From:	SMTP%"leichter@lrw.com" 16-MAR-1995 21:41:27.93
To:	EVERHART
CC:	
Subj:	RE: Data recovery from a crashed disk

From: Jerry Leichter <leichter@lrw.com>
X-Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: Data recovery from a crashed disk
Message-ID: <9503090241.AA19410@uu3.psi.com>
Date: Wed,  8 Mar 95 21:33:58 EDT
Organization: Info-Vax<==>Comp.Os.Vms Gateway
X-Gateway-Source-Info: Mailing List
Lines: 43
To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com

	Does anybody out there know of a company that does data  recoveries
	from crashed disks? In this case, a dead RA81 from  a very old
	MicroVax II running VMS. I would prefer a company  local to the Bay
	area (Santa Clara?), but any leads would be good.

	Apparently, the backups on that computer were haphazard (no, not our
	responsibility, but now we have to pick up the pieces), and some
	important test programs were lost. No paper copies either. =:-(

	(the manager of the group just came by and said that cost is not an
	"issue". The amount of work lost was a bit more then previously
	thought. We'll see how much they really spring for)

	The FE that came in to replace the disk wasn't sure as to the
	"recoverability" of the disk, but we are willing to give it a try.

	Any leads or helpful ideas?

Forget about "local to the Bay area".  You're looking at an expensive job that
will take experts and time - the money and time lost in shipping the HDA off
to anywhere in the country will be lost in the noise.

I have no personal experience with anyone in this business, but a recent D&NR
has ads from two companies:

	Ontrack Data Recovery:	MN 800 872 2599
				CA 800 752 7557 (might even be local!)

	Advanced Data Recovery:	800 301 3282  [800 301 DATA - clever, no?]

Both, according to their ads, special in DEC equipment (but then again, this
is the audience these ads are going to be seen by), and both offer 24 hour
service.

Good luck, and let us know what happens!  I'm sure others will be able to
learn from your experience.  (BTW, I once recommended that a client with a
dead RA81 contact a data recovery service - I think they went with ADR,
but I'm not sure.  In their case, the disk was unreadable - but it had been
logging increasing errors - which were ignored, just as the need to do *any*
backups had been ignored - for quite some time.  I gather that in the case of
a head crash, you can usually get most of your data back.)

							-- Jerry
