When a computer drowns, they suggest putting the hard drive in a sealable plastic bag, water and all, and shipping it to them. Allowing it to dry could leave deposits on the cylinder. Trying to restart the computer after it has been wet could cause additional damage. One company that takes a different approach is Ontrack. It has free software, called Data Advisor, available on its Web site.
People can use it on a disk to boot their computers.
The software will check to see if there is a hardware or software problem. If it is a software problem, users are told to call Ontrack. The company sets up a modem connection to Ontrack's server, where one of its engineers will fix the problem remotely for a fee. That method saves time and the hassle of shipping hard drives, said Mike Burmeister, Ontrack's director of data recovery. Crashes just happen, said Burmeister, who added that some computer disasters are caused neither by human error nor natural disasters.