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Data Recovery

Data recovery is the process of extracting data from broken hard disk drives. The problem can be one of a list of problems but most fall into the following categories.


1. Logical Problems: You may have accidentally formatted your disk and can no longer access your data. Other problems are not so obvious.. Virus attack, file system errors, deleted files, etc. Data Recovery from media that have logical problems can usually be recovered with commercial software. However, some computer virus attacks can encrypt the files meaning that a data recovery service will be required.

2. Electronics Problems: These problems can be caused by power spikes, static electricity (ESD), overheating or simple component failure. On most modern hard disks it is not possible to replace the circuit board as they have unique information stored in ROM or EEPROM. Data recovery from drives with electronics problems will need expert help.

3. Firmware Problems: The symptoms for a firmware problem vary from one drive to another, usually the drive appears to power up without making any unusual noises but are not recognised by the computer or show unexpected identification information - for example, the old Maxtor Slimline drives would show as N40p, ARES, Calypso, etc. Repairing hard disk firmware requires tools that allow access to the factory zone of the hard disk and a knowledge of what has gone wrong and how to fix it. The factory zone of a hard disk contains critical information required for the hard disk to run correctly and so any errant changes will result with a totally inaccessible hard disk or at best, corrupt data. Our engineers are fully conversant with all modern hard disk firmware and can repair them safely.

4. Bad Sectors:  These are one of the most common problems facing data recovery engineers. Areas of the hard disk become inaccessible and often make the drive hang. They can stop a computer from booting, make files inaccessible and cause a whole range of problems. We use specialist hardware and software to regain access to the bad sectors, some of the work involves examining defect lists in the firmware zone to determine the extent of the media problems and image around the bad sectors first. Then the bad sector areas are read to recover as much data as possible. Bad sectors can make a recovery job longer than normal but usually the vast majority of the data is recoverable by skilled engineers.

5. Head Crash: One of the worst things that can happen to a hard disk. But not always a disaster, we have the technology to image individual surfaces of a drive so if the head crash has only affected one surface then we are able to image the other heads first, then image the good areas on the damaged surface. In some cases though, recovery is not always possible - if the extent of the damage encroaches into the firmware zone and is not repairable or the damage is so severe that the other surfaces are contaminated, then recovery becomes more difficult.All internal work needs to be done in our clean-room so this type of recovery is more expensive than the above types of recovery.

6. Motor Spindle Seizure: This is a common problem and usually happens after a drive has been dropped. It is the most expensive data recovery service because of the amount of work and the equipment needed to recover the data. In order to resolve the problem the entire hard disk needs disassembly in particular the platter stack needs removal and realignment is the major issue during reassembly. Over the years we have designed and made our own platter removal equipment as commercial products have become redundant with new technologies used in modern hard disks. The equipment is the result of many years of development and gives us one of the best recovery rates in the trade for drives with motor spindle seizure.

More information about our Data recovery services

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