Why did this happen to my hard drive or computer?
Age. Heat. Bolt of lightning. Bad luck. Physical damage. It was
dropped. Who knows? The list goes on... A hard drive is a lot like a
car. It's a complicated device with lots of little (and very sensitive)
moving parts inside. And just like a car, those parts can wear out and
quit working for lots of different reasons. A hard drive is always
moving and is constantly being used by the computer. It's where
everything is stored. They (unfortunately) can and do fail often.
How can I tell if my hard drive is bad?
Listen to these audio clips.
These are the sounds of bad drives. They make loud whining sounds and have a continuous clicking noise. Sometimes, they will even power-down on their own (as in the 2nd clip). This is very bad and unfortunately, beyond my help (in these cases). If your drive sounds something like these (especially the clicking), there's almost no chance I'll be successful in getting your data. But I'll be happy to try. You never know, it might work.
What should I do?
Remain calm. Turn off your computer. And contact me. Unless something really, really bad happened, your data is probably still on the drive.
Imagine that your hard drive is like a pan of brownies. If a few of them get burned, you don't throw away the whole pan. At least I hope you don't. : ) Likewise, if a few of the drive's essential "brownies" get "burned" and prevent the drive from working properly, it's likely that the rest are still good. We just need to scoop them out of the pan and put them in a new container.
What are you going to do?
I'm the guy with the spatula. : ) If the drive will at least power-on and spin-up, chances are good that I can reach your data. If so, I will copy all the data that I can onto a new, fresh drive that you provide. Then, you can take the drive home and browse the recovered data on your own, at your own pace.
What do I need to bring?
Two things. Your damaged drive and a new drive to hold the recovered data.
- The damaged drive
If you're comfortable opening your desktop computer (i.e. the tower) or laptop, then carefully remove the damaged hard drive. If that makes you nervous, no problem. Just bring the computer as-is and I'll handle removing it. - A new drive...of the right size
An external USB hard drive works best. The pictures below show what I'm talking about.
You can find these at any big box retailer (e.g. Best Buy, Office Depot, Target, etc.) or online (e.g. newegg.com, amazon.com, etc.).
Now before you head out the door and buy one of these, make sure it's the right size. The new drive needs to be as large as or larger than the damaged drive. For example, if your damaged drive is a 50GB drive, then the new drive needs to be 50GB or larger. Opt for larger, trust me. Got it? Ok, now you can go. : )
How long does it take?
That's the magic question. It boils down to two things: How damaged is
the drive? And how large is the drive? That said, it normally only
takes a day or two. Really damaged drives or really big drives will
take longer to recover. I will know quickly if I'll be able to help or
not. And I will keep you informed along the way.
Do you work on Macs?
Yes. I can rescue data from crashed Mac hard drives, too.
How about my camera's memory card or my TiVo (it's got a hard drive in it)?
Yes and yes. As long as the storage device can be connected to and recognized by my recovery computers, I should be able to retrieve your data.
Is my data safe with you?
Yes. That's part of the reason why I let you browse the data on your
own. No one knows your data better than you do. Following a successful
recovery, I open a few files (pictures, documents, music, etc.) just to
be sure the data works properly. After that, I consider it a success
and don't look at any more. Rest assured, your data will be kept
completely confidential and private.
Will my computer work when you're done?
Probably not. Remember, I'm offering data recovery service, not computer repair. If all goes well, what you will get from me is your original "crashed" drive plus the secondary drive (that you provided) filled with the data I was able to retrieve. I will not be reloading Windows, reinstalling or reconfiguring your software, etc. I'm willing to do this, but we would have to work out a separate arrangement.
So what about $0? How's that work? Then what?
If I'm unsuccessful, you pay nothing. That's it. Your next step will depend on how badly you want your data and how much you're willing to spend. I'm talking about professional data recovery services.
Think about it like this. I'm like a family doctor. I work on the drives as-is, without breaking the seal or touching the internals. I can help a lot of patients a lot of times. But sometimes I have to refer a patient to a specialist. Pro data recovery services are specialists. They have the proper tools and know-how to confidently go inside damaged drives to access and rescue the data directly. But they charge a lot to do so. Pro services are usually needed when the drive will not power-on, spin-up, or if it shows signs of physical/mechanical failure internally.
Regardless, I will let you know if I can help or what your options are if I can't.
Right. So what am I going to do with this new drive if you're not able to help me?
I'll only use the new drive if recovery is possible on your damaged drive. Otherwise, it'll stay sealed. That way when you get your drives back from me, you can decide to keep the new drive or return it. I always encourage my clients to keep the drive anyway and to start backing up important files to it from then on.
Honestly, if you get into a good backup routine and mark reminders to back your stuff up on your calendar, you'll probably never need data recovery services again. : )