WILDFIRE DATA RECOVERY
Hard Drive Data Recovery Services Toowoomba
If you're in Toowoomba and need help recovering data from an internal, external, or SSD hard drive, Wildfire Data Recovery Services is here to help. With headquarters located in Brisbane City and offices in Newtown, South Toowoomba, Centenary Heights, and Harristown, we are never too far from a hard drive data recovery drop-off point. Our team of certified engineers is dedicated to providing world-class outcomes and we work closely with Toowoomba clients around the clock. We offer emergency hard drive data recovery services and corporate-level recovery plans to meet your needs.
Wildfire Data Recovery is a certified, Australian owned hard drive data recovery business
success rate of recovery: 98%
(average score from 11,435 recoveries)
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FREE Data Recovery Consultation - we provide consultation services to assess the feasibility of data recovery and offer transparent pricing estimates inc. chances of success.
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No Data, No Charge Policy - we provide a "no data, no charge" policy, ensuring customers only pay if their data is successfully recovered.
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Data Security and Confidentiality - we prioritize data security and maintain strict confidentiality throughout the recovery process.
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Post-Recovery Support - we offer post-recovery assistance to help customers transfer and restore their recovered data.
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Emergency Data Recovery: We offer 24/7 emergency data recovery services for critical situations requiring immediate attention.
FREE DIAGNOSIS
$0 UP-FRONT FEES
24/7 CLIENT CARE
Our transparent service means you only pay if we can recover your data.
Wildfire Data Recovery Services has been providing professional recovery services for the greater Toowoomba region for over 5 years. With our HQ located in Brisbane City, we have offices in Newtown, South Toowoomba, Centenary Heights and within Toowoomba Central. We are never too far from a drop-off point OR feel free to send your device to us with $0 postage cost. We hire only the best, so that you receive the best, its a simple philosophy here at WDR.
Data recovery is highly complex and technical field of IT, that recovers years of dedication that go above and beyond any courses that one can take. A true data recovery engineer is self-taught, passionate and every-curious, never satisfied with their ability to achieve a better outcome for not only their customers, but for the science and art that is data recovery.
Call now for a free quote
PROFESSIONAL HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY SERVICES
"Our engineers always perform a FREE in-depth hard drive diagnosis to determine the best hard drive data recovery approach possible, at the best price."
QUICK SUMMARY - WHAT IS HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY?
Hard drive data recovery is a complex process that involves retrieving lost, deleted, or inaccessible data from a computer hard drive. It can be highly complex due to various factors such as physical damage, software errors, or accidental deletion. Successful data recovery requires expertise, specialized tools, and a thorough understanding of file systems and data structures. Attempting data recovery without proper knowledge and tools can lead to further damage or permanent data loss. That's why using a professional data recovery service is recommended. Data recovery services have experienced technicians who specialize in recovering data from different types of hard drives and handling various data loss scenarios.
SUMMARY - OUR HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY SERVICES:
"We offer our Toowoomba clients a comprehensive range of hard drive data recovery services, essential for a business to excel and meet the diverse needs of it's customers."
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Physical Hard Drive Recovery: We provide expertise in recovering data from physically damaged hard drives due to mechanical failures, water damage, or other physical issues.
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Logical Data Recovery: We offer solutions for logical data loss, including accidental file deletion, corrupted file systems, and data format issues preventing user data access.
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External Hard Drive Recovery: We provide data recovery solutions for external hard drives, including those used for backups and storage purposes.
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Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Repair: We offer PCB repair services to address issues caused by faulty circuit boards on hard drives.
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Deleted File Recovery: We utilize specialized tools to retrieve data that has been accidentally or intentionally deleted due to human error.
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Corrupted Data Restoration: We offer solutions to restore data from corrupted files or folders, ensuring data integrity is maintained.
IS HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY POSSIBLE?
YES! Hard drive data recovery is possible in many cases. However, the success of data recovery depends on various factors such as the extent of the damage, the cause of data loss, and the actions taken after the data loss occurred.
