Retreive data AFTER server backup?

[LavenderLounge]

While fixing a database problem over the weekend, I seem to have lost 3 months of blog entries. My host, Webair, did their monthly backup while we were in the middle of fixing the problem. They don't save any prior backups.

Here's my question: Isn't there some sort of Data Recovery that could dig up data that has already been copied over?

Has anyone ever tried this or something like it:
http://www.data-recovery-software.ne...Recovery.shtml

[Xstr8guy]

Oh no! How awful! I knew this wasn't good just by reading the thread title. Good luck with finding a solution. If anyone can help, I bet Luke can.

[gaybucks_chip]

If they backed up over the previous backup (meaning on the same tape or hard disk) the , there really isn't much you can do.

It is *theoretically* possible to read past the current data, but it's incredibly complex and time consuming, you have to look at minute differences in the flux of the magnetic media -- you're talking FBI-level forensics and a lot of painstaking manual work -- and that would probably be in the tens of thousands of dollars, if it were even possible.

Is there any possibility there's another backup of the database containing the blog entries anywhere else, like maybe a script that backs it up locally on the server?

[LavenderLounge]

Thanks Chip,

The script that backs up the database was lost in the monthly server backup. The guy who was doing it for me didn't know my host did server backups. Another friend installed a backup software on my local computer, but didn't tell me I needed to leave it on 24/7, so it never made a backup either.

I even checked archive.org, and they don't archive anything from the current year.

We tried everything else, and the FBI-style data recovery was the last resort. I just wondered if anyone had ever tried it before.

[JustBryce]

Mark, I'm terribly sorry to hear about this. I don't have any advice. I just wanted to say that I emphatize and will hope for the best.

[Chilihost]

...did their monthly backup while we were in the middle of fixing the problem

Oh no, that is absolutely terrible luck. And like Chip says, you could probably get a recovery specialist in but their prices generally start at about 10K and go up quickly and don't guaranty that anything will come of it - so its not really a realistic solution.

Have you tried searching google and yahoo, most of the time they have pages cached and if you get there quick enough you might be able to find some data. Good luck!

cheers,
Luke

[LavenderLounge]

Chili:

I checked search engines like you suggested, and since the blog was down completely for almost a week, and the newest entries are lost forever, I'm pretty much starting from square one.

Thank you all for your concern, too. Without sounding like a charity case, if anyone is interested in exchanging some links, now would be the time!