Data Recovery FAQ

How Long Will It Take To Recover My Data?

This is impossible to answer until we are able to actually analyze the drive and evaluate the extent of the damage. We avoid marketing to most people's sense of urgency, since that can often lead to promises that just cannot be kept. We try to complete each job as quickly as possible. There's nothing worse than saying "we will have it done in 2 days" and then run into problems that require more time to resolve. Some drives are able to be recovered in as little as one day, others can take weeks depending on the availability of parts and the recovery methods required. On average, recoveries take anywhere from 3-7 business days.

What Will The Recovery Cost?

Data recovery costs vary greatly depending on a number of factors: the size of the drive, type of failure, and file system are just a few of the factors taken into consideration. RAID configurations are taken on a case-by-case basis and can cost many thousands of dollars to recover.

We don't get into price wars, but we will do what we can to work with you on your recovery. Data recovery is a specialty and it requires skilled technicians working long hours to complete a single job. If you are having open-heart surgery, you probably wouldn't shop around for the cheapest doctor, you just want to know the job is going to be done right. It's the same thing with data recovery.

How Can You Make A 100% Guarantee?

It's simple, we don't charge for data you don't need. So if you aren't happy with the files we have recovered, then there is no charge. You simply pay for the shipping and we return your drive to you.

Do You Ever Charge An Evaluation Fee?

We never charge evaluation fees. We don't believe in charging our customers just to tell them their hard drive is broken. Our evaluation process consists of a brief analysis of the drive in order to determine what type of hard drive failure has occured..

What Are The Types Of Hard Drive Failure?

There are really two primary forms of failure in a hard drive, logical and physical. Logical failures are usually a result of file-system corruption. Typical symptoms involve the computer being stuck in a loop where it boots, starts to go into Windows, and then reboots itself. You may also get the "Blue Screen of Death". Additionally, you might also have a logical failure due to a virus, accidental deletion of key files or registry components, and in some cases even electro-static discharge. In most cases where a logical failure has occurred, the drive is still recognized by the system BIOS, but it will not boot. Your data should still be intact on the drive, even though it may appear to be inaccessible.

If the system BIOS does not detect the presence of the hard drive, then chances are a physical failure has occurred. Physical failures can result from a wide variety of causes. There are really two sub-categories for physical hard drive failures; mechanical and electronic. Mechanical failures usually result from a failure of the spindle motor. Spindle motor failure can result from excessive heat due to a bearing failure. The increased heat resulting from the bearing failure will expand the drive shaft and therefore seize the spindle motor. Suddenly, your drive will become inoperative. Occasionally, you will get a warning that something bad is about to happen. You may hear a loud whining, a grinding noise, even high-pitched screeches. If anything like this starts to occur, BACK UP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.

If your drive is making any unusual noises SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER AND DO NOT RESTART IT!

Another physical issue that sometimes rears its ugly head is an electronic failure. If you look at a hard drive you will notice a circuit board on the bottom. This board is basically the brains of the drive, and it is where the computer interfaces to the hard drive. An electrical failure can occur unexpectedly at any time. Even brand new hard drives are not totally immune to having electrical failures. Sometimes it's just a faulty component, sometimes it's improper installation (i.e. electro-static discharge, grounding out the board, damaging circuitry during installation). It's important to also keep your system clean and well ventilated, since excessive heat can damage the electrical components on the drive. If you have a system that is in a somewhat contained area, you may look at adding an additional 80mm fan to cool the internal components of the system, especially the hard drive. No other component of a computer works as much as the hard drive, and therefore it is vitally important not to overlook it when cooling issues arise.

How Is My Data Recovered?

One of the most often asked questions that customers ask is, "how do you get my data back?" Well, it's really not black magic or rocket science. It's just a matter of having the right tools and the knowledge necessary to know what to do, much like a surgeon performing heart by-pass surgery. Many prominent data recovery facilities have a large array of hardware, software and tools for recovering data.

Generally speaking when a hard drive is received by us, the first thing we do is evaluate it, and determine what recovery solution will be necessary. If the drive failure is a logical issue as mentioned earlier, then a scan of the drive will be performed to try and repair the file system corruption. Sometimes a partition can be repaired and the drive restored to the status that it was before the failure. If this is not possible, then a very low-level scan will be performed that essentially searches every sector of the hard drive for files. Once the files are located, they can then be copied to the media of choice, i.e. a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard drive. Logical recoveries can take up an enormous amount of time, especially if the drive is on the verge of physical failure. It's not uncommon to allow for one day of scanning and a day for recovering the found files.

If the drive has suffered a physical failure, then the recovery procedure is quite a bit more challenging. As mentioned above, there are really two sub-categories of physical failure; mechanical and electronic. An important element in recovering data from a physical failure is having the necessary parts to get the drive functioning again. Unfortunately with hard drives if you have a 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for example, then you will need another identical 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for salvaging parts. In cases where the electronic circuit board has failed on the hard drive, then you have to have the exact same circuit board on hand in order to retrieve the necessary circuit components for replacement. Many times you cannot even exchange circuit board for circuit board. These repairs generally require soldering skills and a thorough knowledge of electronics to be successfully completed. You will most likely hear "Class100 Clean Room" thrown around a lot when talking to data recovery professionals. Simply stated, a Class100 Clean Room maintains exceptional air purity, and contains less than 100 airborne particles larger than 0.5 microns in each cubic foot of air. This is vital in protecting sensitive internal components of hard drives. Anytime a hard drive is having an invasive procedure performed on it, a Class100 clean room or better is needed.

What About Data Recovery Software?

This is one area where you really do get what you pay for. Try to stay away from software in the $20-$60 range, since these utilities are generally very limited in what they can do. Also make sure that you NEVER and just to emphasize, NEVER EVER get data recovery software that writes anything at all to the damaged disk. You run the risk of overwriting data that may otherwise have been recoverable, but will be lost forever. If you are fairly computer savvy, then there are a few good data recovery software solutions available.

Can My Data Be Recovered?

In most cases the answer to this question is yes. We only get paid if we are successful at data recovery. Don't be misled by the advertised "success rates" of other companies. You can read our report "Choosing The Best Data Recovery Provider". We utilize powerful software, knowledgeable technicians and a host of specialized tools to complete each recovery effort. However, there are times when the data is just lost, either due to extensive damage to the platter or unavailability of replacement parts. No matter what, we give 100% of our attention to each and every drive we receive.