive files isn’t too difficult.

One of the things I frequently work with clients on is making sure that their data will be safe in the event of an emergency. Just imagine what would happen in your business or your life if you lost all your data and your key documents. Unless you’re confident that you could re-create everything from scratch, it’s essential to have a strategy for data and information backup and restoration. Here are some ideas for how to do it:

Snap it. For insurance and record-keeping purposes, you need to have a record of all of your belongings. Start by taking your camcorder or digital camera and going through every space in your office or home, and take snapshots of the contents. I mean open every closet, ever drawer – everything. Download the photos to your computer and store them in a special folder. As your belongings change, make sure to take new photos to keep your record up-to-date.

Data backup. If you have any data on your computer that you value in any way, it’s essential to develop a backup strategy. Most businesses and individuals don’t backup their data regularly, which in our digital age is a very risky thing to do! Backup is really simple with automated tools like MOZY or Dropbox, which backup your data to a central server and keep synched copies of your data on all your computers, respectively. Whatever backup strategy you choose, just choose something and do it regularly!

Centralize your docs. In an emergency, you may need access to important documents like lease agreements, insurance papers, deeds and titles, and more. If you need to leave your home or office in a hurry, you won’t generally have time to search your files to gather everything. Use something like the Vital Records PortaVault to centralize your key documents so that you can grab what you need. You may even want to keep one copy in your office and one copy in your home, so that if you can’t return to one location you can still access your documents.

There are many things you can do to help prepare yourself for an emergency at home or at work. Being prepared is all about being ready – and the more ready you are, the better you’ll fare in the event of an emergency.

Backups – Backing up your data to an external disc or other medium is a basic backup method that provides you a copy of your data. Using either a hard drive, CD, DVD, Tape or DLT along with backup software will allow you to retrieve data in the event of systems failure or accidental deletion.

Off site Backups – I recommend performing off site backups in addition to your on site backups. Off site backups allow you to backup your crucial data at an offside location. This provides additional protection in the event of damage to the location of your systems and backups. For basic home or small office backups DropBox Offers free and low priced automated backups. For Business backups, including database and application data, I recommend using onlinebackupvault. Use coupon code “OBVOOLF” for a 5% discount on their services.

Anti Virus – I recommend that All Microsoft Operating Systems (Windows) be protected with an Anti-Virus platform. Be sure to keep the anti-virus signature files up to date, and schedule regular full system scans.

Anti Spyware – In addition to Anti-Virus package, I recommend downloading Microsoft Defender, free on the Microsoft Website. Defender will schedule update and scans in its default setup. I usually complement it with occasional scans using Adaware or Spybot Search and Destroy

Network Firewalls – Most consumer routers (wired and wireless) are equipped with a firewall. A firewall allows you to allow and disallow different types of data from entering or leaving your network. By default, most firewalls will allow no traffic into your network, while allowing all traffic out of your network. By limiting the types of traffic allowed out of your network, you are proving additional protection to your data and systems. If for example your machine was infected with a virus or spyware and an open connection out to the internet, the virus could travel freely out to other computers on the internet. This could lead to your IP address being “Blacklisted” for services like outbound email.

System Firewalls – Many operating systems (MAC, Windows XP and VIsta) offer a software firewall included in the operating system. Enable these to provide additional security to your system.

Passwords – Be sure to set up passwords on your accounts and resources. Use a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numerals and special characters to strengthen the password.

RAID – Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks are often used in business systems and protect against disk failure. By combining multiple disks in an Array, you reduce the risk of losing your data with a single hard drive loss. As hard drives have gone down in price, RAID is now more accessible for personal and small business use. Whereas backups are generally a snapshot in time, RAID is a real time copy of your data.

Wireless Security – If you have any important data on your wireless network, be sure to implement wireless encryption on your router and computers. You can further secure your wireless environment by hiding the SSID and setting up MAC address restrictions, to prevent unauthorized use of your network.

UPDATE! – Be sure to keep your operating system, applications and Anti-Virus updated. New viruses and vulnerabilities are released daily. By keeping current, you reduce your risk of being exploited.

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Have a security tip to share? Pplease comment on the blog.

Every person who uses a personal computer will eventually face the challenge of data recovery. Computer hardware and software can be temperamental from time to time. Hard drives and other mechanical components of personal computers and servers do not last forever, and when they fail recovering your data can be difficult, time consuming and costly.

