Hard drives
Desktop and laptop drives, external USB drives: clicking, slow, failing, not detected, or showing as empty.
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- Computer repair
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Data recovery in St. Albert
Deleted files, failing drives, dead SSDs and USB sticks. A free evaluation first, a firm quote, and if we cannot recover it, you do not pay.
First, stop using it.
Every minute a failing drive keeps running is a chance for the files you want back to be overwritten. Power the computer off, do not run recovery software, and bring the drive or the whole machine in. We evaluate it free and tell you exactly what is possible.
- Do not keep trying to open the files, run “repair” tools, or install anything on that drive.
- Do not open the drive, freeze it, or tap it. The internet is wrong about all three.
- Do write down what happened and when; it helps us choose the safest approach.
- Do bring the power adapter for external drives, and a drive to put the data on if you have one.
What we recover
SSDs and USB sticks
Solid-state drives and flash drives that show empty, ask to be formatted, or are not recognized at all.
Memory cards
Camera and dash-cam cards with deleted or corrupted photos and video, including cards that were formatted by mistake.
Computers that will not boot
Windows or Mac machines that fail to start: your files come off first, then we talk about the repair.
Deleted and formatted
Files emptied from the recycle bin, drives formatted by mistake, partitions lost during a reinstall.
Business data
A server that will not start, a NAS that lost a disk, the accounting folder nobody backed up. Quietly and quickly.
We do not recover data from phones or tablets.
What to expect
Deleted files or emptied recycle binUsually recoverable if the drive has not been used much since.
Formatted drive or lost partitionOften recoverable in full, folder structure included.
Drive is slow, clicking, or disappearsMechanical trouble; we image it carefully before anything else. Often recoverable, time matters.
SSD or USB stick not recognizedDepends on the fault; many come back with the right tools, some do not.
Computer will not bootThe drive is usually fine; your files come off first, then we talk about the repair.
RansomwareDepends on what was encrypted; backups and shadow copies sometimes survive.
No promises up front, because every drive is different. The free evaluation tells you what is possible with yours before anything is charged, and once we start we go as far as the drive allows.
How a recovery goes
Free evaluation
We look at the drive on the bench and tell you what is wrong and what is possible.
Image first
A failing drive is copied sector by sector, once, so nothing we do afterwards can make it worse.
Recover and verify
Files come off the copy. We check that photos open and documents are whole before we call it done.
Hand it over, and a backup
Your data on a drive you provide or we supply, and a backup set up so this never happens again.
Questions we get
How much does data recovery cost?
The evaluation is free, and you get a firm quote before any recovery work. If we cannot recover your data, you do not pay for the attempt. Simple recoveries are a flat job; physically failing drives are quoted after we see how the drive behaves on the bench.
What can you recover?
Deleted or formatted files, failing or clicking hard drives, dead or unrecognized SSDs, USB sticks and memory cards, and computers that will not boot. Photos, documents, email, accounting files, the lot. We do not recover from phones or tablets.
What should I do right now?
Stop using the drive or computer. Every write to a failing drive can overwrite the files you want back. Power it off, do not run recovery software, and bring it in.
How long does it take?
Deleted-file and formatted-drive recoveries often finish the same or next day. A drive that is physically failing is imaged slowly and carefully, which can take days; we tell you what to expect after the free evaluation.
Is my data private?
Yes. We open only what the job needs, recovered data goes onto a drive you provide or we supply, and our working copies are removed once you confirm you have everything.
Can you recover a drive another shop gave up on?
Sometimes. Bring it in with whatever they told you. If it needs a cleanroom, which is rare and expensive, we say so and tell you who to call instead.
Lost something important? Power it off and call.