Have you ever accidently deleted a file off your computer and emptied the recycle bin just to go dohhh.  I am going to show you some great free tools that you can use to recover you files, I would call this your first line of recovery.  Don't carry it to some computer service for this, try it yourself!   I have listed the software in order of which I would try, so see what you think maybe it will save you some $$ on data recovery!

1st Program
               Recuva,  - pronounced "recover" is a freeware utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Windows Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses! Like all other Piriform products including CCleaner, Recuva is free for both commercial and personal use. More info here

2nd Program 
            UNDELETE 360 is one of the best programs to use for restoring accidentally or unintentionally deleted files from your computer, regardless of storage medium.  Built on a very fast and efficient algorithm, the program will browse, search, and recover files that have been deleted as a result of an accident, a virus, or software and computer failures.  Undelete 360 can recover files deleted from computer hard drives, USB/thumb drives and memory sticks, the memory cards used in cameras, smart phones, and other devices, pen drives, and more. The program supports both file recovery and folder recovery. Best of all, Undelete 360 is 100% freeware: No ads, no beg screens, no time or feature limits. It is completely free for you to use and enjoy.

3rd Program:
            TestDisk & PhotoRec 6.13 is a free data recovery utility. It was primarily designed to help recover lost data storage partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally erasing a partition table). TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a corrupted drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis.

TestDisk has features for both novices and experts. For those who know little or nothing about data recovery techniques, TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a non-booting drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis. Those more familiar with such procedures should find TestDisk a handy tool in performing onsite recovery.

PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost files including video, documents and archives from Hard Disks and CDRom and lost pictures (thus, its 'Photo Recovery' name) from digital camera memory. PhotoRec ignores the filesystem and goes after the underlying data, so it will still work even if your media's file system has been severely damaged or re-formatted.

Today Microsoft announced the availability of Windows Server 2008 Foundation. For small businesses with 15 or fewer users, Windows Server 2008 Foundation puts the reliability, security and manageability of the Windows Server platform within the reach of all businesses at an affordable price. This entry level server gives small businesses access to a core portfolio of IT resources, including file and print sharing, remote access and security. Windows Server 2008 Foundation will be available worldwide beginning in 40 countries in seven languages.

Windows Server Foundation can grow along with your businesses, providing the ability to upgrade to a higher-capability edition of Windows Server as needed. Easy availability of skilled manpower, compatibility with most hardware devices, and the peace of mind gained from running a genuine Windows-based server helps you achieve the highest return on investment.

Nine of out 10 critical bugs reported by Microsoft last year could have been made moot, or at least made less dangerous, if people ran Windows without administrative rights, a developer of enterprise rights management software claimed Tuesday.

BeyondTrust, which touts its Privilege Manager as a way for companies to lock down PCs, tallied the individual vulnerabilities that Microsoft disclosed in 2008, then examined each accompanying security bulletin. If the bulletin’s “Mitigating Factors” section, the part that spells out how to lessen the risk of attack or eliminate it entirely, said that users with fewer rights “could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative rights,” BeyondTrust counted the bug.

The vast majority of critical Microsoft vulnerabilities — 92% of them — could have been mitigated by stripping users of administrative rights, said John Moyer, the CEO of BeyondTrust. “This speaks to what enterprises should be doing,” Moyer said. “Clearly, eliminating administrative rights can close the window of opportunity of attack.”

Of the 154 bugs published and patched by Microsoft in 2008, critical or not, 69% would have been blocked or their impact reduced by configuring users to run without administrative rights, said the company.

Continue At Source

On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta will be available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is going to be available download-only (we’re not sending out physical media) and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta.

i hope to download it… least a legit one!

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