HDD Recovery

[dan400007]

I'm sure that I someone will have gone through this before:

 

A teacher has come to us having dropped his laptop and now the HDD isn't seen by the BIOS and isn't seen by the XP installation CD.

 

The head has agreed that it will be worth the money to get the data of the HDD. What I'm looking for now is a data recovery company. I've got a quote from Kroll Ontrack costing £500-1000 but would like to try and get it a bit cheaper (without having the drive wrecked by some dodgy geezer on a market).

 

Any Suggestions from previous experiences?

 

Thanks in advance...

[djm968]

I would try connecting the drive to something like this first!

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=220115&doy=21m11

[limbo]

We used these guys in the past:-

 

http://www.vogon-computer-evidence.co.uk/

 

Not sure they are going to be cheap - but they are very very good.

[Midget]

Vogon don't even resemble cheap.

I'm not going to advertise the company I work for because it would be cheeky and they don't pay me to advertise them.

 

However we will be able to do it for <£500

 

Whatever range you are quoted it'll be the top end as your motor is seized and you should not try to power that HDD again as you'll be causing more damage. The platters will have to be swapped into another chassis and you'll prob need new heads as well.

[FN-GM]

You might also want to look at this post http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=135767#135767

[articles]

Nucleus technologies is the best company in data recovery programs... You can use data recovery products develop by them..

[firefighting]

Try this Data recovery tool for Windows XP, Windows 2000/2003 and Windows NT it only cost $49. I have used it to recover 95% of a HD when the Headteacher decided to completely reformat his laptop in error. It ran overnight and replaced allot of data, old school photos, etc. The demo is free and it will recover small word files. The paid version will recover the whole drive provided it is still spinning. It worth a try at about £30 !!!!

Good luck

[Polski]

Most software and hardware stuff mention will be useless if your hard disk is toast.

 

Dropped the laptop? While it was running per chance?

 

Imagine the read/write head smacking into the data platter while it is spinning?

 

Experience is a wonderfull teacher. There is a lovely grove on the disk platter of my USB caddy, received when it did the table to floor dash on evening.

 

A data recovery company is the only way.

[elsiegee40]

I've used Fields Data Recovery http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk/

 

They were very good. Cost back in 2006 was £394 + VAT (not cheap)

Edited May 29, 2008 by elsiegee40

[firefighting]

Please let us know which option you chose and the result. Useful if I found myself in similiar position

[torledo]

I'm sure that I someone will have gone through this before:

 

A teacher has come to us having dropped his laptop and now the HDD isn't seen by the BIOS and isn't seen by the XP installation CD.

 

The head has agreed that it will be worth the money to get the data of the HDD. What I'm looking for now is a data recovery company. I've got a quote from Kroll Ontrack costing £500-1000 but would like to try and get it a bit cheaper (without having the drive wrecked by some dodgy geezer on a market).

 

Any Suggestions from previous experiences?

 

Thanks in advance...

 

seriously, the head is wrong it isn't worth the money, if the data was that important and that valuable steps would have been taken to ensure it was backed up to an external HDD , or synced with the school network when the laptop was on site, if data was still unrecoverable due to a mishap then fair enough, but a spof like data on a laptop is asking for trouble....ignorance to the vulnerability of important data isn't acceptable in the year 2008, even for non-IT professionals.

 

i guess it's one of the incidents where all involved learn from the mistakes....but the words bolted, horse and cart door spring to mind.

I suppose the good thing is the head maybe more amenable to you're requests for spend on disaster recovery products if and when you need them in the future....

Edited May 29, 2008 by torledo

[kbage]

I've used Fields Data Recovery Fields Data Recovery - USB, RAID & Hard Disk Drive Repair and Data Recovery

 

They were very good. Cost back in 2006 was £394 + VAT (not cheap)

 

Since you spammed everywhere for them I will just balance things out by saying that I have read they post fake reviews when I googled them (sadly after I was ripped off). They are very shady salesmen who will say anything to get your payment and then dont want to know you after things go wrong. And that's today never mind 2006.

 

They were incorporated in 2008 but claim to have been around for 18 years. 18 years, was there even a data recovery market back then? What took them so long to form a company (2008)

[bossman]

@torledo:

 

I totally agree with you and for the reasons you have stated, we had a young teacher who kept all of their work on a portable HD until one day they came to me crying as they couldn't access this drive when plugged into our network.

 

They went on to state how they had only accessed it hours earlier on our network so it must have been our network which was at fault and therefore we must do something about it.

 

I plugged the drive in and it wasn't picked up by the OS so I decided then and there to tell her that we couldn't do anything for her and did she have it backed up, no was the answer amid flowing tears.

 

I calmed them down and told them that there were experts in the field of data recovery and I could get them some contacts to which they asked how much it would cost, I told them around £500 to £1000.

 

They went away but later on that day I was contacted by SLT who wanted the drive to be seen by a specialist as there may be confidential data on it. So I spent a couple of hours contacting specialists and gave the reports to SLT.

 

To this date nothing has been done and this was over 4 months ago so I wouldn't bother, save the schools money and tell the teacher that they should have had the data backed up and that they should have been more responsible when using school equipment and that they should count themselves lucky that they are not being charged for the repair costs.