There are two contrasting scenarios that reflect the two broad categories of hard drive damage that often lead to data loss, these are:
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💻 Logical damage: Hard drive issues that belong to this category have something to do with software and the way data is stored on and retrieved from the file system. It can occur due to buggy firmware, driver problems, malware, reformatting, power outages, and other causes. A hard drive that has suffered logical damage works as intended, but the data stored on it may not be accessible.
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🔨 Physical damage: On the other hand, hard drive issues caused by some kind of physical damage prevent the hard drive from operating correctly (or even turning on at all). Such issues include dead and torn heads, platter scratches and other damage, stuck motor, and environmental damage. These issues often manifest themselves by clicking sounds and other noises, and they must be addressed before data recovery software can be used to perform data recovery.
⚠️ EXAMPLE - "The Storage Locker"
Imagine you have a hard drive that's like a storage locker for all your important files and documents. One day, something goes wrong inside the hard drive, causing a physical failure. It's as if the lock on the storage locker is broken, and you can't access anything inside.
In this case, the physical failure could be due to a problem with the hard drive's moving parts, such as the tiny mechanical arm that reads and writes data on the storage disks. If that arm gets stuck or damaged, it won't be able to do its job properly, and you won't be able to retrieve your files.
Another example of physical failure could be if there is damage to the storage disks themselves. These disks are like the shelves in the storage locker, where your files are stored. If something happens to those shelves, like scratches or dents, it becomes difficult for the hard drive to read the data stored on them.
When physical failure occurs, it can prevent your computer from recognizing the hard drive or accessing the files stored on it. Sometimes, you might even hear strange clicking or grinding noises coming from the hard drive, which are signs that something physically isn't working right. To fix physical failure in a hard drive, you would usually need the help of a professional technician who specializes in data recovery. They would have the tools and expertise to repair or replace the damaged components and retrieve your important files, if possible. Remember, physical failure is different from issues like accidentally deleting files or a software glitch. It's like having a physical problem with the lock or shelves of your storage locker, making it difficult or impossible to access your belongings.
Based on which broad category your hard drive falls into, will in-turn determine the approach we take to recover your data.To maximize the chances of successful data recovery, it is ALWAYS recommended to consult with a professional data recovery service as soon as possible after data loss occurs. They can assess the situation, determine the best course of action, and utilize their expertise to recover the data safely and effectively.
Main internal components of a 2.5" and 3.5" mechanical PATA hard drive.
THINGS TO AVOID IF YOUR HARD DRIVE HAS FAILED!
Now that we know the challenges we can face while recovering data from different types of drives, there are steps one can take at home to ensure the highest chance of success. Below our recovery team has listed a few minor things you should keep in mind when you hard drive has failed:
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❌ STOP USING THE DRIVE: The first order of business while recovering data from any form of storage is to stop using it. This is because drives have storage limitations and any new data can overwrite the space where your deleted data was initially present. If that happens, it becomes difficult to retrieve your files using data recovery software.
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❌ DO NOT FORMAT HARD DRIVE: If you have accidentally formatted your hard drive, recovery may still be pssible. However, you should not format the drive as it can make the recovery process complicated and you might lose some of your data forever through the process of overwriting.
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❌ DO NOT OPEN HARD DRIVE CASING: A single spec of dust is larger than this gap between the heads and the hard drive platter, so basically opening a drive outside a class 100 Clean Room will result in dust settling on the platters, and creating media damage on the platters when the drive is spun up, this can lead to a drive not being recoverable.
If you suspect a hard drive failure, contact the experts at Wildfire Data Recovery Brisbane to get your data back as quickly as possible, time is of the essence.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF HARD DRIVE FAILURE
"Each data loss situation is unique. At WDR we create a bespoke solution just for you."
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Accidental deletion: The user unintentionally deletes important files or folders, either by pressing the wrong key or using a faulty command.
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Formatting or repartitioning errors: Mistakenly formatting or repartitioning a hard drive can lead to data loss if the process erases existing data instead of creating a new partition.
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File system corruption: Issues with the file system structure, such as a corrupt partition table, damaged file allocation table (FAT), or Master File Table (MFT) corruption on NTFS drives, can render the data inaccessible.
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Operating system failure: Operating system errors, crashes, or updates gone wrong can cause data loss or make it impossible to boot into the system, preventing access to stored files.
