Data Recovery Firms

2010-10-31 08:03:40

#1

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7016|London

My (Samsung Spinpoint F1) 1TB drive is showing up as 32MB

I was hoping this would solve my problem, but it didn't. I just got the message: "Hard drive is not accessible or damage in some way. Therefore factory capacity cannot be recovered. Please try to run this program on another platform."

I also tried using Acronis to change the partition type, as suggested by .Sup

But that didn't work either, I'm not sure what the error message was.

I don't think there is much else I can try myself, unless anyone has any bright ideas I think I'll send it to a recovery firm.

I'm thinking of using xytron as they guarantee to recover the data or there is no fee, and they send a courier to collect the drive. The quote was around £250, but it might be more.

Has anyone had any experience with one of these companies? Any recommendations?

Last edited by Dauntless (2010-10-31 08:05:02)

2010-10-31 09:16:17

#2

NooBesT: Pizzahitler; +873|6742

Dauntless wrote:
Has anyone had any experience with one of these companies?

Can't say I have, Dauntless. Good luck with that though!

2010-10-31 09:30:18

#3

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

haaaaaaaaaahahaha

my friend sent a 500Gb drive off to one of these companies and got charged just over £400

what's the point? not as if you can't redownload the games, apps and small amount of music you have

otherwise... serves you right for not having an external drive painful, has happened to me many times...

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 09:36:39

#4

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7016|London

there's just a few things on there i'd like to keep, it's not a HUGE problem if i lose them, but if i can pay someone to get them back i will

also, if the drive has a physical problem and they need to take it apart to recover the data, do they repair it and give it back to me or do they just store it somewhere for me to retrieve? if they take it apart then i'd assume the warranty would be void, and that means i'd need to also buy a new hard drive.

2010-10-31 09:46:48

#5

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

dauntless mate you would be fucking crazy to pay the repair fees to get back some information/files.

if they were THAT important then im assuming you'd have them backed up, anyway... you're a smart guy

the fact is you can get a new 1-1.5Tb drive for under £75 nowadays.

these services have costs running up to the £500 mark. it's ridiculous. i know it's an inconvenience but come on... that's a lot of money.

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 09:51:59

#6

jsnipy: ...; +3,277|6796|...

Uzique wrote:
dauntless mate you would be fucking crazy to pay the repair fees to get back some information/files.

if they were THAT important then im assuming you'd have them backed up, anyway... you're a smart guy

the fact is you can get a new 1-1.5Tb drive for under £75 nowadays.

these services have costs running up to the £500 mark. it's ridiculous. i know it's an inconvenience but come on... that's a lot of money.

this

2010-10-31 09:57:12

#7

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

i mean i have limited know-how when it comes to data recovery but i just know it's as expensive as shit. i've had 500Gb drives full to the BRIM of music and films crash before and die, and i've held off getting the data recovered. may as well have just purchased all the media on CD from actual stores if i was prepared to pay that sort of money, anyway. nothing you can't redownload in a week or two, dauntless. as i said it's an inconvenience and a bit of a set-back but £500 could practically buy new a whole new rig. not worth it for that britney spears discography in 128Kbps that you got from thepiratebay.

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 09:59:44

#8

bugz: Fission Mailed; +3,311|6585

Not to mention data recovery isn't always 100% successful. So you may end up paying several hundred pounds for nothing.

Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/ebug122

2010-10-31 10:01:47

#9

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

pretty sure first point of his post states that it's a no recover - no fee policy

sounds like a 'good deal' til you realize you're paying like £5 for every Mb of data retrieved

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 10:06:54

#10

Buckles: Cheeky Keen; +329|6830|Kent, UK

If the Drive is within Manufacturer's Warrenty, have you tried contacting Samsung or the retailer and see if they would cover the data recovery, as the HDD has failed?

2010-10-31 10:10:04

#11

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7016|London

yeah well this is why i'd like to know what peoples experiences are using these companies, for all i know someone might mention a great low priced company that they have used before

i am still in two minds weather to do it or not, the drive is still under warranty so i could probably get samsung to repair it, but i don't think they would try to save the data

2010-10-31 10:13:05

#12

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

well my last $0.02 in this thread is that all the people i have known to use these services in data-recovery emergencies have been charged a fuck-ton. the last guy that i know particularly had an external drive fail on him in his second year, mainly full of music and documents, and he paid £400 ish like an absolute mug.

