Data Recovery Digest

If your business relies on data stored on a computer — and in this day and age, that's just about any business going — operating without a rescue disk is playing with fire. A rescue disk can be a lifesaver if your system starts acting strangely, so it's something of a necessity for any technologically minded organization or individual.

Thankfully, creating your rescue disk couldn't be simpler because you can use downloadable software to help create one. Typically, you'll need to create a file in .iso format and burn that to a blank disk. This gives you a fresh version of your preferred OS to boot from in the case of disaster. Regardless of which particular OS your computer is running, there are plenty of programs to help you, like Hiren’s BootCD and The Ultimate Boot CD , to help you have a rescue disk available in a disaster.

Popular rescue disk options include packages prepared by enthusiasts, like those listed above, as well as professional-grade software like R-Drive Image. The choice is down to the individual, with considerations of pricing and reliability to be made in relation to the purpose of the disk and the setting that it's set to be used in. For home use, there's every chance that a free solution will do the job just fine; for use in a business environment, you might want to invest in the peace of mind that a professional product brings to the table.

In any case, it's crucial to have a rescue disk in place before it's needed. This is an insurance policy, of sorts — and you're liable to be caught short if you only begin taking action once the situation requires it. Setting up your disk is a relatively quick and easy procedure, but trying to deal with a computer that's suffering from an OS complaint is far from simple. Taking precautions ahead of time could save you a lot of frustration later on.

Hopefully you'll never have to use your rescue disk, but if the situation arises, it's typically quite easy to get things up and running again. You should have already used your normal antivirus software to see if that will solve the problems you're facing; if it doesn't, simply insert your rescue disk and reboot your computer from the disc drive. This will circumvent the OS installed on your computer and use the version that's present on the disc, dodging any issues with the OS that might be preventing your system from functioning normally.

From there, you can access the files and data that might have been locked away by the non-functioning OS. A PC repair or data recovery service might charge you a hefty price for carrying out such a procedure when you need it, and it could potentially cause you to be without your data for longer than you can handle — alternatively, with the foresight to have a rescue disk in place, you can be safe in the knowledge that you have an action plan should such a situation come to pass. Is operating without a rescue disk a risk that you and your business can willingly take?