You went to turn on your computer and all you heard was a clicking sound; Windows wouldn’t load, and your local computer guy or company tech dude tried everything on it, but couldn’t do anything for you.. He recommended that you call a data recovery company.
You’ve got no idea what you’re looking for, what the data recovery companies do, or anything like that. What now?
There’s a lot of confusion among computer users and even some computer professionals about what data recovery is and how it works; many people equate it as synonymous with computer repair (not the case) while others have misconceptions as to how recovery is performed. Here are some common questions and answers associated with data recovery.
So what is data recovery?
Data recovery is basically the retrieval of data from a logically or physically failed hard drives. If your hard drive fails, and you didn’t back anything up, you may need data recovery. If you did back up, this is why; now, you just load your information over from your backup and you’re golden. However, many people don’t practice proper backup procedures, hence the need for the data recovery industry.
What types of media can be recovered?
Pretty much anything, although it depends on what happened to the media as to whether the recovery will be successful. Data tapes, compact discs, floppy disks, zip disks, and camera memory cards are all common types of media that data recovery companies deal with, but hard drives by far represent the largest number of data recovery cases simply because they’re more widely used than any of those other media for storage of critical information. Therefore, for the purposes of this article I’ll primarily discuss data recovery from hard drives, but if you’ve got another form of media that’s been damaged, a data recovery company can probably help you with that.
How is data recovery performed?
If your hard drive suffered a physical failure, the data recovery companies do whatever they can to get your hard drive into an operable condition and then they copy the data onto another drive. Sounds easy, but hard drives are incredibly complex machines that can fail due to a really large number of reasons. Highly trained data recovery engineers are extremely careful not to damage a drive during a recovery attempt, and take an incredible level of caution and attention to detail when dealing with specific problems on hard drives.
How much does it cost?
Lots. Data recovery is usually only pursued by companies and people who’ve lost priceless data because it’s so expensive; typical costs are around $1500 per drive, which can really hurt. However, the pricing does vary depending on the amount of damage; some drives are a lot less expensive, some more. You might want to try to get a free evaluation before you make the decision to go ahead with a recovery or not.
How long does it take?
That depends on how much you’re willing to spend. The cheapest services from a major data recovery companies take a week or two; faster treatment’s available if you absolutely need it, but be prepared to pay a premium for the privilege.
Can I recover my own data?
No. Many people try to recover their own data, using tricks like putting the drive in the freezer and opening the drive to reset the heads, but these methods very rarely work and if they actually do, it would be in a case that a professional data recovery company wouldn’t charge much for. The platters of a drive are really sensitive and can be permanently damaged by so much as a speck of dust. At the very least, a class 100 clean room is necessary for hard drive data recovery. Anyways, even if you could open the drive, it’s doubtful that you could fix and configure everything so that the drive spins up and works again.
Will my hard drive manufacturer cover the costs of data recovery?
Not usually, unless their support told you to do something that caused the drive to go down. There are disclaimers in every hard drive warranty telling you to back up your data, and unfortunately, the most they’ll do is give you some recommendations on where to go for the service.
What about my insurance company?
This could be a little more likely. If you think your drive may have crashed due to an electrical storm, or if it went down in a fire or a flood, your homeowners insurance might cover the costs of data recovery. You’ll have to contact your insurance representative and discuss the matter with them; if they do cover it, make sure that they’ll do so quickly so that you can send your drive in for work to begin.
Isn’t there a machine that can spin the platters up and read them?
That would be a hard drive. Unfortunately, there’s not any other technology that does that; there are so many specific codes and parts that have to be exactly right that a magical fix-all machine isn’t possible, at least not yet.
Does data recovery cost less if I only want a few files?
Not usually, because for physical drive problems it’s the same cost to the lab to recover one file or everything on the drive. They still have to do all of those physical recovery methods I’d mentioned, and mainly you’re paying for recovery time, so you’re out of luck if you’re looking to decrease the recovery fee this way.
The only thing you can really do to keep your costs down is not try anything on your hard drive; you’re only going to cause more damage. Do a lot of research and pick a good recovery company; this could be a crucial decision and you may not get another chance. Make sure the company doesn’t use any destructive methods and that they’ve got a clean room. Data recovery can be frightening, especially considering the price, but when your hard drive’s down, it’s really your only option. Read up, and good luck.
