A simple, hassle-free process (from the time you receive your initial quote through the return of your data) with a set price quoted in writing prior to any work taking place. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. The entire sequence of events is detailed below; it represents how our whole hard drive recovery service operates regardless of what device comes onto the bench.
Before any work begins, you will have a fixed price quoted. In addition, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
What happens throughout the sequence of events (from when you ask for a quote through to when your files are returned) is described here.
Begin using our quote tool located online. Input details about your device and its fault, and an estimated price will be given to you immediately. This is the fastest method available for determining where you stand, with no obligation to take further action prior to sending your device to us.
Devices can arrive at our facility via one of two methods: you may either personally deliver them to our Guildford office, or you may send them insured via postal delivery. No collection service exists. Securely package your device so nothing inside the packaging moves during shipping. If you have a RAID or NAS unit, carefully remove the individual disk drives, and label each disk clearly as to which bay number they represent, but leave the controller and enclosure at home.
Once received into our facility, our engineers will assess your drive in order to identify what component(s) have caused the failure and what portion of your data we may recover. During assessment, your drive remains read-only behind a write blocker while our engineers review the SMART data, heads, service area, and file systems. At this point, a fixed written quote is generated (a customised quote for your particular job). Normally this quote will be issued within 48 hours. All billable activities cannot begin until after you approve the quote. Also, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
The recovery process begins with approval of the quotation after which the recovery commences as a read only sector by sector image of the drive (and any physical/firmware errors that exist are corrected first); bad sectors are skipped and revisited at the completion of the recovery process thus all the subsequent work is performed on a copy of the original, never the original. Thereafter, we rebuild file systems, reconstruct RAID/NAS arrays from their member disks or carve files directly where structure is lost. All recovery processes are conducted internally by our own engineers; your drive and data never leave our hands.
The recovered data will be returned to you by whatever method suits you best: either written to new encrypted media and posted back to you or available on our secure download service for immediate access. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. And when you do pay, it’s once that has happened and the data has been safely returned.
Regardless of what type of device or failure occurs, these remain constant.
A written quotation will always be provided to you before any chargeable work, thus estimates which can increase later and surprise charges on your final invoice do not exist.
All diagnosis/recovery work is handled exclusively by our own engineers.
Your data remains confidential from arrival through return. Additionally, only our own engineers will touch it during the recovery process.
In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. Some specialist cases require a deposit. However, this is always agreed with you prior to us commencing work.
You may obtain an instant estimate online. Alternatively, ring us and discuss your case first. Regardless of how you proceed you will know the price before we perform any work.