Getting a lot of business from big box store blunders

[RegEdit]

when i backup a customers hard drive and change the motherboard i always do a universal restore back to new drive or original drive it has never failed once used it a few hundred times.

By "change the motherboard" do you mean getting a different model number? I haven't replaced many motherboards, but when I do I just get the same exact brand and model number. That might trigger the need to re-validate Windows but everything else should work fine.

I've yet to work on a system that had a lot of important data on it.

Creating an image for every PC regardless of the work I perform on it seems like a waist of time
because I only work on 1 PC at a time (2 if I'm lucky) so the odds of me making the mistake of deleting a user's data is pretty slim.

MOST customers of mine have not backed up something important on their drive. They essentially have 1 copy of their critical data -- on the computer that I am repairing. I offer free backup of the first 100 GB of data, so I encourage them to take advantage. I even provide instructions for THEM to back up their data with an Ubuntu boot CD before they bring their PC in. That saves me time if they can do it.

If you use USB to backup their data then yes, it will take an eternity. Get a SATA expansion card for your bench test PC if you need more SATA connectors.

 

[Appletax]

By "change the motherboard" do you mean getting a different model number? I haven't replaced many motherboards, but when I do I just get the same exact brand and model number. That might trigger the need to re-validate Windows but everything else should work fine.

^ Microsoft will let you swap out a bad mobo for a new one if it fails. It has to be the exact same
one that is already in the machine (make/model) or it will count as a new computer, which is okay
for retail copies of Windows, but not for OEM.

MOST customers of mine have not backed up something important on their drive. They essentially have 1 copy of their critical data -- on the computer that I am repairing. I offer free backup of the first 100 GB of data, so I encourage them to take advantage. I even provide instructions for THEM to back up their data with an Ubuntu boot CD before they bring their PC in. That saves me time if they can do it.

How much do you charge after the first 100 GB ?

If you use USB to backup their data then yes, it will take an eternity. Get a SATA expansion card for your bench test PC if you need more SATA connectors.

The only desktop I own is a Compaq w/ AMD Sempron (boo) and 2 SATA connectors.
This should be fine for data imaging.

 

[RegEdit]

How much do you charge after the first 100 GB ?

$0.25 for each additional GB of actual used drive space.

The only desktop I own is a Compaq w/ AMD Sempron (boo) and 2 SATA connectors.

So you've got your own C drive, their slaved drive and a 3rd drive to where you will image their drive data.

Microsoft will let you swap out a bad mobo for a new one if it fails. It has to be the exact same
one that is already in the machine (make/model) or it will count as a new computer, which is okay
for retail copies of Windows, but not for OEM.

And it should NOT cause any blue screen errors due to conflict with drivers. I don't understand the need for this expensive Acronis Universal Restore software. Just replace the MB with the same MB model. I never do MB "upgrades".

 

[ATTech]

And it should NOT cause any blue screen errors due to conflict with drivers. I don't understand the need for this expensive Acronis Universal Restore software. Just replace the MB with the same MB model. I never do MB "upgrades".

Switching computers, universal imaging, etc...

 

[RedFoxComp]

I'll boot up Acronis stand-alone on the customer's PC and image the HD to an external 1TB HD. Yeah, it can sometimes take a while depending on the amount of data, but that backup has saved my behind a couple of times over the years.

Everyone is mentioning Acronis? How are you making as disk image when there are bad sectors or read errors for any reason? In my experience Acronis is useless on anything but fully functioning disks.

At the first sign of disk issues I make an image with GetDataBack.

All other systems get an immediate backup using Fab's autobackup.

Don't learn the hard way and have to explain to your customer why all their pictures and other unrecoverable data is gone and the only thing you have to offer them is lab data recovery starting at $700. I cringed when you said it was a 'waste of time' performing immediate disk images of failing drives.

 

[RegEdit]

How are you making as disk image when there are bad sectors or read errors for any reason?

I use R-Studio but I also have GetDataBack. When they work, they work. When they don't, they don't. Sometimes it can take days or even weeks to read drives with tons of error on them. If R-Studio can't do it's magic within 24 hours then I give up though.

