The black box of the crashed space shuttle Columbia, thousands of FBI investigation cases, the great flood in the Czech Republic, wanted gangsters – these are examples of cases solved by data recovery specialists just in the 20th century, and the history of the data recovery industry dates back to 1985. This does not mean that attempts to recover data were not made earlier.
The first case of data recovery
The oldest case of computer data loss is associated with the discoveries of Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace. In 1833, Babbage began work on creating the first computer. This invention, known as the Analytical Engine, became the basis for the construction of modern computers. In the autumn of 1841, he presented a programmable calculating machine at a seminar in Italy. Ada Lovelace, one of the most brilliant mathematicians of that time, became interested in the presentation. Lovelace and Babbage developed a system for programming the device using Jacquard punch cards. Before one of the machine’s presentations, Babbage inserted a card incorrectly and it was damaged. Recreating the recorded program from the destroyed medium onto another card, despite many attempts, proved impossible. This first case of data loss led to the improvement of the information recording process and the search for more effective methods that, among other things, would allow for easy data recovery in the event of loss. With the development of data storage technology, an entire field of knowledge emerged dealing with the recovery of lost data. Unlike the first unsuccessful attempt at data recovery, today in most cases, electronic information can be recovered.
Human – the greatest threat to data
21 years ago, three Americans were the first in the world to start providing data recovery services by founding a company called Ontrack. No one realized then that humans pose one of the greatest threats to data.
The article comes from the magazine “e-Fakty” 3/2006.