Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. What should I do after a data loss occurs?

A. The best advice is to do nothing that could cause more damage to the hard drive or the data. 

Then, turn off the power to the computer, and contact my data recovery service by voice or email. 

I will give you further instructions what steps to take.

Note: The hard drive will need to be removed from the computer either by yourself or by a local computer store.

Precautions: Do not hit, tap or try to open the hard drive. doing so, could permanently damage your chances of recovering your data.

Q. Do you charge by the size of the hard drive or how much data can be recovered?

A. I charge by the size of the hard drive, not the amount of data recovered. By default, all data on the drive is recovered. 



Note: This is probably your number one question.

  

                                                                             Why is data recovery so expensive?

Few things in the computing world are as upsetting as the loss of data and it’s often made worse when you learn how expensive it can be to retrieve your precious files.

The process for recovering lost files from a failed hard drive can be quite extensive and time consuming, which generally causes the cost of recovery to be expensive.

Hard drives are fairly complex mechanical devices that operate at very precise tolerances and any failure in any of the mechanical or electronic devices will render your data inaccessible.

Many people assume that the amount of data they want retrieved is the basis for what the recovery should cost.

Whether you need 1 file or 10,000 files has no real bearing on the cost of the recovery, because the real work (and expense) is resurrecting the hard drive in order to get any data at all.

The act of copying files from a recovered drive (once it has been rebuilt) requires very little time and requires no human interaction once the process is started.

In general, there are two very common data recovery scenarios: logical and physical.

A logical recovery is performed on a hard drive that is mechanically and electronically functioning properly but the data has become unusable due to corruption or file damage from user error, external hardware failure or virus attack.

Hard drives have a ‘table of contents’ that guide the computer to the location of the stored files. If the table of contents becomes corrupted, locating the desired files becomes impossible for the operating system (Windows, Mac OS, etc.)

Logical recoveries can be performed by technicians that have the knowledge and tools to work with data at the binary level to reconstruct the lost files and tend to be less costly.

Physical recoveries are necessary when a hard drive has experienced a mechanical or electronic failure. Physical recoveries require substantially more resources, tools and experience and must be performed in climate and dust controlled environments.

To add to the cost, often times a ‘donor’ hard drive must be located that can be used for spare parts. Locating a donor that is an exact match is critical or the recovery attempt will be unsuccessful.

Locating a donor requires far more than just finding another hard drive of the same size from the same manufacturer. For example, if you have a Seagate 80GB hard drive that was manufactured in Malaysia, the donor can’t be a drive that was manufactured from the Thailand plant because it won’t have the exact same version of the firmware or supporting electronics.

The secondary market for used hard drives that are cataloged at this level is substantially more expensive than going to a used computer store and grabbing whatever they have lying around, so paying $200 - $300 for a donor once it’s located is not out of the ordinary.

The worst case scenario is a hard drive that requires both a physical and a logical recovery as the cost goes up even further since two separate recoveries are required in order to recover the data.

Of course the best way to avoid ever having to pay an expensive data recovery bill is to keep your pictures, music and data files backed up regularly!


I tell all of my customers to backup your important data on multiple hard drives and also consider an online backup service.

Frequently asked questions continued:

Q. Can you recover my data if the drive is water damaged,  smokes, has a burning smell or does not spin?

A. This depends on the extent of the water or circuit board damage. If the drive does not spin or make a whining sound with power applied, the drive will be inspected in my Class 100 mini clean room environment and an estimate will be given.


Q. What is the worst case scenario if my hard drive fails.?

A. Send or take it to my service for a free data recovery estimate. Data recovery charges of $800.00 - $2500.00 or more are typical at most data recovery labs with clean room facilities. I charge much less for physical hard drive repairs and recovery.
 
My maximum flat rate charge for a clean room physical recovery is $550.00* for most drives.  *Excludes Western Digital.

* Prices subject to change. Western Digital physical recovery fees are $625.00* for any size drive.

Please note that a complete fee schedule is available by email or fax. Just call 714-761-0691 or email alan@lostyourdata.org to request a fee schedule.


Q. What is your average turnaround time to recover my data?

A. The average turnaround time for logical data recovery is about a week, depending how long it takes for the drive to arrive and other factors beyond my control. Physical hard drive repairs and the recovery will take longer if a donor drive is required to make the repair before the recovery process can begin.

Q. How will my recovered data be returned?

A. The recovered data that you request will be placed on DVD's or a USB hard drive supplied by the customer and will be shipped in a heavily padded envelope or shipping container.

Q. Will my hard drive be returned after the recovery process is completed?

A. Yes. In most cases if a hard drive fails and data loss occurs, it is not a good idea to re-install the same defective hard drive back into your computer. If you want the defective drive returned, it will be sent back or shipped back to you for an additional shipping charge. See Shipping Instructions page for current rates.

Note: The majority of data recovery labs, do not return the failed drive for those reasons. If the drive is not returned, it will be held for a few weeks to make sure that you have all of the recovered data that you need and will then be destroyed and disposed of.

If you have any other questions or concerns about the service that I offer, use the Customer Form on this website or, give me a call. I will get back to you as soon as possible.




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