Hard drive
data recovery.

Sometimes. Recovery depends on the fault, the condition of the recording surfaces, any overwritten data and access to required encryption keys. An assessment can establish the likely approach and limitations; no symptom checker can guarantee a result.

The standard diagnostic is free. Levels 1 and 2 carry no upfront recovery fees: $0 is payable upfront for the recovery work. Level 3 is $350 + GST upfront and $350 + GST only upon success. Level 4 is $725 + GST upfront and $700 + GST only upon success. Level 5 is individually quoted and carries an agreed upfront fee. Upfront recovery components are non-refundable once approved work begins. Any optional priority charges are separately quoted.

Level 1 starts at $170 + GST ($187 including GST). Level 2 is $320 + GST ($352 including GST). Neither carries an upfront recovery fee. Level 3 totals $700 + GST ($770 including GST) if successful, split into $350 upfront and $350 upon success, plus GST on each. Level 4 totals $1,425 + GST ($1,567.50 including GST) if successful, split into $725 upfront and $700 upon success, plus GST on each. Level 5 fire, flood and BitLocker cases are custom quoted: call 1300 806 557. The assessed scope and written quote govern your job.

Tell us before recovery starts. A critical file register identifies the folders or files that matter most and defines the agreed outcome around those items. Include filenames, folder paths, approximate dates and the application needed to open them. A file listing alone does not prove that the contents are usable.

Timing is quoted for the individual job. It depends on the fault, parts, controlled imaging progress and workload. Tell us about your deadline before approving work. Ask about priority options and any separately quoted charges; faster handling cannot guarantee a recovery outcome.

Software cannot repair physical damage. If a drive is grinding, repeatedly clicking with read failures, was dropped or is unstable, stop and seek advice. For accidental deletion on a stable drive, avoid writing to the source and seek guidance on preserving a separate image before recovery. Never install recovery software or save results on the affected drive.

We assess external and internal hard drives, including encrypted storage. Keep the original external enclosure, cable and power supply: bridge electronics can be important to accessing the data. Recovery of readable encrypted sectors does not remove encryption; passwords or recovery keys may still be required. Do not put passwords or recovery keys in the enquiry form.

Yes. Australia-wide mail-in is available with a free Express post-in label for the standard assessment. Brisbane-region collection is available by arrangement. Follow the packing instructions and contact us before sending a wet or contaminated device. Drop-off is by appointment.

Review the file listing against your agreed outcome or critical file register. The policy provides a seven-day listing review and a fourteen-day verification period after delivery. Open important files in their usual applications, check that their contents are intact and report concerns promptly.

The original device is returned under the terms of service. A failed drive should not be treated as reliable storage after recovery. Ask about suitable return media and keep another backup of the recovered data. Data handling and retention are explained in the privacy policy.

An undetected drive can have a connection, power, enclosure, firmware or internal hardware problem. Seeing the correct capacity in a disk utility is useful information, but is not proof the drive is healthy. Do not initialise, format or erase a drive when its existing files are needed. If it is noisy, was dropped or repeatedly disconnects, stop using it and arrange an assessment.

The aims are different. Repair seeks to make a device usable; recovery seeks to retrieve the files. A recovery may require temporary electronics or mechanical work so the data can be imaged. That does not make the failed drive dependable storage again. Recovered files should be placed on separate storage and backed up.

An assessment is needed. External charring does not reveal the condition of the recording surfaces, and heat, contamination and water from firefighting can affect different components. Leave the drive unpowered, keep all of its parts and contact the laboratory for handling instructions. Severe recording-surface damage can prevent recovery.

A board fault may be recoverable when the required drive-specific data and recording surfaces remain usable. A matching-looking replacement board is not necessarily interchangeable: calibration information, firmware and sometimes encryption depend on the original electronics. Keep the original PCB and ROM components and avoid further board swaps.

Verify important files on the return media, then keep another independent backup. A practical approach is three copies, on two types of storage, with one copy off-site. Keep at least one backup disconnected or protected against accidental changes, and test restoring a small selection of files. A synchronised folder alone may also synchronise a deletion.

Complex recovery commits specialist labour, preparation, any required donor parts and controlled imaging before the outcome is known. The upfront fee covers the specific work agreed in your quote and is non-refundable once that work begins. It is not a guarantee of recovery. Any conditional success fee is charged only when the agreed recovery criteria are met. We customise the scope to your files, priorities and needs. Levels 1 and 2 have no upfront recovery fee.