Hard Drive Recovery

Hard Drive Recovery is a field in IT dedicated to recovering data from failed mass data storage devices and removable media. The recovery service may also include retrieving data from failed media such as USB memory stick, RAID array, camera media and various forms of electronic storage devices.

Service - No data, No Charge

Some of the best firms offer free advice and consultation services, including a guarantee of no charge if they are unable to recover any data, referred to as "no data, no charge".

Many recovery firms also provide a price promise of being the cheapest or refund the difference. Even better news is that since there are so many firms, the competition is fierce and therefore the service is generally very good. With the current economic climate, many good firms have dropped their prices and tend to offer special deals charging only for the data that they recover.

Software

If the BIOS can detect the drive, and you can hear it spin, then it may be a file system corruption.

There are some powerful programs available online that can repair corrupted sectors. A good freeware one is MHDD, which will move the data from damaged sectors to good sectors.

However, if the drive is dead or producing clicking noises then you need to use professional recovery services.

Do not repair yourself

The main thing to remember is to avoid the temptation to open the drive. The components inside the drive are very delicate and manufactured to fine tolerances. Simply opening the drive can cause more damage, and when you decide to take it to a recovery firm they may not be able to help, or even worse, the repair may cost more.

Some of the latest drives use the cover screws as part of the head stack assembly. Hence, simply removing the cover will cause the heads to lose alignment. Re-aligning the heads to their proper position would then require specialist equipment, and therefore more time and money.

Cost

It is very hard to value data. How do you value the precious photographs that you had, or your MP3 collection, or the book that you were writing.

I could have been a contender! If you were writing a book, you have no way of knowing if it was going to be a success, so how much should you be prepared to pay for data recovery?

The good news is that many of these firms are cheap, and the cost can be as little as £100. They are even able to provide a free quote and a list of everything that they are able to recover; hence, there are no hidden charges or surprises.

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