Services :: ADVANCED DATA RECOVERY

Can't get to your data? Hard Drive Failure? Freaking out?

Relax.

Let me guess. You've called around, only to discover that A) everyone is misrepresenting themselves as being "local," but will actually send your drive off to some other state for recovery, and B) it'll probably cost you thousands.  

The first step doesn't have to be sending your drive to a full-blown data recovery company with a Class 100 clean room. Fact is, the majority of drives do not require disassembly in a particle-free environment to recover.

Regardless, many data recovery companies still charge $700—$1,300 to recover failing drives, even if they don't have to use the clean room.

My approach is different. If your drive initializes properly, chances are, I can get your data for you, and for far less than the average data recovery company. I use the same equipment they use (starting with $5,000+ DeepSpar Drive Imaging workstations, firmware correction tools, and many thosands of dollars of software) and I have years of experience in recovering all sorts of data from all sorts of drives and filesystems.

If I can't recover your data, you don't owe me anything.

Yep—the diagnosis is completely free and as noninvasive as possible. A few bullet points:

Nearly all advanced recoveries are $499 or less Logical recoveries are as low as $249   If I can't recover your data, you owe nothing I use the same equipment as the big guys I can recover many failing flash drives and SSDs I can recover Mac drives of nearly all types

I can recover from nearly any drive I can recover from nearly any filesystem I can recover deleted files I can quickly recover the most critical data I can stabilize unstable USB drives I can recover encrypted drives, including FileVault

Don't risk your recovery with any other IT company.

Aside from the aforementioned high-dollar recovery companies, plenty of other local shops exist which also can recover data—sometimes. The difference between me and them, however, is pretty significant. Beware of the usual methods. If your drive is failing, every attempt to access it jeopardizes its health further and reduces the chances of a successful recovery.

Most IT shops use basic software packages to image and recover data. I use the state-of-the-art in recovery equipment—the same equipment as the expensive data recovery firms.

This makes a huge difference. The equipment I use—starting with what's called a DeepSpar Disk Imager—is literally unparalleled in its abilities. It allows me to minimally interface with endangered drives before and during recovery.

Imaging a drive the right way, using the professional equipment I personally own.

Here's an example of how a typical recovery might go:

• 1.I connect your drive to a DeepSpar imaging or firmware correction workstation and perform a diagnosis.
  From this, I can immediately tell whether or not recovery is possible using my equipment. Something like 80% of the time it is!  If it isn't, I'll contact you and inform you of the likely cause of failure and where I'd take it next. This will probably still save you a small fortune.
  
  
• 2.I disable internal drive functions which can heavily tax the drive. I repair or correct firmware if needed.
  Some of the corrections I make include SMART data functions, bad sector reallocation, read-ahead, and all manner of much more sophisticated firmware corruption. Sometimes, this is necessary for the drive to even ID and populate for imaging, but even in other cases, this makes life easier on the drive during recovery and reduces the chances of premature failure. With my specialized and expensive tools and extensive experience, I can use the drive's serial port to communicate with it and issue specialized commands to disable or reset corrupted or problematic functions or components. Some recoveries require a combination of tools for optimal results.
  
  
• 3.I perform a heads map on the drive.
  This procedure does not work the drive mechanically at all; it is performed entirely with the help of the on-board firmware of the drive. Once a heads map is performed, I can test the drive to identify failing or damaged heads. This allows me to image data on the good heads first, which increases both imaging speed and the odds of recovering the most critical data before complete failure.
  
  
• 4.I perform a media test and check the health of each individual head.
  This is a quick surface scan of the drive that enables me to procatively identify obvious mechanical issues with the drive.
  
  
• 5.Where possible, I target sectors specifically correlated with your data.
  Getting the most critical data first is, well, critical to a successful recovery. Using the DDI and other sophisticated tools (as well as extraordinarily powerful collaborative software packages), I can image filesystem structures to determine the exact location of every file and folder on the drive. I can then use that structural information to pinpoint the most valuable data and select it for imaging first. Once the data has been identified, I make a single pass through the drive, sequentially, and collect the data along the way, skipping everything else for secondary or tertiary passes. This is the best approach to get your data before the drive degrades further.
  
  
• 6.I perform a full image on the remaining data.
  If the drive's health allows for it, I'll then go for the rest of the remaining data. If the drive's in really bad shape, this can take days or even weeks to complete. If it looks like it will take longer than a few days, I'll call you to discuss whether or not it's worth recovering additional data for a higher cost.
  
  
• 7.Finally, any logical data recovery is performed on the resulting image.
  In other words, repair of damaged filesystem structures due to unreadable sectors, recovery of deleted files, or so on. This is the step where all of that takes place, and it is performed on the healthy new copy of the drive, not on the failing original drive (as is often done elsewhere). Here's the critical point surrounding this final step: this is the step where most every other technician actually begins their recovery work—and that's why they so frequently lose customer data and kill drives!
  
  By the way—the software I possess to accomplish this task is no joke, either. I don't just use some low-level, cheap stuff: I own countless data recovery industry staples like R-Studio Technician and UFS Explorer Professional Recovery, and I've got many years of experience using them.

When all's said and done, I'll contact you to let you know how successful the recovery was. At that point, you can decide whether or not we've got the data you need. If so, in most cases, the price is often under $500 for everything—nothing more. Affordable? Yes. Professional? Absolutely.

If by chance I can't interface with the drive (which happens with perhaps 15 to 20% of the drives I receive), I'll recommend our next step. Chances are, I can still save you hundreds on the recovery by recommending the ideal recovery approach for the symptoms (for instance, if the drive doesn't have to be taken apart, we can often still have it recovered for under $700).

Worst-case scenario, if it needs to be disassembled in a particle-free environment, that will be the last resort. But the most important thing is that the diagnosis using these tools is much easier on the drive than just about any other recovery process imposed by other tech firms. It's just another way that I'm living the philosophy of giving my customers what they need in the most honest, logical, and affordable way possible.

The number is (502) 233-4393. Call me now and see how it ought to be done!