CBL To Recover Data During Olympic Games

CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. (CBL) informed athletes, journalists and tourists traveling to the Beijing Olympic Games with laptops and digital cameras should they be unable to access their data or photographs that the devices can be taken to CBL’s Beijing laboratory for data recovery. An English-language hot line has been established for international guests who encounter data loss.

Journalists attending the games may neglect to backup their laptops as they rush to file stories to meet deadlines. Athletes and tourists may upload photographs of their trip to China to their laptops. However, these laptops may experience exposure to extreme temperatures, liquids, power surges or mishandling during the daily commute to sports venues resulting in physical damage to the hard drive and possible data loss.

USB thumb drives used for backups and memory cards from the digital cameras also can suffer accidental damage thus preventing access to the information on them.

Bill Margeson, President of CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. counsels anyone who cannot access files on their laptop or if it is making strange noises: "Turn off the laptop immediately and don’t attempt to install or reinstall software which could overwrite the data on the hard drive. If you cannot view photos on your camera, remove the card, but don’t discard it. Images on flash and memory cards are recoverable."

CBL recommends:

• Backup your laptop to an external device, test and verify your backup and keep it in a secure location before leaving for Beijing.
• Invest in a sturdy laptop bag which provides support and protection for both your laptop and data.
• Use a power surge protector.
• Bring extra memory cards.
• Don’t pickup, move or agitate a laptop that is operational. Mobile doesn’t mean you should move it while it is running.
• Avoid placing beverages near your laptop. A beverage split on a keyboard can create accessibility problems, not just sticky keys.
• Backup files or photographs to USB thumb drives and store them separately while away.

"It’s not a matter of if data loss disaster will strike. It’s simply a matter of when," adds Margeson. "If your when occurs in Beijing, go to CBL’s lab where staff are available to assist. Or, when you return home, contact your local CBL facility."

CBL offers standard and emergency data recovery services at its Beijing facility located at 58 Sanlihe Road, Xi Cheng District. An English-speaking client service representative is available 24 hours a day at 136-5132-6444.

Since 2000 in a cooperative venture with the Chinese government, CBL and the Information Security Research and Service Institution of the State Information Center have operated a data recovery laboratory in Beijing. CBL also operates a service center in Shanghai, China’s commercial and financial center.