What to Expect from Data Recovery

What should you do when your hard drive fails?

If you are one of the unfortunate many who haven’t taken precautions with a backup, then you’re most likely going to need professional help. That’s especially true if the data in question is valuable and hard or impossible to recreate.

There are thousands of places in the world that attempt data recovery, from your tech-hobbyist neighbor to local computer repair shops to many different professional data recovery companies.

Just like any other profession, it’s not a level playing field. Prices, and capability, are all over the map.

In fact, as a pioneer of data recovery since 1985, DriveSavers has the most experience and the best resource for information on this subject.

Questions you should be ready to answer

1. What type of device or devices has failed?
2. What data would be important to recover? Do you know the specific types of files and the names of any folders/directories they are supposed to be in?
3. How and when did the failure occur? What were the symptoms?
4. What, if anything, has already been done to try and recover your data?
5. What is the storage capacity of the failed device?
6. What operating system was used with the device that failed?
7. Is the data time sensitive? Is there any specific deadline for returning the data?

How to Proceed

We’ve worked out much of the details over the years to help customers navigate this process.

In many cases, the first step toward recovery is a free evaluation. This no-cost checkup gives our data recovery engineers the opportunity to examine the equipment in order to determine recoverability and pricing.

• First, we physically examine the equipment to determine its condition and the recoverability of the contents.
• Second, we provide a firm price for the completion of the work, based on the details gathered in the evaluation process.

For protection, our engineers perform the evaluation in a Certified ISO Class 5 Cleanroom. This dust- and particle-free environment is crucial to protecting the device from airborne, microscopic contamination that could foul the drive and ruin chances for a good recovery.

We offer different turnaround options for evaluations depending on the needs of the customer and the service level they choose.

• With the Standard Service (1-2 business day turnaround), the evaluation is complete within 2-3 hours of receipt of the drive.
• Using the Economy Service (5-7 business day turnaround), the evaluation takes 2-3 days to complete.

Once information gathered in the evaluation is shared, customers are equipped to decide whether or not to move forward with the recovery. There is no charge if the customer declines the quoted data recovery price.