You should never install any new software on a hard drive that you suspect requires data recovery. What will happen during the installation is that some of the drive sectors that contained your data to be recovered are going to be overwritten. We strongly recommend against using programs such as Checkdisk and other utilities that will reduce or even prevent your chances to recover. Call us immediately with more information about the problem and we can assist you recover your data.
What can cause the drive to fail?
There are multiple reasons for hard drives to fail. The most common one is aging. Since the drive has moving parts such as a motor, platters with data, and heads that are reading and writing, the odds of the drive failure will increase as time goes by. In addition, other factors such as power surges, bumping the computer, and electronic board firmware getting corrupted can all cause what looks to the user as drive failure. In order to for you to know what the problem is, we recommend that you contact us for diagnostics of the drive. When problems happen – the sooner we get to see the drive, the greater the odds are for recovery.
What operating systems can you recover data from?
We work on all operating systems. The most common ones are Windows, Apple OS, and Linux.
Will I be contacted before any major work is done and get a quote?
Yes. After we receive your drive and run diagnostics we will be able to tell you what is necessary to recover the data, and provide you with an estimate.
How can I prevent data loss?
Most important – DO NOT PANIC. Often times we hear stories about what starts as a simple drive problem, turning into a disaster. We have seen cases were clients found YouTube fix-it-yourself videos and further damaged their own drives using tactics such as freezing the drive, kicking the drive, and turning the power on and off many times with the hope it will come back to life. Avoid all of these devastating procedures. The one thing that you want to do is to call our Data Recovery Experts and describe the situation you have. We will be able to help you recover your data. If anything – consider turning the power off to the computer until you get an expert on the line to assist you.
Which backup method should I use?
We like to say that you want to have your Plan B, and Plan C in place when we refer to backup. What we mean is that you want to have your original data on a local external backup, which you rotate (Plan B), and also have it online with a reliable and secure company. It’s very important to test your restore procedures from both backup systems.
Is one hard drive better than the other?
After many years of working with many drive manufacturers we must say that ALL hard drives will fail. It is only a matter of time and circumstances before it will happen. We personally prefer to work with Western Digital and Seagate Drives as they are the bigger players in the market and invest more in their research, testing and development.
Should I try to recover the data myself?
Would you consider doing a heart surgery on a family member if you are not a certified doctor? If you are very qualified, have the right tools, the right experience and willing to take a chance on your own data – you may consider that. If you are asking for solid advice – let the experts take care of your data recovery if it has any value to you. Most data recoveries are complex, and once you have the drive worked on by the inexperienced tech, it can lead to permanent damage to the drive and loss of data.
What is a computer virus and what does it have to do with data recovery?
A computer virus is a piece of code or program that replicates itself inside your computer and has damaging effects on your system. There are few famous recent viruses that as part of their payload will either hide your entire documents and directories, and in a worse case with the Ransom Crypt virus – they will encrypt all the data on your drive, and demand a ransom payment in order for you to decrypt back your data files. This is a complex topic that requires that you stay vigilant and follow best security practices to avoid the infection. If you did get infected, and you are missing data files – call us at once and we can help you recover your data.
Can you help me in cases of accidental or malicious erasure of files by a virus?
Yes we can. Often times the data files are still on your hard drive, and are not seen at the directory level. We have special tools that will allow us to recover the data. The most important part is to NOT install any new programs on the new drive, and call us at once to get the recovery process started. As time goes by, Windows OS and other process will write new data to the drive overwriting your important data that was deleted.
What should I do?
Call us or email us. We can help you take care of the data recovery. All that you need to do contact us to get expert, friendly service from our professional engineers that worked with thousands of clients. We will take care of the recovery of your important data.
What should I do if my drive is making a noise?
When hard drives make clicking, scratching or another mechanical noise – it is your first indication that something has gone really wrong. The best thing you can do is turn the power off to prevent further damage to the drive. Call us at once, and we will provide you with instructions on how to get the data recovery process started.
How can I make sure not to damage my drive when I remove it?
It is important that you remove the power from the back of the computer, or remove the battery if it is a laptop. If you are able to open a computer case and remove the hard drive (this requires some basic tech skills) you might be able to remove the drive. If you had never opened a computer before, it will be best if you ship the entire computer to us to avoid further damage.
What is a class 5 ISO Clean Room Cabinet Work Enclosure?
In order for us to work on open drives we use special equipment – A Clean Room Cabinet. It protects the process by utilizing a vertical laminar flow pattern and dual-stage filtration system that delivers positive-pressure, purified air through a pre-filter and main filter. The main filter is typically either a HEPA or ULPA filter depending on the efficiency desired. The HEPA filter is up to 99.97% efficient on particles 0.3 microns and larger, while the ULPA filter is up to 99.9995% efficient on particles 0.12 microns and larger.
Using this technology we can limit exposure to any dust particles or other contaminants while recovering your data.
How do I ship or get my hard drive to you?
Contact us first – by email or phone. We can provide you with shipping materials if you don’t have them. We want to make sure that the hard drive is well protected during shipping. The drive MUST be shipped via UPS or FedEx – we recommend against sending it via regular mail.
How do I track my case?
Email is the best way. We keep you posted when your drive arrives. After we run diagnostics and know what is required to repair the drive, and the condition of the data, we will let you know the status of your case. We will also contact you when we have completed the repair and the data is on the way back to you. Our goal is to keep you in the loop at all times and informed.
Is there a fee to diagnose the drive?
Yes – it is $75 for a hard drive. Expert engineers cost time to do great work. We believe that in order for you to get professional diagnostics of the drive there is a need for technical work to be done to evaluate the problem. This amount is part of the overall repair, so once you approve the repair we complete the recovery and it is not an add-on expense. In the event that you choose not to recover the data – there will be a charge of $75.