Of all the services we provide, data recovery is the most tricky. To say that is is an inexact science is a huge understatement. Sometimes we get lucky, and sometimes we don’t.
Let’s talk about the different types of Data Storage, the problems that can occur, and give you a realistic prognosis for success.
Internal Hard Drives
A computer hard drive typically has a platter spinning inside at high speed (3500 rpms for instance) A small read/write head glides across the platter reading the magnetic data. Sometimes the head gets stuck, and can’t move. The drive must be disassembled, the head moved off the platter so it can re-set. Chance of success: 30%
Sometimes the motor that spins the platter just wears out. The average lifespan of a hard drive motor is just 5 years under heavy use. If you take the cover off the computer and listen to the hard drive, you’ll be able to tell if the motor is not spinning up. To repair, you have to move the platter(s) do a different hard drive housing. Chance of success: 10%
Sometimes the file allocation table of the drive becomes corrupted. This can be thought of as a ‘table of contents’ for the data, and where it is located (address) on the drive. This type of repair usually involves proprietary software by the hard drive manufacturer. There are companies that specialize in this type of data repair. iTronix Labs does not have this type of diagnostic software and if it is a file corruption issue, we will refer you to one of the companies that specialize in it. The fees can be very expensive.
Flash Drives (AKA Thumbdrives)
These types of storage devices usually have a USB interface to plug into your computer. The most common type of problem is where the USB interface becomes damaged from being stepped on, jammed in upside down, etc. If the problem is with the connector, we have a 90% chance of success. If the connector is fine, but the data is corrupted, see above.
External USB Hard Drive
Similar to the internal hard drive, the externals are usually housed in a plastic enclosure, and connect to the computer with a USB cable, and sometimes have a power supply. Frequently the problem we see with external HDD’s is usually in the USB connector or the power supply. We have good success rates with this type of problem.
Cell Phones
If you have data and images on your phone that need to be recovered we will be happy to take a look at it, but keep in mind it is very tricky.
Apple iPhones do not store data on micro SD memory cards the way that Samsung and other android phones do. Apple stores data in the internal SSD chips. If your phone has liquid damage and won’t start up, and you need pictures recovered, we would love to give it a try. Our success rate is about 50%. Contact us today. Remember if we can’t fix it, there is never a fee.