File Recovery

First: stop using the drive. Every minute a failing or recently-deleted-from drive keeps running can overwrite files or make damage worse. Don't install recovery software on it, don't run "repair" tools, and don't keep restarting it. Turn the computer off and email us.

What we can recover

• Deleted files — emptied Recycle Bin or Trash, deleted folders, files removed from a USB drive or memory card.
• Corrupted or accidentally formatted drives — "drive needs to be formatted," missing partitions, RAW drives, damaged file systems.
• Failing-but-readable drives — slow, error-prone drives that still show up. We make a careful, read-only image first (using tools such as ddrescue), then recover from the copy, not the original.
• Healthy drives from dead computers — the laptop, desktop or single NAS drive died but the drive inside still works.

What we refer out, and why

Some failures need a clean-room lab with specialist hardware. We never open drives. If we see any of these, we stop and refer you to a professional data recovery lab:

• Clicking, grinding, beeping, or a drive that isn't detected at all
• Water, fire, or drop damage
• SSD controller or firmware failure
• Multi-drive RAID arrays that have failed or been rebuilt incorrectly

Trying software on a physically damaged drive can destroy the data a lab could have saved. If your drive needs a lab, we'll tell you so after the evaluation. If you've only paid the evaluation fee, that's all you pay us.

How it works

1. Evaluate. We check the drive's health and what's on it, without writing anything to it.
2. Written quote. You get the tier, the price, and what we expect to recover. Nothing happens until you sign a written authorization.
3. Image the drive. We make a read-only copy, so the original is touched as little as possible.
4. Recover. We recover files from the copy.
5. Verify with you. We go through the recovered files together so you can confirm the important ones open.
6. Hand back. You get your original drive and the recovered files on a destination drive you provide.

Pricing

No files, no recovery fee: if we can't recover the files you told us matter most, you pay only the $79 evaluation. You'll need a destination drive large enough for the recovered files; you can buy one yourself or we can recommend one. Drives up to 2 TB are standard; larger drives may take longer and we'll quote accordingly.

Privacy and confidentiality

• We look only at what's needed to recover and verify your files.
• Your drive and its image are kept secure and never shared.
• After you confirm you have your files, we securely delete our working copy, normally within 7 days, and confirm by email.
• Happy to sign your NDA. For dental and medical offices, ask us about a Business Associate Agreement before we start.

Honest expectations

No one can guarantee data recovery. Overwritten files, encrypted drives without the key, and badly damaged drives may not be recoverable, and some recovered files may come back without their original names or folders. We'll tell you what we expect before you pay for recovery.

Better: never need this

Recovery is the expensive way to get your files back. A tested backup is the cheap way. See Data Backup Setup and our guide, Backing Up an Office That Keeps Its Data On-Site.

Ask about a recovery