In my early days with the whole new world of computers(internet came much later), there was a lot of stuff running ‘behind the scenes’, which i was completely unapprised of.

I only knew that i have to wait a couple of minutes after i power on the CPU and my computer will be ready to operate afterwards. I was not really interested what was happening before i could see my Windows wallpaper as my real interest was computer games, movies  and other stuff.

I also admit that computer problems used to be so frequent to my PC that i had to ring my PC hardware expert almost every month, to fix some issue or the other.

Then came the first worst moment of my PC: my harddisk crashed. I was unable to boot my PC and everything went blank. After the diagnosis done by my so-called computer expert, i was told that the ‘harddisk crash’ can’t be undone, implying all my stored data(songs, movies, softwares and most importantly games) are no more.

Since then, i started exploring myself (BIG thanks to all those IT forums on web that helped) what really happens behind the scenes before we get on to functioning Windows OS. Not only that, i learned all the basic Nitty-gritties, such as installing the windows myself, experimenting with Linux, digging into system files, messing up with FDISK etc. All those early stints of mine caused me quite a trouble but as i preferred doing the primary troubleshooting myself, i learned quite a lot.

Today, when i look back into my Windows 98 days, i realize that the tech world has thoroughly transformed. The systems are far more user-friendly, more efficient(hence much lesser problems) and most importantly, we now have the blessings of  information-rich World Wide Web, for querying just about anything one needs to know or enquire about.

As i live on the web as a tech blogger today, i can certainly suggest some basic tips for avoiding or counter-acting a situation when you can’t even boot your computer or when your system shows some scary error. I have given relevant references for detailed reading on the suggestions.

1. Don’t mess with critical stuff like BIOS, System files and FDISK utility, if you don’t really know what you’re doing. In case, you just want to experiment things with your PC, better save your data on a partitioned drive where the Operating System is NOT installed. Conventionally, it’s Drive C where OS is installed so keep your data on some other drive, not C. In case of any issues, you can simply reinstall the OS. This won’t effect your saved data on other drives. For more info, go through How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data

2. Go Safe mode: ‘Safe mode’ is an alternate way to load Windows OS, when the normal boot doesn’t happen due to some issues. It’s specifically meant to troubleshoot the problem causing OS misbehaviour. For more details, i suggest reading Safe Mode description on HowStuffWorks

3. Try Debugger : Many users might feel a little hesitant about using Debugger, presuming it to be too geekish but that’s assured that it can serve as great saviour in troubled times. For getting more details about its utility and usage, you may go through this article on NetworkWorld.

4. Try out Do-it-yourself HardDisk recovery tips: As i said earlier, web is full of information about any problem you come across. In case of harddisk crash, you can try your fortune with Harddisk recovery tips and tricks, spread over the web. Here’s an example.

5. Contact Hard Drive Recovery expert: If you find no suggestion mentioned above working out in your specific case, the highly recommened solution to sureshot data recovery is getting it done by a field specialist. While exploring some field experts in Data recovery, i stumbled over a PC World Article About DTI, a Hard Drive Recovery company, that specializes in this field and has recovered critical data for elite customers such as Cisco, Ford Motor Company, Campbell’s Soup, NASA, United States Army among hundreds of others.

Specially if you’re a startup or a company that maintains huge customer/consumer info, data criticality actually multiplies and you never know when a need for Harddrive Repair may arrive.

Apart from protecting user/system data, another critical aspect for IT oriented businesses is effective management of IT infrastructure. Whether it is about deploying new hardware while opening up new branch office or about using computer liquidation services while relocating to a new location, right asset management holds utmost importance.

While most business owners take a conservative approach before buying new computer hardware for their staff, they ignore the importance of liquidating their existing IT infrastructure in a profitable manner. There are plenty of Computer Liquidators out there, which offer great deals to businesses for liquidation of Computer hardware, IT Asset management, Data destruction etc. in a profitable manner.

Hence, it is always wise to liquidate your IT assets in a profitable manner rather than just dumping your old computer hardware, which brings zero returns to the business owners.