rescue

Get your data back for FAT

Accidentally deleted your files? GetDataBack Data Recovery can track them down--for a price. It even works with corrupted drives and those not recognized by Windows. This version only recovers files from FAT drives, but it does offer a search tool for quickly locating a file by its date, name, or size.

If you suspect your actual disk is about to bite the dust, you can create a drive image to use during recovery. The utility can't make rescue discs, however, so if you want to do that, you'll need to build yourself a bootable Windows PE disc and … Read more

LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile now for Andriod--but why?

Added more details 2/12/09 at 10:15 AM PT.

Few see Google Android in its current state as a serious platform for business users. Like the iPhone, it launched without support for the Microsoft Exchange, so there's no native support for syncing to your Outlook calendar and contacts. Android also lacked a lot of native productivity tools to edit online and attached documents, a key collaboration requirement.

Yet this week, LogMeIn announced a version of its remote maintenance software for corporate IT teams and carriers that can support the Android platform. LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile downloads a small … Read more

GiftCardRescue protects you against failed companies

GiftCardRescue.com, a company that allows visitors to sell or exchange unused gift cards, announced Monday that it has instituted a new bankruptcy protection policy that will cover customers who purchase gift cards from the company's site.

"The current economic downturn is causing anxiety among consumers about whether a gift card purchased today will be redeemable tomorrow given the recent surge in bankruptcies by retailers," Kwame Kuadey, GiftCardRescue's CEO and founder, said in a statement. "This policy is to reassure our customers that their gift card losses from bankruptcy will be covered."

According to … Read more

Using an iPod to rebuild your music library

Last week some family members suffered a corrupted hard drive on their only PC. They had no backup. They're relatively light computer users--no online banking, no important business documents--but the lesson still hurts. Their e-mail contacts weren't too hard to recover--they simply called everybody they had regular e-mail contact with and told them to send an e-mail. Their digital photos are gone forever, unless emergency tech support courtesy of their son-in-law produces a miracle. And their music library?

That's one nice thing about having a large-capacity MP3 player: if you're lazy about backup, at least you … Read more

Make your own PC rescue disk

One of the worst feelings in the world is a computer that won't boot up. How can you fix a problem if you can't even access the hard drive? A good preventative measure is to create a rescue disk for your computer. Watch our video then head back here for the steps.

Your computer may boot up into a safe or recovery mode all on its own--which is great--but if the power's fine and the dang thing just won't boot, you need a rescue disk. If you still have Windows or Mac OS X, your install … Read more

Analyze your daily workload with RescueTime

If you've ever wondered how many minutes a day you spend using Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Gmail; or how much of your day is "wasted" by community Web sites such as Digg, Slashdot, or MetaFilter, a free application called RescueTime (also available for Mac) can track that information for you, while providing several other valuable features to monitor your time.

Monitoring productivity in the Internet age has become more complicated than ever, especially if you work online. E-mail, instant messaging, and multitasking keep many of us switching constantly between projects or contacts. RescueTime combines a local application … Read more

Avoid accidental killings with GoneIn60s

GoneIn60s is a neat little program that makes those Homer Simpsonesque "D'oh!" moments where you close Firefox instead of iTunes a thing of the past. Weighing in at a hefty 206KB, Gone keeps closed programs running in your RAM for an additional 60 seconds after you hit that tantalizing red X, just in case you hit the wrong one.

… Read more

When low-tech triumphs: a cave rescue

Three college students were rescued Sunday after spending two days in a narrow limestone cave under the streets of Austin, Texas.

What stands out to me about the rescue effort is that high-tech gear was of little or no use to the emergency workers.

Cell phones and even radios were useless in the underground complex. Rescue workers resorted--successfully--to a Vietnam-era phone system, thousands of feet of telephone cable, and glow sticks, according to an article in the Austin-American Statesman. And, oh yeah, just as important were the skinny rescue workers who were willing to subject themselves to the claustrophobia-inducing cave. … Read more

How to wear a Shuffle and not be a dork

Lest we forget, Apple still makes a few products other than iPhone, and some of them are actually pretty good for things like listening to music. Until now, though, we just didn't recommend attaching the iPod to one's head as a public service.

Monster's "iFreePlay" seems to have gotten it right, in our opinion, by using the lightweight Shuffle to rescue its wearer from fashion victimization. The $60 headphones have an iDock built into their wraparound design for easy access as well as wireless liberation, according to Tech Digest. So if you've already purchased … Read more