If you are working diligently away on a document or spreadsheet in Microsoft Office and the power goes out, you may still be able to recover the documents you were working on when the lights come back on. This type of data recovery is relatively easy and straightforward. Software manufacturers recognize that power outages are inevitable and unpredictable and most office applications incorporate what is known as autosave features. At set intervals, the documents you have open are saved to a cached file. They remain in that cached state and should be accessible once your power is restored. Simply opening Microsoft Word or Excel will usually bring these documents back.

For instance, when you open Word after a power failure or a software error, you will be presented with a document followed by the word recovered in parentheses. This is the document you were working on at the most recent autosave point. You may still lose a couple minutes worth of work this way, but it sure beats having to go back and retype the entire document.

If the recovered document does not appear automatically, search your hard drive for files ending with tmp. Look for one created close to the time of the power failure or software error and open it. This is most likely the document you had open at the time. If this method of data recovery does not work, you may need to follow the steps listed below.

Of course not all data recovery is so easy and so straightforward. If you delete a file accidentally, it is a simple matter to recover it from the recycle bin. Once you empty the recycle bin, however, things become more difficult. The deleted file still resides on your computer somewhere, but the pointer that tells the program where to find the file is now gone. There are various software tools available that promise to help recover deleted files, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some of the major players are Norton, McAfee and Computer Associates. There are a great many smaller vendors as well.

Even if all these products fail to recover your data, you may not be completely out of luck. Data recovery services specialize in recovering data from failed and corrupt hard drives. These data recovery services have tools and equipment not available to the general public.

Government and law enforcement forensic teams will often make use of these advanced data recovery techniques to investigate cases of computer crime. Businesses also will turn to a professional data recovery service to recover mission critical data from damaged hard drives.

It is important to choose a reputable firm any time you need to have data recovery services performed. The firm you choose should be able to provide references from previous clients. You should make sure to follow up with the references they provide.

I haven’t seen a robot drive a car down the highway. If there was such a robot, I would want one. Then I could sit in the back of my conversion van and watch television or a VCR tape like Sahara starring Humphrey Bogart.

No robot cleans my house beeping me to raise my feet. No robot cooks me lunch. No robot brings me my graham crackers and milk. My wife still does all of that.

Shoveling snow should be a snap for a robot. My local hardware store is fresh out.

At Christmas time we usually see a robot at Radio Shack. It can move a round but not do much useful. I haven’t been able to buy a robot to polish my car. (Actually, I never polish my car either. I think the dirt forms a protective layer.)

I went to the Robot Store to see what was available http://www.robotstore.com/catalog/list.asp?cid=61.

There I found that I could buy a robotic bug for about fifty bucks.

I considered the CYBUG Scarab Artificial Lifeform Kit #3-466. If I bought two bugs I could add the CYBUG Predator/Prey Instinct Add-on Kit #3-501 for about thirty-three bucks. My total would be $132.85. Now I would have hunter and hunted action.

I decided to take a look at the butterflies. I could get a Monarch, a Swallowtail, or a Ulysses for thirty bucks.

Then the queen ant caught my eye. You can buy a set of solar wings for her. The total would be about seventy bucks.

The inch-worm robot (which everybody loves) cost one hundred eighty bucks. Pretty pricey for something you’re going to squish if you step on it.

Honda has a humanoid robot. See this handsome critter at http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/. There is a lot of stuff on this site but it was slow. I didn’t see much of what was offered.

I learned at http://world.honda.com/news/2006/c060126ASIMO/ that “ASIMO made a guest appearance at this year’s Digital Lifestyle Day (DLD06) in Munich, Germany, on January 23 – 24. DLD06 is one of Europe’s most influential technology forums and is organized by Hubert Burda Media.”

ASIMO gets around.

You can learn ASIMO’s capabilities at [http://asimo.honda.com/docs/News/newsarticle_0048.asp]. He can hold your hand and walk along your side. He now has a basket to put stuff in. You can watch him climb stairs and do other things at [http://asimo.honda.com/inside_asimo_movies.asp].

I’ve decided to make an appointment with ASIMO so I could chat with him (or it or her). I sent an email to him at Honda.com. I got an immediate answer that said,
”Hi! I’m not in right now. It’s time for my hot bath and polish. Please contact me later.” It was signed, “Your faithful robot, ASIMO.”

Well, people are serving ASIMO and not the opposite. I’ll check back in a year or two.

I guess most of us have know this for many years but now even the creators of Windows have admitted it – Microsoft Says Recovery from Malware Becoming Impossible “When you are dealing with rootkits and some advanced spyware programs, the only solution is to rebuild from scratch. In some cases, there really is no way to recover without nuking the systems from orbit,” Said Mike Danseglio, program manager in the Security Solutions group at Microsoft.