NOTE:
⌛ Abrupt dips in file transfer speeds: If you notice a sudden and sharp decline in your file transfer speeds, chances are the HDD is on the verge of corruption and could aggravate into a click of death situation. This can turn a LOGICAL ISSUE into a very complex PHYSICAL ISSUE.
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Impact or physical trauma: Dropping the hard drive, mishandling, or subjecting it to physical shocks can damage the internal components, making the data inaccessible.
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Electronic failure: The electronic components of the hard drive, including the controller board, power supply, or firmware, malfunction or get damaged, preventing the hard drive from functioning properly.
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Mechanical failure: The hard drive experiences mechanical issues such as motor failure, head crash (when the read/write heads make contact with the platter), or spindle motor failure, making it impossible to read or write data.
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Water or liquid damage: Spilling liquid onto a hard drive or exposing it to moisture can cause electrical shorts or corrosion, resulting in data loss.
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Power surges or electrical issues: Sudden power surges, voltage spikes, or electrical failures can damage the hard drive's electronic components and render the data unreadable.
It's important to note that physical hard drive data loss can be challenging to recover without professional assistance. In such cases, it's recommended to contact a reputable data recovery service that specializes in physical hard drive failures. Regularly backing up important data is crucial to minimize the impact of physical hard drive failures.
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YOUR HARD DRIVE MAKES UNUSUAL NOISES:
If your hard drive is making any unusual noises, it is indicative of PHYSICAL FAILURE. It is crucial to back up your data immediately if possible. Continued use of a hard drive that is making abnormal noises will lead to further damage and permanent data loss. Below are some of the most common sounds we come across here at Wildfire Data Recovery, what they could mean for your hard drive and what to do if you hear them.
CASE STUDY - HARD DRIVE SOUNDS OF FAILURE
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Clicking or Ticking Noise: A repetitive clicking or ticking sound often suggests a mechanical issue with the hard drive. It could indicate a problem with the read/write heads, actuator arm, or other internal components. This type of noise should be taken seriously as it may indicate an imminent hard drive failure.
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Grinding or Screeching Noise: A grinding or screeching sound may occur when the motor or the bearings within the hard drive are failing. This type of noise is concerning and should be addressed right away.
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Beeping or Buzzing Noise: Some hard drives emit beeping or buzzing sounds when they encounter errors during startup or operation. This can be related to power supply issues, firmware problems, or other internal malfunctions. It's important to diagnose and address these issues to prevent further damage.
Find our more about hard drive sounds by listening to some recordings made by our team in the above audio box.
Recognizing the Click of Death: Common Symptoms of a Clicking Hard Drive
The "click of death" is a term used to describe a specific type of abnormal clicking sound that occurs in failing or malfunctioning hard drives. It is a symptom of a serious hardware issue and often indicates imminent hard drive failure.
If you’re unsure whether the clicks from your hard drive are abnormal, check out the common precursors that can confirm your suspicions:
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📢 Click Amplitude: If the clicks you hear are pretty evident and resemble a metal-on-metal screeching, you must take caution. Alternatively, if the clicking sound is loud enough to interrupt a conversation, you’ve got a problem.
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💻 Boot Impact: If your hard drive makes a clicking noise and won’t boot, it indicates a malfunctioning hard drive. Additionally, if you notice a hard drive clicking noise on startup, you must immediately take action.
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⏩ Click Frequency: If your hard drive produces a clicking noise at a high frequency (many clicks in a short interval), it’s a problem.
To determine whether data loss is physical or logical, there are a few steps a person can take. They can check the physical connections and power supply of the hard drive to ensure it is properly connected and receiving power. If the drive is physically damaged or making unusual noises, it indicates a physical issue. In cases where the drive is recognized by the system but the data is inaccessible, it is more likely a logical issue.
"You may only get one shot at recovering your precious data...so choose wisely."
WE RECOVER FROM ALL THE BELOW HARD DRIVE MODELS AND TYPES
SUPPORTED HARD DRIVE BRANDS AND MODELS:
Here are some examples of common hard drive brands and models that we recover data from every day:
While we can help in many situations, unfortunately data recovery isn't always possible from all models of HARD DRIVE devices. Below are some of the most common models and brands we recover data from every day here at WDR. If yours is not listed, please contact our data recovery team ASAP.