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 10:43:26

#13

Buckles: Cheeky Keen; +329|6830|Kent, UK

Dauntless wrote:
i am still in two minds weather to do it or not, the drive is still under warranty so i could probably get samsung to repair it, but i don't think they would try to save the data

You could try to argue the case that their drive failing has caused the data loss, so they should either recover the data or pay the cost of your getting it recovered, so you're not out of pocket for their drive being made of suck.

2010-10-31 10:49:59

#14

Dauntless: Admin; +2,249|7016|London

Buckles wrote:
Dauntless wrote:
i am still in two minds weather to do it or not, the drive is still under warranty so i could probably get samsung to repair it, but i don't think they would try to save the data
You could try to argue the case that their drive failing has caused the data loss, so they should either recover the data or pay the cost of your getting it recovered, so you're not out of pocket for their drive being made of suck.

i don't think any hard disk manufacturer would be interested in recovering the data though

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/ … ranty.html

SAMSUNG will not be responsible for lost data, and limited warranty supplied by SAMSUNG is not intended for restoration of any lost data. Additionally, any costs incurred while attempting to restore lost data will not be reimbursed by SAMSUNG , it is highly recommended that you backup your data, once your product is received at Samsung, the ownership of the product and all content therein will be transferred to Samsung.

Disclaimer

Samsung hard disk drive (HDD) products themselves are covered by a limited warranty that is automatically voided if your product is disassembled, altered or tampered with.

SAMSUNG IS NOT LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR LOSS OF DATA WRITTEN TO OR SAVED ON ANY SAMSUNG HDD PRODUCT, OR FOR ANY DATA RECOVERY OR ATTEMPTED DATA RECOVERY.

For your reference, below is a list of data recovery service providers that can open your Samsung HDD product and (if connected through the link below) provide a seal or proof of data recovery that will not void your Samsung HDD limited warranty.

Samsung does not recommend or endorse, and makes no representation or warranty of any kind regarding, any data service providers and/or their services. Any deficiencies or shortcomings in the services provided by any of the companies on this list must be resolved between you and such company.

You may not hold Samsung liable for any claims, complaints or disputes arising out of this list, the companies on this list and/or the services provided by any such companies.
IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, PLEASE DO NOT REFER TO THIS LIST.

I think if they just carry out a repair on the bus and the data is still ok on the disc, they might even do a format on the disk as part of some standard guideline or something.

2010-10-31 10:52:00

#15

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

pretty sure hard-drive manufacturers would have their asses covered for data recovery services...

a hard-drive can fail, crash or lose data for so so many reasons/causes... it's such a sensitive piece of equipment

and no way is a big manufacturer gonna leave itself liable to the thousands of data recovery claims... expensive business

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

2010-10-31 12:03:03

#16

.Sup: be nice; +2,646|6727|The Twilight Zone

I had a hard drive die once because of static electricity. It was within the warranty. I sent it back and asked nicely if my data could be retrieved. After a week I was called to pickup my hard drive that was replaced by a brand new one. With it was a DVD with all my photos and 3D designs I made. Everything free of charge. The trick was to ask nicely and say thanks afterwards. Give it a try (assuming the warranty is still active).

https://www.shrani.si/f/3H/7h/45GTw71U/untitled-1.png

2010-10-31 13:03:40

#17

Defiance: Member; +438|6944

Uzique wrote:
and no way is a big manufacturer gonna leave itself liable to the thousands of data recovery claims... expensive business

Ah, the Layer Cake argument. No, the manufacturer could probably find the fault in the drive fairly easily give they made the drive and have invested a lot of money in to diagnostic equipment for the R&D process alone. Chances are that there is no actual damage to the platters at all, just something on the controller board bit the dust, in which case it's a simple fix. These data recovery businesses are so expensive because they have the stigma that it's a CSI-esque process and most people are willing to fork out a ton of cash to recover personal documents. Very little about consumer data recovery necessitates it being a £400 operation.

2010-10-31 13:07:48

#18

Uzique: dasein.; +2,865|6744

oh i believe that

but doesn't make it any less expensive

_{libertarian benefit collector - anti-academic super-intellectual}. _{http://mixlr.com/the-little-phrase/}

BF2S Forums Data Recovery Firms

Dauntless wrote:

Uzique wrote:

Dauntless wrote:

Buckles wrote:

Dauntless wrote:

Uzique wrote:

Board footer