If your drive is making unusual noise, shut it down immediately and do not power up again.
Calmly assess the situation. Hasty attempts to fix the problem can often result in further damage and data loss.
Stop writing to any media (including hard drives) that may be involved in data loss. Note that running most software (for example, Internet Explorer) writes new data to your drive and may possibly overwrite the lost data you are seeking.
Eliminate the simplest possible causes, such as loose cables or bad device drivers. Write down all symptoms of failure and all recent actions and events involving your computer.
If you determine physical damage to be the cause of your lost data, avoid do-it-yourself solutions. Do-it-yourself software make use of the problem drive, potentially causing complete failure and further data loss.
Contact Seagate Recovery Services to understand your options for professional in-lab recovery services.
2. What is Data Recovery?
Data recovery is a highly technical, highly labor-intensive process used to restore lost files from a variety of digital storage media and devices. The process is carried out in a controlled environment using Class 100 clean rooms and Class 10 horizontal flow clean benches to protect client media and all recovery equipment from contamination. (All Seagate Recovery Services clean air facilities undergo annual certification testing to ensure that they meet or exceed acceptable air flow uniformity and particle count standards.)
Storage systems can fail in many different ways, however the data stored on them is not always completely lost. The specific technique used to recover the information depends on the type of failure (file corruption, virus attack, mechanical or electrical problem, and human error). Sometimes these problems occur in combination. Seagate Recovery Services full-service lab facilities are prepared to address all failure modes using the industry's most advanced recovery technology and procedures.
3. How can I prevent further loss of data?
To avoid further damage to your media and prevent extended data loss:
Do not perform any operation on the storage device that will cause physical damage to the device or the data on it
Do not write to any of the files on the device or add additional files
Do not format the drive
Do not modify the partitions on the drive (using FDISK or any other partitioning software)
Do not try to open the device to see what is wrong. (Hard drives are particularly sensitive to contamination and should only be opened in a microscopically clean environment)
Cease using the hard drive or storage device that requires recovery. If your drive is making unusual noises or showing other obvious signs of distress, shut it down immediately and do not power it up again. Before you forget them, write down all symptoms of the failure and all recent actions and events involving your computer. Contact our Customer Service Department for additional advice (which will depend on the type of media involved). Simply contact us, free of charge on our toll-free number.
If you have a backup, evaluate how current it is and if it will fulfill your needs. Consider restoring your backup to a different system in case you find that critical files are missing or outdated.
If you seek help from a trusted local specialist, please remember that professional data recovery is a skill learned from practice and requires highly specialized tools.
While data recovery can seem expensive because it is a highly technical and labor intensive process, recreating your data may be significantly more expensive. Also, the turnaround time for data recovery is usually much faster than the time it would take to recreate your lost files from scratch.
4. What is Seagate Recovery Services' confidentiality policy?
Seagate Recovery Services provides a completely secure environment to ensure absolute privacy of your valuable information. We will protect the confidentiality of your data against unauthorized disclosure using the highest degree of care and by abiding to stringent ISO 9001:2000 security standards.
5. What is the turnaround time for data recovery?
Seagate Recovery Services offers unique recovery service options to suit your specific needs depending on the urgency of your situation. Our service offering is tailored for both individual consumers and businesses.
Turnaround times vary and depend on many factors including:
The degree to which the data is fragmented or corrupt;
The degree of media damage and how long it takes to read the entire drive to make a mirror image
6. What is the cost of data recovery service?
Seagate Recovery Services views each recovery case as unique. The price of any case is generally determined by three main factors:
The cost of components;
The total lab time spent on the case and the degree of work performed by technicians;
The type of storage device that has failed and the nature of that failure.
Remember, Seagate Recovery Services has a strict No Data Ð No Charge policy. There is no recovery fee if your media's data cannot be recovered; hence the costs involved in attempting the recovery are borne at our own risk.
Simply contact Seagate Recovery Services and we will be happy to provide you with free consultation on your specific data loss situation. Or try our convenient Solution Selector Tool.
7. How can I prevent data loss
The best way to prevent data loss is to have a current backup on a reliable medium. External USB hard drives are a convenient backup solution for desktops and workstations. They are easy to install, compatible with all modern desktop operating systems, and are portable from one machine to another.
Newer desktop computers are also frequently capable of using RAID technology on ATA or SATA hard drives. RAID is a feature that has been available for many years in server operating systems with expensive disc controllers but has been appearing on desktop machines more recently. Desktop RAID uses multiple ATA or SATA hard drives to store multiple copies of the same data. Read more about RAID on our Technical Support web site.
In a business environment, large SATA hard drives are finding acceptance as near-line storage. The SATA protocol will soon offer 3GB/s throughput and Native Command Queuing, which will bring performance very close to Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Fiber Channel. The slightly lower performance is offset by the considerably lower cost of the SATA drives.
To learn more about data loss prevention, visit our comprehensive Data Loss Prevention page.
8. How do I package and send my hard disc drive in for in-lab recovery?
You only need to send us your disc drive for data recovery. For internal drives, remove the drive from the computer (getting expert help if necessary) and ship only the drive to one of our lab facilities. It is extremely important that your hard drive be packaged carefully to avoid any additional damage during shipment. Enclose the drive in a sea-shell container or an ESD (electrostatic discharge) bag. For external drives, ship the drive in its enclosure along with its cables and power supplies.
If possible, ship the drive in its original manufacturer's packaging, or pack the drive with solid foam padding inside a sturdy corrugated cardboard box. Use of foam packing pellets, bubble wrap or newspaper is not recommended.
9. Can all lost data be retrieved?
There are occasions when damage to the data is permanent and a complete recovery is not possible. However, it is rare that absolutely no data is retrievable. Using Seagate Recovery Service's unique recovery equipment and procedures, our expert teams are able to successfully recover lost data, even in extreme conditions. Should we be unsuccessful in recovering the data you need due to severe media damage, you won't be charged a recovery fee.
10. Can I use disc repair or software recovery utilities?
Before you choose a software utility for recovering lost data, consider the value of your data. Software can successfully recover data in some instances. If you have a Windows-based operating system, we recommend Seagate's File Recovery for Windows.
Never use a repair or recovery utility program unless it allows you to save the repaired or recovered data to alternate storage media.
Most importantly, do not format the drive or change the partitions. Either action can result in permanent loss of your data.
If your drive makes any unusual noises, do not attempt to use any type of utility software. Clicking, buzzing, scraping and other metallic noises may be indicative of mechanical failure. Shut down the computer to avoid further damage to the drive and its data. Send your drive to us for professional recovery in our Class 100 clean room environments.
11. What is the evaluation process and how long will it take?
Once we receive your media, our team of highly experienced technicians will determine the extent of your media's damage and data loss. Seagate Recovery Services will assess the amount of work or parts necessary to get the drive working well enough to read the data. During the evaluation process, we will determine how to perform the recovery of your lost data in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. We are committed to getting your data back and providing you with firm timeframes and costs. (Please note that we may or may not determine the root cause of the failure and we do not attempt to repair your media.)
The timeframe for recovering your data will depend on the complexity of the data loss situation and the service solution that you select. Our Solution Selector can help you determine how long your data recovery will take.
