Follow simple, device specific guidelines for what to do and what to avoid right now when a drive fails.
After a failure occurs, more data gets damaged than during the initial failure due to users continuing to operate the device normally. The best option available to you is to stop usage immediately.
Regardless of the type of drive you have, there are the same five actions that protect your data and your chances for complete recovery. Go through these actions prior to attempting anything else.
Every time you save files, take photos, or open applications, those operations can over-write data that may still be recoverable. Put the device away.
In the event your drive begins to click, beep or refuses to spin, shut off all power immediately. With every new startup of a failing drive, you increase the possibility of creating permanent damage.
Using recovery or ‘repair’ software on a physically failing drive simply keeps the drive operational but continues to pound weakened parts. This often turns a previously recoverable drive into a write-off.
Don’t freeze the drive; don’t crack it open and replace the circuit board; these and other such myths actually create damage to the device, which is often permanent.
Bring the drive in, or post it in and make sure it’s fully insured. Before any chargeable work is done, we will tell you specifically what can be recovered and at what price.
Choose the type of device you’re working with to view common symptoms, the dos and don’ts associated with that device, and our method of recovering that type of media.
Spinning hard drives can fail in two different manners: logical failure (data deleted/formatted/corrupted); physical failure (failed heads/dead electronics/seized motor). A logical failure leaves the mechanics working and typically allows for safer recovery while a physical failure requires bench work and improper handling could result in irreparable loss. Half the job is telling the two apart.
In-house we image fragile drives sector by sector to rebuild broken file systems. We also fit heads and parts from donor drives with matching specifications.
More on hard drive recovery →Unlike hard disk drives, solid state disks have no moving components therefore there are no clicks or grinding noises; they simply fail, typically suddenly and without warning. Common causes include firmware failures, controller crashes and ‘sudden death’. There are two significant differences between SSDs and traditional hard disk drives: TRIM, which erases files for good within minutes of deletion, and how charge fades over time when the SSD is powered off.
While working in technical mode, our experienced engineers can directly access NAND flash memory, rebuild translator tables and work at controller level to recover failed SSDs.
More on SSD & NVMe recovery →Remove the casing of an external drive and it is just another hard drive or SSD, so all of the above faults apply, plus two others: the small USB-to-SATA bridge that connects it, and the hardware encryption many enclosures add themselves. That encryption is the reason that removing the drive and reading the raw data tends to produce nothing but scrambled data.
Our in-house technicians can bypass dead interface boards, remove encryption applied to bridge-encrypted volumes and perform mechanical repairs such as head and motor replacements on dropped units.
More on external drive recovery →A typical USB stick consists of flash memory and a microcontroller in a single package. When these devices fail it is normally due to faulty microcontrollers or broken connectors rather than loss of memory containing user data. However, the microcontroller scrambles the contents of user data, making recovery specialist work and beyond what is possible via general-purpose repair utilities.
To restore your files, we access the raw memory chips either by physically removing them from the stick (known as chip-off), or accessing the individual testing pads within a single memory module (monolithic). Once we have accessed the raw flash, we build back up your files.
More on USB stick recovery →Two incidents most commonly corrupt a memory card: the card was pulled during the write process (either because you removed it from the camera, or the camera died), or the card was accidentally formatted in the camera. Both incidents typically destroy the metadata that points to where your images reside. However, the photos and videos themselves almost always survive. Therefore, the focus is to avoid overwriting them before they can be recovered.
We make an image of your memory card. Using that image, we extract your photos and videos based upon their unique identifiers (file signature). Then we rebuild your original directory structure across memory cards (XQD, CF, microSD, SD).
More on memory card recovery →Modern Mac computers present two significant challenges: APFS (Apple’s file system) can become corrupted after a failed update; and the T2 or Apple Silicon security chip encrypts your computer’s storage, which is soldered into the logic board on recent Mac models. When combined, these create an environment where the files on your computer are only accessible as files while the logic board is working, and only if you possess the key.
If you have a Mac equipped with a removable drive or Fusion drive, we can repair damaged APFS container structures, and open encrypted FileVault volumes provided that you provide us with your encryption key. As for Macs that have had their storage soldered to the logic board (T2/Apple Silicon models), these are projects that we are unable to take on.
More on Mac & MacBook recovery →If your Windows laptop or desktop PC won’t start up, there is probably no harm to your files. The question is whether this is due to a failure of the drive itself or simply a fault of your OS, and each needs to be treated separately. Mistaking a dying drive for a software problem results in loss of potentially recoverable data.
We will image your drive(s) and retrieve files from failing disk drives, regardless of brand (Lenovo, HP, Dell etc.), and failing solid-state drives (SSDs).
More on laptop & PC recovery →As RAID systems and NAS devices allow you to lose one hard drive and still continue to run, redundancy is exactly what they offer. However, a redundant system is not a back-up. Once a second hard drive has failed or when a rebuild or re-initialise process is started onto a hard drive that is also failing, things begin to get serious. The most terrible thing you can do is to rebuild or re-initialise a system onto a failing hard drive as you may overwrite the information that you are attempting to recover.
Each hard disk is copied read-only. Then, in software, we rebuild the stripe, parity and disk order and repair the file system regardless of who made the device.
More on RAID recovery →The least expensive recovery is the one you don’t ever need. Following a few simple procedures can help protect your data long before anything goes bad.
Always create three copies of everything that is irreplaceable. Use two different types of media for backups. Also, always keep one copy of your backups off site or in the cloud. Do not even think of using one lone hard drive as your “backup”.
A backup that you have never verified doesn’t count as a backup. It’s just a hope. Every once in a while, verify that some files open from it.
Constantly hearing unusual noises, having the system freeze constantly, files that won’t open and getting error messages saying that SMART has detected problems with your disk(s) indicate that something is going wrong with one of your disks. Immediately back it up and replace it before it completely fails.
Since TRIM wipes deleted files after only minutes, if you happen to delete an important file on your solid-state disk (SSD), take action right away. Never rely solely on a solid state disk as your only copy because they tend to lose charge over extended periods of time while powered down.
In order to prevent damage to your drives, ensure they remain cushioned, cool & dry. Turn them off before you move the devices, and prior to handling a bare board with no covering, remove static electricity from your body.
A surge protector (or better yet, use an uninterruptible power supply) for your computer and NAS device helps shield against spikes and loss of power which may cause corruption of files and harm components on your circuit boards.
There are many “quick fix” options available online that can do much more damage to a drive than good. The methods listed below are some of the top destructive actions we have seen damaging the most drives.
Every single recovery starts with a complimentary diagnostic in writing. We will let you know exactly what can be recovered from your drive and how much it is going to cost prior to us charging you for services. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data.