If that wasn’t bad enough Robert X. Cringely wrote :-

Last week, a Microsoft data security guru suggested at a conference that corporate and government users would be wise to come up with automated processes to wipe clean hard drives and reinstall operating systems and applications periodically as a way to deal with malware infestations. What Microsoft is talking about is a utility from SysInternals, a company that makes simply awesome tools.The crying shame of this whole story is that Microsoft has given up on Windows security. They have no internal expertise to solve this problem among their 60,000-plus employees, and they apparently have no interest in looking outside for help. I know any number of experts who could give Microsoft some very good guidance on what is needed to fix and secure Windows. There are very good developers Microsoft could call upon to help them. But no, their answer is to rebuild your system every few days and start over. Will Vista be any better? I don’t think so.

I find that really sad. Like many of us I own a large collection of music and movies which are still usable 20+ years later but the data on your PC will be lucky to survive a year or two without a backup. Some copy protection systems will even forbid you to make backups or transfer to another PC so when your PC finally dies, your stuff goes with it. The only good side to all of this is you will be forced to buy your music/movie/game collection all over again and some media exec will finally get that 3rd yacht.

Its for that reason I don’t use Windows for anything serious these days but when I did I would always create separate partitions on my hard drive; one (C:) for Windows and programs and the other (D:) for all my stuff. Each time Windows had become unusable mainly due to ‘WinRot’ (A special feature of Windows to slowly degrade after about 12 months of use), I could safely wipe my C: drive, re-install Windows and programs with out losing anything valuable. I used to set-up my customers PCs in much the same way. I suspect many other engineers used similar strategies but what about the person who buys a PC from a shop ? Most of those will have everything on the C: drive so if a wipe+reinstall is needed due to a crash/virus/root-kit/etc, the owners are likely to lose everything if they have not done a backup.

I expect many people reading this would regard it as just another PC problem but I have been using Linux and BSD for about three years now and have yet to see anything like this, although Linux isn’t without its problems too. When I upgraded from SuSE 9.2 to 9.3, I noticed a ‘feature’ of SuSE Linux called ‘Update-Rot’ which silently removed a few critical programs. As this was the free version I guess I cant complain and I managed to get them all back, so all was well.

They say the worst equipment makes the best engineers so I certainly got a good education from the 6 years I spent using / fixing Windows, especially in recovering data from crippled Windows machines. So here are a few tips :-

1.Its not a question of ‘if’ your PC crashes, its a question of ‘when’. If you are using an earlier versions of Windows it will be much sooner than you think.

2.Keep any valuable data on at least one other device. There are plenty of options like CD-RW, USB drives and NAS (Network attached storage). Even an old PC could be used to backup valuable data via a network.

3.Identify where your data actually is. If you are using Linux or BSD most of your data including email, favourites, documents, music, photos and even program settings are usually kept in your personal folder. If you are using Windows things are a lot more complicated as a lot of your data will scattered across several folders or embedded in the Registry.

4.Think security. Only install software if you trust the author and really need it. Make sure you have a decent virus scanner and firewall. As an added precaution use an ‘ADSL modem+router’ combo to access the Internet instead of just an ‘ADSL modem’.

5.There is also a rumour going around that the new version of Mac OS X will be able to run native Windows programs (a bit like VMWare, Xen or WINE) – just imagine being able to run your favourite programs without the security woes. Could be worth a look when it comes out.

It has been estimated that when data lose occurs, most companies only last about two years. I wonder how many companies have been decimated by simple Windows crash. That’s why I use Linux and FreeBSD: They rarely crash, and if they do, I know I can recover my data quite easily because its all in one place.

Computer training is often viewed as a cost and therefore something that should be kept to a minimum or even avoided. In times of recession and economic slowdown it is often one of the first overheads that gets cut from the budget. However it should be viewed as an investment in both the short and longer terms as there are a number of key benefits of formally training yourself and your staff, some are more measurable than others. Here are four important advantages of training:

1 – Increase in productivity: This is the most measurable and therefore to many the most important. For example formal software training can teach you and your staff how to use the product more efficiently, allowing you more time to spend on other activities. You can also learn about the advanced features of a product that you have not previously had the opportunity to use.

2 – Increase in confidence: No-one likes to feel that they are standing still. Learning something new is a good way to give you a boost in confidence, usually one that is also carried outside of the workplace.

3 – The out of the office factor: A change is as good as a rest or so they say. Especially if you’re office based a break in the routine can only serve to refresh your mind and give you renewed energy.

4 – Networking: Training companies hold public-scheduled courses for up to 12 people at a time giving you up to 11 people to network with.