The History of Data Recovery

A Backup Article Contributed by Ashley Lister

The History of Data Recovery

Although data recovery must seem like a very modern issue, the first recorded need for this facility happened in the 1850s.

Charles Babbage began to work on his plans for creating the world's first computer in 1833. He spent many years working on plans (initially to improve on his Difference Engine) and the result came in 1956 with the completion of Babbage's Analytical Engine. This first computer operated on a system of punched paper cards (Jacquard Cards) and was a direct result of Babbage's collaboration with the translator and scientist, Ada Byron Countess of Lovelace.

The punched cards contained programming information for this prototype computer but, when of the cards became irreparably damaged, it soon became apparent to Babbage that a useful method of data recovery was required.

Paper Systems Continued to Be Used, from Sir Charles Wheatstone's Paper Streamers to the Paper Cards Herman Hollerith Used to Hasten Results of the Us Census, but Data Recovery Remained a Low Priority Because It Was So Difficult to Organize with the Paper Based Systems.

Herman Hollerith went on to found the Tabulating Machine Company, which later became known as International Business Machines (IBM). And it was at IBM where the first magnetic tape was used for data storage and data recovery.

When Ibm Introduced Storage Units with Removable Discs Data Recovery Became More Practicable. Nowadays the Maximum Storage Capacity of 2 Megabytes Sounds Woefully Inadequate but, at the Time, It Meant the Removable Discs Could Hold the Same Quantity of Information As 25,000 Punched Cards. around the Same Time a Lot of Use Was Being Made of Magnetic Tape, a Commodity That is Still Used in Some Backup Systems.

Floppy discs had become widely available by the 1970s. With improvements in the capabilities of hard drives and the consistency of communication speeds, the era of data recovery was advancing at an exponential rate.

In the 1980s data compaction software allowed computer users to make more efficient use of available space on their hard drives. This in itself was a gigantic leap for data recovery technology, allowing backup files to be condensed and stored safely away from site. With the evolution of CD drives, zip drives and other removable storage media, users were provided with the safety net of reliable and cost effective backup mediums.

Since the 1990s Data Recovery Has Become Available to Everyone. CD-Writers and CD-Rewriters are Easy to Use and Low on Consumable Costs. for Those with a Larger Capacity Requirement DVD-Writers and DVD-Rewriters Provide Facilities to Store More Than 4 Gigabytes of Backup Information.

And, since before the beginning of the current millennium, companies offering remote backup facilities have offered online data storage and data recovery. With the aid of a simple internet connection, gigabytes of information can now be stored on dedicated servers to prepare against unforeseen circumstances.

Which all goes to show that data recovery has advanced a long way since the days of Charles Babbage, Lady Lovelace and the clumsy system of punched cards.