What is a data recovery, and why do I need it?

A data recovery is a procedure to recover information from a failing or failed hard disk. Data is stored magnetically on the disk surface, which spins between 4200 to 7200 revolutions per minute, depending on your drive. The polarity of magnetic particles on the disk represent binary numbers - zeros or ones.

A failure means that the disk is unable to read some of the magnetic information stored on the surface. This can occur because of two primary reasons:

  1. A surface defect renders a section, called a cluster, unreadable. This can be due to heat or normal manufacturing defects.
  2. A mechanical failure: The read/write head is stuck, or a bearing in the drive has frozen. Often the result of a physical shock.
Recovery is typically necessary if:
  1. You hear abnormal "clicking" noises.
  2. Your computer is abnormally slow, and it is not due to spyware, fragmentation, or low memory
  3. Your computer freezes occasionally, but you can still move the mouse.
  4. You see a registry error, or unmountable boot volume error
  5. Your system won't start period.
  6. Disk scans reveal errors, or event logs indicate read failures
During the data recovery process, physical and softare methods are used to retreive data on the affected disk. This works whether or not your operating system (Windows/Linux/Mac/Other) can recognize the disk. As always, the earlier the problem is detected and the drive brought in for recovery, the better.

What does a hard disk look like?


This is an actual hard disk running, after I performed a recovery on it. This drive could no longer spin, requiring me to open the drive up, a procedure normally not necessary. This is a 2.5" notebook disk.

A drive is made of a spinning platter coated with a magnetic medium, and a read/write head that moves accross the surface. Data is stored in sectors. The "clicking" you hear during normal operation is the movement of the read/write heads back and forth. They can move to most locations on the disk in less than 12ms.

How long does a typical recovery take?

97% of all recoveries are performed overnight. You will have your data by the next day. In some rare cases, extensive damage or scheduling circumstances will delay the return of your data. However, most cases permit a prompt return time. I can also accommodate same-day recoveries, hardware and schedule permitting. You will need to meet me at my place of residence to retreive your drive and data in this case.

What kinds of drives can be recovered?

The following is a list of officially supported drives:

  1. Internal notebook and desktop hard disks
  2. External hard disks (3.5" and 2.5", other sizes such as 1.8", etc. also acceptable)
  3. Flash-memory-based drives (e.g. "Thumb" drives or "key" drives.)
  4. Floppy disks (3.5"). Yes, believe it or not, still supported. The fee is $15 for floppies.
  5. Other special media upon request.
The following formats are officially supported:
  1. NTFS (e.g. Windows 2000 and up)
  2. FAT32 (e.g. Windows 98 and up)
  3. FAT12 and FAT16 (e.g. DOS)
  4. HFS and HFS+ (MacOS)
  5. ext2, ext3, etc. (Linux)
  6. ISO-9660 (CD-ROM)
  7. Many other formats exist, and may or may not be supported depending on circumstance.
  8. Don't know your format? No problem. Chances are very high I can recover your data.

Can you recover deleted files and formatted volumes?

Yes. The recovery fee is still the same, regardless of the amount of data.

What do I need to give you?

You can do whatever is comfortable. I typically only need the hard disk. If you're comfortable removing it yourself and want to hold onto your computer, you are free to do so. For notebook cases, I typically remove the hard disk as soon as I meet you and leave you with the computer. Otherwise, I'd be happy to take the machine itself. I don't need any power cords, monitors or accessories.

How do I contact you or schedule a recovery?

Simply click on the "Home" button at the top-left. Enter your information, as much as you know, into the web form. You will be presented with my phone number, which is nine three seven, three six one, four zero two one (not given numerically to avoid spam).

What do I do with a failed drive? What about sector repair?

A failing disk typically needs to be replaced. While certain solutions, called sector repairs exist, these typically won't work in the long run. A failure usually continues to worsen over time - sometimes worsening overnight, other times taking years to show. A sector repair/low-level format is not a reliable way to fix a drive. Many hard disks commercially available actually have almost twice their indicated capacity, because defective sectors always exist upon manufacture requiring "spare" sectors for internal use. Your drive will typically automatically move data in "bad" sectors to good sectors on its own, to a certain extent. I can help you replace the drive if needed.

What are the terms of the recovery?

For a cost of $50 per hard disk, unless stated otherwise, you will receive a full copy of all your retreivable user data. I will do my best to recover each and every file that belongs to you. In cases of extreme damage, some files may no longer be recoverable. This is a very rare occurrence. Most files with read errors are still completely recoverable.

In addition to the copy of your data, I will maintain a stored copy of your data on my workstation for one month from the recovery date incase your media fails. Should you need another copy, you will not be charged.

In the case that the drive needs to be opened for a "last-ditch" attempt, I will inform you before doing so. Upon your consent, I will do all I can to retreive your data before the drive stops functioning. However, by doing so, you agree not to hold me responsible for the inevitable damage that will result from opening a drive. Only about 5% or less of all the drives I receive need this procedure.

In the very rare case that I am unable to recover a file of critical importance, you will not be subject to the recovery fee. However, I must be informed exactly what file(s) are of such importance before beginning the recovery procedure.