If R-Studio or GDB fail then I've done all that I can do. Then I tell them to take it to a forensics lab or Staples or similar place that has the expensive equipment to recover from stuff like firmware module damage. Systems like this one cost nearly $10,000.00 http://www.acelab.ru/dep.pc/pc3000udma.php

 

[red12049]

I use R-Studio but I also have GetDataBack. When they work, they work. When they don't, they don't. Sometimes it can take days or even weeks to read drives with tons of error on them. If R-Studio can't do it's magic within 24 hours then I give up though.

If R-Studio or GDB fail then I've done all that I can do. Then I tell them to take it to a forensics lab or Staples or similar place that has the expensive equipment to recover from stuff like firmware module damage. Systems like this one cost nearly $10,000.00 http://www.acelab.ru/dep.pc/pc3000udma.php

To be honest, if you continue with the cavalier attitude that I perceive here, A court may ultimately decide whether you've done all you can do.

Rick

 

[RegEdit]

To be honest, if you continue with the cavalier attitude that I perceive here, A court may ultimately decide whether you've done all you can do.

Rick

LOL. Who are you speaking to anyway? The cavalier cavalry needs to come after you in court.

 

[red12049]

LOL. Who are you speaking to anyway? The cavalier cavalry needs to come after you in court.

As said about many things, it's not a question of if, but a question of when.

Even at something less than two machines a month you say you average, the possibilities are endless...your mistake, a power blip, a hard drive deciding that your bench is as good a place as any to die, etc.

Sooner or later,either the data will be valuable enough, or you will anger someone who has enough money that taking you to court will be child's play for him. Defending against lawsuits is expensive, no matter who wins. If the other guy wins, the expenses go up exponentially.

Lastly, Confucius says that anyone who states that the possibility of his making a mistake is slim will end up eating those words.

Just my .02, YMMV.

Rick

 

[RegEdit]

As said about many things, it's not a question of if, but a question of when.

Even at something less than two machines a month you say you average, the possibilities are endless...your mistake, a power blip, a hard drive deciding that your bench is as good a place as any to die, etc.

Sooner or later,either the data will be valuable enough, or you will anger someone who has enough money that taking you to court will be child's play for him. Defending against lawsuits is expensive, no matter who wins. If the other guy wins, the expenses go up exponentially.

Lastly, Confucius says that anyone who states that the possibility of his making a mistake is slim will end up eating those words.

Just my .02, YMMV.

I never said anything about how many machines I average a month. ??? My screen name is RegEdit.
< ---------------------
I'm like most techs; I do data recovery from machines with logical failure, but not physical failures or firmware module damage which requires $10,000 equipment. If me not having a 10K piece of gear is "cavalier" then that's your opinion and your opinion only. For the record I always explain to customers what I can and can't do. Customers come to me when they are hopeful that I can save them a lot of money. I use non-destructive recovery techniques. No Spin-Rite. No error checking. When drives show ANY sign of physical failure I stop the job. The worst that can happen is that I tried, they paid nothing, and then they go pay $1,500 at Staples.

 

[red12049]

I never said anything about how many machines I average a month. ??? My screen name is RegEdit.
< ---------------------
I'm like most techs; I do data recovery from machines with logical failure, but not physical failures or firmware module damage which requires $10,000 equipment. If me not having a 10K piece of gear is "cavalier" then that's your opinion and your opinion only. For the record I always explain to customers what I can and can't do. Customers come to me when they are hopeful that I can save them a lot of money. I use non-destructive recovery techniques. No Spin-Rite. No error checking. When drives show ANY sign of physical failure I stop the job. The worst that can happen is that I tried, they paid nothing, and then they go pay $1,500 at Staples.

Oy. I feel like the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz, I need a brain.

My apologies. I was responding to posts that Appletax made, not you. I'll try to get my eyes pointed in the correct direction now.

Can I chalk this up to two S.O.B computers I had yesterday?

Again, sorry.

Rick