Data recovery from Hard Disk
Hard Disks are devices designed to be long-lasting, but sooner or later their life cycle comes to an end. The hard disk may be unexpectedly damaged as the result of a fall or an impact, or undergo other forms of physical and electronic damage. Data is sometimes also inadvertently deleted from the computer before a back-up has been created.
A professional data recovery laboratory should be contacted in the following cases, regardless of the cause:
- the disk does not appear in device management and is not recognised by the BIOS, whether or not it emits noise
- the disk is recognised in device management or by the BIOS as uninitialised (RAW)
- the disk does not start
- the disk is recognised but takes a long time to display the content, cannot be opened, copied, and the files cannot be saved
- the disk is recognised but you are instructed to format the disk (do not do this!)
- the disk has been formatted
In the cases described above, and whenever you no longer have access to the data that the disk once contained, please contact the laboratory to request information. A request for information is free of charge and avoids acting blindly in delicate situations where any intervention could lead to the permanent loss of data and no hope of ever recovering it.
Please be aware that the process of data recovery from Hard Disk requires special procedures that in some cases can be carried out only once. Therefore, relying on someone who doesn’t have access to the machinery, software, and specific experience required for the task can seriously compromise the possibility of recovering the lost content.
For us to be able to issue a quote which includes both the probability of recovery and estimated costs, the disc must be sent to the laboratory. When a faulty Hard Disk is involved, the electronic and electromechanical components are checked and often opened to evaluate the condition of the internal plates and the state of the heads. On the basis of these checks, an estimate is drawn up, to be accepted or rejected at the customer’s discretion.
Faulty Hard Disk
About 30% of cases of a malfunctioning Hard Disk are related to the electronics and the firmware, where the disk doesn’t require opening. In the remaining 70% of cases, it is necessary to open the disk both during diagnosis and processing.
To avoid further damage, Hard Disks must be opened in a controlled environment. The laboratory uses a laminar flow hood with ULPA ISO 4 filters that render the environment practically dust-free, so as to avoid contamination within the Hard Disks when they are opened.
It should be noted that the cost of recovering data from a hard disk is only partially influenced by having to open the disk: what most affects the cost, for all types of failures, is the number of hours of work involved and the costly hardware and software tools utilised, which need constant updating and replacement. Costs are also conditioned by the special procedures employed to prevent further damage or loss of data before, during, and after processing; these complex procedures, however, highlight our leadership role in this field.