Data Recovery

bboySushi

bboySushi

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My work laptop hard drive crashed (Dead motor I presume). I just got back from Jamaica and ALL my pictures and videos were moved over (kicking myself for not COPYING the files over from the memory cards).

Can anyone recommend a data recovery company that won't gouge me? I'm looking at the $300ish range though probably not possible =(
 
All depends on how much work they have to put into it. I spent $900 getting mine recovered, but that was after a complete bell end at a so called tech shop reformatted my hard drive after specific instructions not to. I used these guys. They'll give you a better idea of cost;

http://www.cbldatarecovery.com/locations/markham-data-recovery
 
Yeah I just got off the phone with them actually. He said normally its $700-2700, but in my case its pretty rare for the motor spindle to die so I'm guessing that means I'm closer to the $2000 range...DAMN!!! All I really want are my vacation pictures =(
 
bboySushi said:
Yeah I just got off the phone with them actually. He said normally its $700-2700, but in my case its pretty rare for the motor spindle to die so I'm guessing that means I'm closer to the $2000 range...DAMN!!! All I really want are my vacation pictures =(
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Yikes, cheaper to book another vacation and retake the photos :shock:
 
If the data isn't corrupted and the motor on the drive has gone can't you see if that can be fixed...perhaps under warranty?
 
bboySushi said:
Yeah I just got off the phone with them actually. He said normally its $700-2700, but in my case its pretty rare for the motor spindle to die so I'm guessing that means I'm closer to the $2000 range...DAMN!!! All I really want are my vacation pictures =(
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I have used these guys twice before, both with totally destroyed drives, was in the $500 to $700 range each time: http://www.takingitmobile.com/data-recovery-toronto.asp

If you don't have any other option, we have a -40c data recovery box at work that seems to really help out with stuck bearings and lazy heads, but won't help for electronics or motor/spindle failure, wouldn't cost you anything for us to run it, way under $300 if we're able to get the data.

-Jamie M.
 
When you say your work laptop drive "crashed" - exactly what happens? Error message on bootup? Have you tried removing the drive from the laptop and using a USB enclosure to attach to a working PC?
 
that sucks!!! thats why i use solid state and a batch script to do a backup of my important stuff. Do you hear any clicking sound or anything?? Usually the data recovery will take out the platters and use it probably in another drive, but that requires a dust free room.
 
@ Jamie: Thanks for the offer but I Suspect its electrical or the motor as there doesn't seem to be any indication at all that it's trying to spin. I will consider contacting takingitmobile though, after I see what Geek Squad has to offer XD

@Xhumeka: I left it on a pile of clothes for a few hours (Angled so the fan could circulate the air) and when I came back it basically said there was no hard drive and could not boot (it was on the whole time though). I did take it out and tried to run it off another reader but nothing happened except for a click sound.

I'll see what the Geeks can do and I'll have to weigh out bringing it to the place Jamie was talking about.

I paid $20 for some dude to take pictures while we climbed Dunn's River Falls too!!!
 
bboySushi said:
I'll see what the Geeks can do and I'll have to weigh out bringing it to the place Jamie was talking about.
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All they do is plug it into a USB adapter and click "recover drive", of course, it's unsuccessful 99% of the time. I've heard from customers that GeekSquad techs hit the drive with a screw driver trying to kick it to life, even disassembled them and give the platters a startup spin manually!

Needless to say, way your options carefully. Every person who tries to fire up that drive might be doing more damage to it/your data each time.

-Jamie M.
 
for the love of god, stay away from geek squad...have you tried another hard drive in the laptop to make it is not the laptop that may be faulty...
 
bboySushi said:
My work laptop hard drive crashed (Dead motor I presume). I just got back from Jamaica and ALL my pictures and videos were moved over (kicking myself for not COPYING the files over from the memory cards).

Can anyone recommend a data recovery company that won't gouge me? I'm looking at the $300ish range though probably not possible =(
Click to expand...

I used Recuva to get back all the files I needed on a failing (intermittent) hard drive. I plugged the hdd into a Thermaltake USB docking station. It only took a couple hours.. It works best on a newly crashed drive so that very few (if any) of your files are over-written.
After I pulled my data off, I formatted and erased the drive then RMA's it back to Seagate and got a replacement (still under warranty).

... of course if it doesn't spin at all, then your in for some big $$ to recover data.
 
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bboySushi said:
My work laptop hard drive crashed (Dead motor I presume). I just got back from Jamaica and ALL my pictures and videos were moved over (kicking myself for not COPYING the files over from the memory cards).

Can anyone recommend a data recovery company that won't gouge me? I'm looking at the $300ish range though probably not possible =(
Click to expand...

Hi, I'm a fellow sportbike rider living in the GTA and have been working in professional data recovery for the last 20 years. We www.memofixdatarecovery.com have been around for 20+ years as well. We do laptop hard drives with internal problems such as bad heads, physical crashes, seized spindle motors etc. for usually around 800-900. But we are also very honest and fair and if the problem is something simpler, we will be even easier on your wallet. Quotes are free and results are guaranteed or you don't pay. If you call me, David at X26 using the phone info from our website, you can describe your problem better to me and I can probably quote you pretty accurately on the phone.

Also btw .. I have a friend who has left and right fairings for a Black/Gray 2001 Hayabusa in mint shape for sale. Email if ur interested at davidf@memofix.com

cheers, david F :)
 
how would I love to learn how to do data recovery on hard drives ...
 
Hey Dave, I spoke to Bob from Memofix already. The cost is too high for what I want from the drive though, but is definitely one of the better prices I've seen (impressed with your site as well).

So just as an update:

1) I used Recuva (deep scan) on the memory cards instead and were able to recover maybe 70% of the pictures (yay!) but no videos

2) I brought the drive to a friend's place and we hooked it up to a Black Widow (Vertical reader) and E-SATA/USB. He fired up linux and use ddrescue to go through it byte by byte. He explained how this method is good because the spindle moves in small increments and sequentially. anyways, drive prob has a combination of electronic and mechanical failure. Drive is somewhat recognized, but according to the ESATA connection it has 0 bytes. When plugged in through USB it says it was 145 PETABYTES of space Hahahahhaa. It could whir now so the motor ISNT kaputt, but ddrescue didn't work at all.

3) Since I have recovered most of the photos I won't be paying for data recovery (sorry Dave!)

4) Last ditch effort to see if its the PCB that's messed, I may buy an identical hard drive (could get the laptop working too anyways, though I bought a new one) and try swapping the boards to see if that fixes anything. Seems like it might since ESATA and USB were giving different info, might be something wrong with the board too. Then ddrescue might be able to do something. Long-shot but if I'm getting a hard drive anyways it's worth the time. Also a fun experiment too.

@Jamie: BB charged $1750 for 100% recovery lol. Whoever told me it was like $90 didn't know what he was talking about (that was just for backup....why anyone would pay $90 for something to press alt+a/c/v I have no idea...)
 
bboySushi said:
..why anyone would pay $90 for something to press alt+a/c/v I have no idea...)
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you clearly have not seen how many clients Future shop and best buy have!

and I am like an idiot charging like 50 bucks to clean friends computer...
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