If you don't see your specific hard drive model listed here, don't worry. Our data recovery experts are equipped to handle a wide range of hard drive models beyond this list. Whether your hard drive is from a well-known brand or a less common one, we have the expertise to recover data from various hard drive types and configurations.
DATA RECOVERY FROM ALL HARD DRIVE CONNECTOR TYPES:
MODERN INTERFACES:
The following interfaces can be found on hard disk drives of today's personal desktop and laptop computers, DAS and NAS appliances, as well as other mainstream products. Some of them are employed solely in advanced enterprise-level servers, workstations and storage arrays. Internal SSDs can have the same connector types as their mechanical counterparts, yet, the latest ones come with newer connection standards that allow taking greater advantage of the flash memory.
SATA
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Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that has replaced PATA hard drive within desktop computers and laptops, due to its much faster data read/write rates.
A hard drive SATA connector.
SAS
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SAS is the evolution of the obsolete parallel SCSI interface into the one that uses serial design and addresses its speed limitations. A SAS connector is compatible with both SAS and SATA hard drives, and can host up to 16 storage devices simultaneously. The SAS specification also offers inherent support for hot-swapping.
A SAS hard drive connector.
All other hard drive connector types we support
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M.2
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mSATA
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U.2 (SFF-8639)
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pCIE
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PATA
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SCSI
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APPLE SSD CONNECTORS
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USB
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nVME
Can't see your hard drive listed? Don't worry; Wildfire Data Recovery can recover from any type or brand of hard drive. Including eSATA, USB, Firewire, IDE, EIDE.
WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT RECOVER DATA FROM
Our Wildfire Data Recovery Services Toowoomba, boast a hard drive file recovery success rate of a documented 98%. Like all electronic devices with built in complexity, hard drives have limitations to what can be recovered. This of course depends on the issue and the complexity of the problem.
CAN
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Unintentionally deleted data from the hard drive
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File System Corruption
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Physical Impact (fall, throw or bump)
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Electrical hard drive issues or short
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Partition table corruption or deletion
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Complex internal component failure (damaged heads)
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File system corruption
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Accidental formatting/reformatting of drive
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Deleted or damaged partitions on hard drive
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Hard drive cannot be detected
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No power or drive cannot start
CAN'T
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Extensive physical damage to the hard drive device, such as fire, flood, or extreme impact
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Severe Data Overwritting
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Encrypted Data Without Recovery Key
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Bit Rot or Data Degradation
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Intentional Data Removal (inc. DoD data deletion)
It's important to note that each data loss scenario is unique, and the success of data recovery depends on several factors such as the severity of the damage, the expertise of the data recovery specialists, and the available resources and technologies.
CHANCES FOR DATA RECOVERY AND SUCCESS RATES
"The nature and complexity of the failure play a significant role in the success of a data recovery service."
HOW SUCCESSFUL IS DATA RECOVERY?
Overall, data recovery yields a very high success rate, regardless of the device. The average data recovery success rate at Wildfire Data Recovery is 95% across all devices. Data recovery success rates can vary based on several factors. Firstly, the nature and complexity of the reason for failure play a significant role. Simple issues like accidental deletion or formatting generally have higher success rates, as they involve minimal damage to the storage media. On the other hand, more complex failures such as physical damage to the storage device, severe corruption, or mechanical issues pose greater challenges and lower the chances of successful recovery. The time elapsed since the data loss incident is also crucial, as immediate action increases the likelihood of successful recovery. Additionally, the quality of the data recovery service provider, their expertise, available technology, and resources also impact the success rate. It's important to consult professional data recovery experts who can assess the specific situation and provide the best possible chance of recovering your valuable data.
"Overall, data recovery yields a very high success rate, regardless of the device. The average data recovery success rate at Wildfire Data Recovery is 98% across all hard drive devices."
