Are there any low cost Data Recovery companies?

1aleem

I have a hard drive which has stopped working recently and it has some important files on it I need to get back, what has happened is that the motor which sends power to the hard drive has gone, apart from that there's nothing wrong with it.
I've been phoning around various data recovery companies I've been getting quotes of around £400 all the way up to £1500, which is just nothing more than daylight robbery IMHO for what the problem is.

Would anyone happen to know a reliable recovery that has more reasonable prices?

Conor_3

No such thing as a cheap data recovery firm.

And you think changing the motor is trivial? Are you sure it's that and not the controller?

Should've backed it up. It's not as if there aren't enough items in the press telling you to.

No sympathy.

Mark_LJ

What make and model is it?

If its simply the PCB thats gone they are easy enough to replace. I've done 2 or 3 - but it is essential to get the exact model, revision, firmware etc otherwise the drive might spin up but data retrieval is impossible.

Anything more serious and you are looking at a lot of cash - don't forget that if they have to open the drive you need a completely sterile environment so its not cheap to set up the facility.

emweaver

Im in same boat, and ive been quote the same. Apparently some sorta disc inside mine needs replacing and theres only 50% chance of recovery! Have to pay £250 upfront which is non refundable as apparently its a risky job?

I myself didnt back up either, and now have lost all my daughters baby photos. I know theres loads of info in the media to tel you to backup blah blah but in all the years ive had computers ive never ever had a ny problems so thought id be ok again

Bit harsh to say no sympathy, lets hope it never happesn to you!

were here to support each other not to rub salt in the wounds and make each other feel stupid

rizla01

emweaver wrote: »

Im in same boat, and ive been quote the same. Apparently some sorta disc inside mine needs replacing and theres only 50% chance of recovery! Have to pay £250 upfront which is non refundable as apparently its a risky job?

I myself didnt back up either, and now have lost all my daughters baby photos. I know theres loads of info in the media to tel you to backup blah blah but in all the years ive had computers ive never ever had a ny problems so thought id be ok again

Bit harsh to say no sympathy, lets hope it never happesn to you!

were here to support each other not to rub salt in the wounds and make each other feel stupid

Exactly the same for me too and my important data is photos too.

My problem is the dreaded deathstar and i don't think even a data recovery co could retrieve my data.

What I'd like to know is, Is there ANY chance of putting the disk in another machine and getting it to spin up?

superscaper

emweaver wrote: »

Bit harsh to say no sympathy, lets hope it never happesn to you!

were here to support each other not to rub salt in the wounds and make each other feel stupid

Have to agree it was a bit harsh but I do understand where Conor's coming from. And I'm sure it won't happen to him because (by his comments) he probably does back up which I think is the whole point. The principle isn't even techie, it's just common sense, even the age old "don't put all your eggs in one basket" applies. At least I'm sure after your experience you now do back up (at least I hope you do).

Although it doesn't help the OP's predicament it does serve as a warning to those who don't back up, prevention is better than a cure. I personally back up really important stuff to CD and DVD quite regularly and make larger backups of entire my documents etc less frequently to DVD and I use Mozy's online back up service for all docs and settings (used to use Carbonite but I think I prefer Mozy, same price anyway, about $4/month for unlimited data). I also plan to get an external hard drive and will probably image my entire disc. I think everyone should really do what I do (with online backup being an unneccesary addition). And I should be able to recover my data for all eventualities, even a house fire etc.

Chippy_Minton

rizla01 wrote: »

What I'd like to know is, Is there ANY chance of putting the disk in another machine and getting it to spin up?

You could try the freezer trick, maybe alternate it between the freezer and a warm oven if the freezer alone doesn't work.

Conor_3

emweaver wrote: »

Bit harsh to say no sympathy, lets hope it never happesn to you!

It won't.

Once upon a time when doing PC repairs, I used to do all I could to back up punters data. It got to the point where I was spending more time trying to save their data than actually sorting the problem.

Final straw came when I did a PC at an Estate Agents. I'd put the network in and every user had a folder on a file server which saved 5 revisions of each file and that was backed up again to removable HDD and tape drive. Got a call in when a PC ended up being virus riddled. On it were 3000 photos. The partner who put them on there muttered something about saving them to which I replied "It's OK cos they'll be on the server in your folder where you're supposed save them and they'll be backed up 3 times" knowing full well that's exactly what he hadn't done.

So now I no longer bother. So when I get the "What will happen to my files?" the reply is "You'll have to restore them from your backups".

Likewise with dodgy XP installs. If it needs wiping and they haven't got a licence, they're on their own.

superscaper

Conor wrote: »

It won't.

Once upon a time when doing PC repairs, I used to do all I could to back up punters data. It got to the point where I was spending more time trying to save their data than actually sorting the problem.

I understand your frustration, but I think you could have been a bit friendlier in your point of view:
"Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps. "