Data Recovery - Frequently Asked Questions
- My hard drive is making a clicking sound . What does this mean and what should I do?
- My hard drive is making a loud grinding noise. What does this mean? Is the data recoverable?
- Can you just repair my hard drive and make it boot up rather than performing data recovery.
- My computer is not bootable and it appears the entire partition is gone. Can my data be recovered?
- My hard drive won't spin up. Do you think if I shake it, maybe I can free up whatever inside it is stuck?
- I reinstalled my operating system without backing up my data first. Is it possible to get my data back?
- Does I.T.S. Data Recovery offer a guarantee for their work?
- I've decided to send my drive to you for data recovery. How should I package the hard drive.
- Is there a difference in price between Desktop and Laptop hard drive data recovery?
- My data is extremely sensitive. Can you guarantee me that it will remain totally confidential?
- I'm in big trouble and I can't afford to be down a long time. How long will this take?
- Are there ever times when you can't retrieve the data from a hard drive or other media?
- Someone told me I can take the platters out of my drive and put them into another to retrieve my own data?
- My hard drive is making a clicking sound . What does this mean and what should I do?
- The drive has an internal problem which is commonly known as "lost servo". Shut down your computer, remove the drive and send it to a professional data recovery company. Powering the drive off and on can only do more damage.
- My hard drive is making a loud grinding noise. What does this mean? Is the data recoverable?
- The drive may have suffered a severe head crash and the data may not be recoverable. Do not keep powering the drive on and off. You are only doing more damage. Send it to a data recovery company with clean room capability
- Can you just repair my hard drive and make it boot up rather than performing data recovery.
- No this is never an option. If you are unwilling or unable to pay for data recovery then just start over.
- My computer is not bootable and it appears the entire partition is gone. Can my data be recovered?
- In almost all cases the data can be recovered. Although your information seems to be gone, it is merely not accessible, and can be restored with professional recovery methods. Do NOT attempt to run utilities or self-recovery software. This will only cause more damage.
- My hard drive won't spin up. Do you think if I shake it, maybe I can free up whatever inside it is stuck?
- No. Treat your hard drive like a new born baby. Never shake it for any reason. At best, it will have no affect. At worst, shaking the hard drive will cause physical damage.
- I reinstalled my operating system without backing up my data first. Is it possible to get my data back?
- Yes! In most cases your data can be retrieved if you send it to a professional data recovery company.
- Does I.T.S. Data Recovery offer a guarantee for their work?
- Our work is 100% guaranteed. If we cannot perform a successful recovery that is to your satisfaction, there will be no charge whatsoever. If we charge you for a data recovery job but you can't find the data you need then you may be entitled to a full or partial refund.
- I've decided to send my drive to you for data recovery. How should I package the hard drive.
- Click Here for more information on how to pack a hard disk drives. for detailed instructions. This is a very important step in the recovery process. Many people still send in there hard drive packaged improperly. This is one of the major reasons that data is not recoverable from a hard drive.
- Is there a difference in price between Desktop and Laptop hard drive data recovery?
- No. The pricing and the procedures are identical. You shouldn't pay anyone more for one or the other.
- My data is extremely sensitive. Can you guarantee me that it will remain totally confidential?
- Yes. We routinely sign non-disclosure agreements with our customers without hesitation. We can provide the form if you do not have one.
- I'm in big trouble and I can't afford to be down a long time. How long will this take?
- Average turnaround time is 1-2 days. We expedite all jobs. Currently we are not charging any expedite fees. From the moment your media arrives to our facility your job goes into our lab for an immediate evaluation.
- Are there ever times when you can't retrieve the data from a hard drive or other media?
- Sometimes, drives are beyond recovery due to catastrophic physical damage that cannot be repaired. Typically when a drive suffers a severe head crash, lost servo or bad spindle motor your data will be deemed unrecoverable.
- Someone told me I can take the platters out of my drive and put them into another to retrieve my own data?
- The answer to the most frequently asked question is sometimes but as a rule usually no. Not only is it usually impossible but you should never open a hard drive outside of a Class 100 Clean Room. Removing the platters will render both the good drive and the drive you are trying to recover completely useless. Your chances of recovering the data will be zero. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If a data recovery company tells you this can be done as a normal procedure don't believe it.