By and large, when a computer file or
document is erased, deleted, put in the Recycling Bin or
Trashcan, all or part of it still remains on the computer's
disk drive. Even when it has been overwritten, most of the
time, there is something relevant to be found, given the
sheer size (billions of sectors!) and complexity of operating
systems such as Windows, Macintosh, and others.
Some of the things we have found include:
Emails that have been
deleted - on purpose and accidentally.
Files that had been
encrypted, and the key thrown away.
Files that had faked
dates.
Files that a series of data recovery houses couldn't
find.
Files that well-meaning
consultants or technicians have damaged or overwritten.
Databases on computers
that have been completely erased, reformatted and with
billions of bits of information reinstalled.
Files that were embedded
in programs designed by consultants who are long gone.
Evidence of sabotage
even when advanced data destruction programs have been
used.
Files from completely
scrambled computers.
Files from badly damaged
computers.
Giving expert testimony
in deposition and trial.
Files from a computer
that had a sledgehammer taken to it by a jealous spouse.
Files from computers
buried in sand, submerged in water, drenched in lattes
and martinis!
Files from computers
burned in fires, buried in floods, inundated with extinguishers.
Files from computers
mistaken for litter boxes by pets.
Files from computers
subjected to the same treatment by humans.
Files from more than
15,000 disk drives and other digital media.
