Nothing is forever. This particular lesson is reaffirmed in big and small ways; when a much beloved goldfish is given a watery burial down the toilet, when a fire destroys a home, and/or when vital data is lost through machine mishap or human error. Funny enough, it is also human assistance you must rely on when you need something fixed.
Data tape recovery is a slow, tedious, pain-staking process that can take weeks or longer. You are definitely in a sling even if you happened to back up your work and programs. Without any back-ups, you are with paddles and in a boat that is leaking badly. And the water is piranha infested. So, in other words, not at all a good situation.
All About The Data...
While recovery of data information from damaged tapes is possible, it can be easily avoided by those who heed the warnings and learn to back up their work. There is one "Sex and the City" episode where Carrie Bradshaw loses her life and more when her laptop suffers a permanent meltdown. She wraps it in an afghan and rushes to the nearest computer repair shop.
Data tape recovery was not the theme for that episode though; learning to trust and let others help you was the lesson for the New York grasshopper. But, the night does close with Carrie finally using her new zip drive. And she lets others help her out of her predicament. Anything you define as even remotely important, back it up. For computers, a zip drive is not very costly and so easy to use. And you can have the peace of mind that your work is protected in case of travesty.
Do-it-yourself data tape recovery is often more difficult if you are not exactly sure what you are doing. Time is always against you, but rushing any part of the process can make matters even worse. Perhaps the tape has gotten wet; sudden changes in temperature can negatively affect your efforts. Chemical and smoke damage is another problem that needs immediate and delicate attention.
Your best bet is to contact a company that specializes in data tape recovery, and get the damaged item to them as quickly as possible. Many companies offer twenty-four hour emergency service. So they can help you at any time when you need it. Your data may not be completely lost after all.
