First Steps In the Data Recovery Process
If you have a faulty device that needs specialist data recovery, whether its a mechanical hard disk drive, USB Stick or solid state drive, a lot of detective work is carried out so we can get to the root of the problem for you. Although the initial inspection is free of charge, we have to carry out a multitude of tests to establish the exact reason for failure correctly - this means we can provide a firm and accurate quotation for specialist data recovery works. This will be fixed once quoted, so we always take our time to get it right.
Visual Inspection and Initial Testing
As we are ISO accredited and work to a certain process, we will book your device into our system and it will be labelled with your case reference. The first thing we do on the patient device is perform a very thorough visual inspection, especially if we suspect the item has had previous data recovery attempts or if it has been sent to us for a second opinion after being seen by another data recovery company.
Things we would look for during this inspection would be ensuring all tamper evident labels and screws are intact, as this would indicate the hard drive has been opened before. We would also check for any signs of impact (drop) such as scuffs or dents, which may lead us to suspect mechanical damage. Finally we would ensure that the main PCB is indeed the original board and has not been replaced (this is vital on some hard disk drives).
Secondly we would remove the main printed circuit board (PCB) and perform basic continuity tests across key components, and ensuring that all Head Stack Assembly and motor contacts are clean.
Final Checks and Clean Chamber Inspection
The next step, and depending on the nature of the failure, is to power on the drive. If any head damage or mechanical failure is suspected, then we would skip this step and request permission from the owner of the device to go directly to the internal visual inspection in the clean chamber. This will allow us to check the internal parts of the hard drive for damage. If no mechanical damage is deemed to be present, then we would power up the drive and dig deeper into possible Service Area Damage and associated Firmware issues, checking logs and defect lists and also undertake basic media tests.
These basic tests should now allow us to provide you with a full and accurate quotation that is genuinely ‘Fixed’, for you to consider. Once we have provided a no-obligation quotation for you, the price is fixed and remains live on our system for 30 days.
We are always happy to talk to our clients about the specifics of the work required, so that they are fully on board with what is involved and can decide whether it is right for them to proceed.
We are very proud of our reputation for first class customer service. You may find our blog post on Using a Data Recovery Specialist helpful, or of course you can call and speak to our team on 01953 667977.