Do I need hard drive recovery?

It is possible to recover your data
without the assistance of a data recovery company.

Do I need hard drive recovery?

Data loss is a nightmare, especially when it happens unexpectedly, and you have no backup. If your hard drive is completely unresponsive, when should you consider hard drive recovery services?

We asked our Technical Director Michael Jones about what steps you should take before seeking professional data recovery services. He replied “Firstly, if you encounter unusual noises like clicking or grinding coming from your hard drive, it's a sign of potential mechanical issues. Continuing to use the drive in such a state can worsen the damage, making data recovery more difficult. You have no option in this case but to seek assistance. Otherwise follow my three steps to recover your data”.

1. Check the power supply
Insufficient power can cause hard drives to malfunction or fail to spin up properly, resulting in inaccessible data. It's crucial to use high-quality power supplies with stable voltages to avoid these issues.

Check for loose connections
Try a different power source
For external hard drives, try a different power lead (or USB cable)
With internal drives, install them in an external caddy

2. Recover through the BIOS
Restart your computer and enter the BIOS setup by pressing the designated key (often Del, F2, or F12) during startup. Navigate to the "Integrated Peripherals" or "Storage" section and verify that the hard drive is enabled and correctly detected.

Adjust the boot sequence to prioritise the hard drive
Reset BIOS settings
Try updating the BIOS firmware to the latest version

3. Try data recovery software
It's essential to choose reputable software with positive reviews that allows you to complete a deep scan first of all.

Always take a deep scan image first
Never attempt to recover the data to the same data source
Complete a selective recovery to put less strain on the hard drive

Michael continues "over 5% of the hard drives we see do not require data recovery services at all. Had the users followed these simple steps, they could have recovered all their files without any further intervention. Before contacting us make sure you've exhausted all other options and are sure that there's an issue with the hard drive".

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Michael Jones Data Recovery Specialists
Author:
Michael Jones, Technical Director

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Free Diagnosis

"Our free hard drive data recovery evaluation service will tell you whether your data can be recovered, exactly how much it will cost and how long the data recovery will take. Simply phone or email us for a job number and send your data recovery to us. Your hard drive or media will be photographed, catalogued and bar-coded and the data recovery evaluation will start within an hour of receipt."

Listing Of Recoverable Files

"Once in the laboratory, your media will undergo a comprehensive data recovery evaluation to determine the extent of the data loss. We aim to complete this process within 24 hours depending on the complexity of work involved. The engineers will provide a no obligation recovery prognosis, with a guaranteed list of recoverable files and an estimated timescale. You can then decide whether to proceed with the recovery. Should you choose not to proceed, we will return your media by secure data courier."

Completing the Process

"Should you choose to proceed, the data recovery process will be completed and the data will be safely stored on our servers. We will then copy out the data to your preferred choice of output media - either 64Gb memory stick or HDD (for purchase or loan). Your data will be dispatched on our secure, next day courier service. Once you have received your data any copies of your data will be permanently and securely erased from our servers after 7 days."

Established and Trusted

"40 years experience in the data recovery industry chairing ISO and BSI standards, we have developed a reputation for excellence at a price that is affordable. With extensive data recovery research and development capabilities, our success rates are second to none - without compromising on our prices! This is why over 36,000 companies and individuals come to us every year."

Safeguarding Your Data

"Your data is important to us, which is why all our data recovery procedures comply with the Association of Chief Police Officers Guidelines and Civil Procedure Rules for handling electronic evidence. Great care is taken when recovering and handling your data to ensure that its integrity is maintained and that there is a clear audit trail through the entire data recovery process."

Industry Leading Diagnostics

"Our data recovery laboratory completes over 120 successful recoveries every day from clients including the British Petroleum, NHS and EDF Energy. With ISO 27000 (Information Security) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) accreditation - we are a data recovery company you can rely upon! Class 100 clean rooms, specialised platter removal jigs and software applications allow us to provide the most comprehensive service in the industry."

"Kept me informed at all times"

"They never promised anything and keep me informed at all times. When I got the call to say that they could recover 20 years' of family photos from a failed harddrive, I cried. I cried again when the files were delivered to me. The cost was insignificant next to the priceless value of the photos recovered."
Geoff Elliott
Five Star Review

"Excellent service"

"Excellent service, called back same day and arranged collection of my hard drive within a couple of days. Kept me informed all the time of what was happening. "
Susan Hall
Five Star Review

"Amazing service"

"Amazing Service, Very Professional. From start to finish this service was very professional, keeping me informed on progress and explaining each step. Totally trustworthy, and totally recommend."
Michael Downing
Four Star Review

"Thoroughly professional"

"Excellent service from a thoroughly professional company. Polite and attentive staff, prompt response, informed of progress, simple procedure to have your data recovered. Recommend to all."
Jon McKinnon
Five Star Review

"Attentive and communicative"

"DRS were very attentive and communicative. I received everything I needed from my old hard drive. It’s costly but a very particular and effective service!"
Video Blue
Four Star Review

"Highly recommend"

"I've used Data Recovery Specialists a couple of times now and each time their communication and response times have been excellent. Their team have achieved >95% data recovery for me. I would highly recommend them and will use them again should the need arise."
Ian Baker
Five Star Review

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0800 223 0162
sales@datarecoveryspecialists.co.uk

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Do I need hard drive recovery?