If your business was affected in the recent Southern California wildfires, data recovery company  DriveSavers wants to help. DriveSavers is offering $500 off data recovery services to victims of the disastrous California wildfires. The company says they can help recover digital photos, financial records, address books, passwords, personal files and other important data from your computer's burned hard drive. In addition, DriveSavers is offering additional discounts and support through their network of over 150 computer service providers in the region. "We’ve recovered thousands of burn-related hard drives that looked unrecoverable," said Scott Gaidano, president of Drive Savers. "By working with our network of computer retailers and consultants in the area, we can help people in this region get their data back."

If your computer has been damaged, DriveSavers recommends you give them a call at 1-800-440-1904 to find out how they can help you. In the meantime, follow these tips for the best chance at recovering your data:

• Do not attempt to power up a smoke-damaged or burned hard drive.
• Do not attempt to clean the hard drive.
• If the computer is wet from fire hoses, remove the wet hard drive. Do not use the drive; place it in a plastic bag with an airtight zip closure.
• If the drive is "sealed" in a melted computer, leave it intact and send the entire system to DriveSavers. 
• Keep in mind there may be live electrical cables at the site of your computer. Talk to your local fire official to be sure your area is safe before removing your computer drives.