Tech Bytes: CSI-level technology for free!Mike VernonData restoration software
It happens to professionals just like you every day. You click
"delete" and instantly shout "Oh no!"—or possibly something
stronger, because you actually need that file. Then there's a brief
moment of hope—maybe you can simply retrieve it from your
recycle bin. But when you open the bin, the bin is empty.
Where did that file go? More importantly, can you get it
back?
The challenge here is that most mortgage companies use network
drives to keep files on a local server. Unfortunately, when you
delete a file from a network drive, it does not go to your recycle
bin at all. Now, almost everyone has a computer guy who helped set
up his network, and the computer guy probably implemented a backup
system and assured you it would prevent files from being lost. But
most backups require you to stop and restore your system, and you
still lose any work done since your previous backup—including
that file you just accidentally deleted.
Sure, Gil Grissom from CSI could find a way to retrieve your
lost file, but you don't have the resources of the Las Vegas
CSI.
The good news is that Undelete Plus can help you retrieve most
files without spending a penny. This free software scans your
computer with Grissom-like efficiency, finding every file that's
been deleted—even from your recycle bin or from a network
drive. It lists all files and tells you which can be recovered. If
your computer has not overwritten the file, you're in luck. If it
has, well, at least you know you did all you could.
On the other side of the sleuthing spectrum, do you ever worry
about unauthorized individuals and organizations spying on your
computer history? You should—it happens all the time. Now, if
you're suspected of criminal activity, CSI—and other
investigative bodies—have the right, by law, and the
high-tech tools to search your computer files, operating system,
browser history, IP addresses, instant messages, geographic
information and so on. The problem is that similar tools can be
used by malicious hackers, disgruntled employees and acquaintances,
competitors, and those who are just too nosy for your own good.
Fortunately, there is a free tool to help you defend your privacy:
Tor.
Tor protects your personal communications and preserves your
anonymity as you surf the Internet. Using a large network of Tor
servers called "onion routers," it essentially makes computer
trails so complicated that it's impossible to track your steps.
This is the kind of thing that only Gil Grissom could explain, and
then most of us just say "huh?" But trust me, it works, and it
doesn't impact surfing speed or anything else.
When you watch CSI people talking about tracking and retrieving
computer information, you may think it could only happen on
television, but the technology exists. Get a little CSI-level power
today. For Undelete Plus, visit www.undelete-plus.com; for
Tor, go to http://tor.eff.org.
Mike Vernon is the Technology Committee co-chair for the
National Association of Mortgage Brokers, vice president of the
Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers and president of
FollowYourCustomer Inc. He may be reached at (877) 365-5692 or
e-mail
[email protected].