CASE STUDY - DATA LOSS DUE TO DELETED DATA
Any deleted file remains on the storage until the storage space is reused by other data. After file deletion, the operating system may reuse the disk space to save a new file. Thus, even a minor piece of information written to the storage can cause permanent data loss. Using a web browser might result in overwriting deleted files through caching or saving cookies to the storage. If you install any software to the same drive, your data can be overwritten as well.
HOW FILE SYSTEMS IMPACT SUCCESS RATES:
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Another factor that affects the prospect of data recovery after file deletion is the file deletion algorithm of a file system. For the Windows NTFS file system the chances for a positive outcome are quite high
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The BSD UFS (Unix) file system destroys information about the file start, location and size permanently and together with a high degree of file fragmentation (typical for this file system) leaves few chances for successful data recovery.
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Other file systems (like FAT) provide average chances for data recovery. Here, the information is destroyed partly (like the information about file fragments), but the information about the file name, start and size remains on the disk.
CASE STUDY - RECOVERY AFTER HARD DRIVE FORMATTING
File system formatting refers to the process of preparing a storage device, such as a hard drive or a solid-state drive (SSD). When a storage device is formatted, the existing data on the device is typically erased, and a new file system is created. If a hard drive that already had a file system with files is formatted, the formatting process typically erases all the existing data on the drive. This means that all files, directories, and file system structures are effectively deleted and replaced with a new, empty file system. Until new data is written over the old data, there is still a possibility of recovering some or all of the previously formatted files using specialized data recovery tools and techniques.
"Recovery of wiped and then overwritten data is impossible due to the specifics of the mechanism of writing data."
DATA RECOVERY PRICING
PRICING SUMMARY:
Our prices start at $199, depending on the reason and complexity of the failure. All data recovery pricing is based on complexity. Therefore the more complex the issue, the higher the cost for data recovery and the longer it may take to recover. Our services also have faster Priority, and Emergency Service options which can have a higher cost in order to push your device at "the front of the line" to get faster results. These options are usually taken up by our business and corporate clients. In summary, cost will depend on the type of problem your hard drive presents to us with and how quickly you need the data back. We offer a FREE assessment and quote on all recoveries.
At Wildfire DATA Recovery we never provide an official quote until our engineers have had an opportunity to diagnose your hard drive within our workshop. While we can provide estimations based on our client's descriptions of their hard drive issues, these will most likely change once our engineers evaluate your hard drive.
CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CUSTOM QUOTE
We routinely recover inaccessible emails, texts, photos, contacts, videos and any other data types from Apple devices that have suffered file system corruption, physical damage, file deletion, liquid or fire damage. We can recover data from Apple’s entire line of products, including the latest models.
THE WILDFIRE HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY PROCESS
"It is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Our hard drive data recovery process is customised for every client."
1.
COMPREHENSIVE RECOVERY REPORT
Once we process and diagnose our client's device(s) we complete a comprehensive diagnostic report. It marks on the total costs (inc. projected costs) of the recovery, the chance of success, the issue with the hard drive and why it requires data recovery services and finally the expected date of completion. We offer our customers a comprehensive diagnostic report free of charge with our standard service, to find the root of the failure and allow our engineers to find the right path to recovery.
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ONCE DIAGNOSIS IS OVER...
Following the completion of our comprehensive recovery report, we complete our diagnostic and consultation services with our clients and provide a projected success rate for their particular device and failure (these success rates are based on thousands of recoveries). Once the diagnostics are completed buy our experienced data recovery engineers, and the data recovery options are clear, we provide a firm no-obligation price quote. This quote can always be rejected by our clients and they can take their device and shop around.
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ONCE THE JOB IS APPROVED...
Once our clients provide us with the green light and approve the quote and the comprehensive report, our engineers conduct the invasive hard drive repairs and if necessary, use custom-designed, in-house, tools to recreate file systems and partition table information our clients need to progress to the next level of hard drive data recovery. This step can take a number of days, to a number of weeks depending on the complexiety of the hard drive failure. For example, a LEVEL 1 Logic Hard Drive Data Recovery may take 2-5 days, while a LEVEL 4 Complex Mechanical Hard Drive Failure can take up to 4 weeks or longer.
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HARD DRIVE DATA RECOVERY TOOWOOMBA -
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