How much do you charge to evaluate the hard drive?
We do not charge to evaluate your hard drive or other media in most circumstances. An example of when we would charge an evaluation fee is when we are dealing with data that has been deleted and the customer has made data recovery attempts on their own that is destructive and would prevent us from performing our normal operating procedure.
How long does it take to evaluate my hard drive?
Evaluating a hard drive and other digital media is fairly simple and can take as little as 20 minutes. However due to availability of workstations, technicians and current work load we like to allow ourselves a maximum of 24 hours to complete your evaluation.
What determines how much it will cost to recover my data?
We base our pricing on three things, the capacity of your hard drive, operating system used and most importantly the type of hard drive failure. Some companies base their pricing off of how much data you have stored on the drive to get an idea of value. We feel this takes advantage of people in a bad situation. Pricing should be based off of time and resources used to complete the service.
How long will it take to recover my data?
Typically we get our recoveries done within 2 to 5 business days. However there are times when the degree to which the media is damaged more time is needed for the imaging process. Drive imaging is basically copying data from your damaged/unstable hard drive onto one of our house drives. This is to preserve your data and so that we can run additional data recovery software without worry of your unstable drive having a catastrophic failure during that process. Furthermore, we do offer expedited services for an additional charge. Rates vary depending on if the work needs to be completed overnight, during the weekend or holidays.
How will I receive my recovered data once the process is complete?
Most of the time the client will provide an external hard drive at the time the problem drive is brought in for recovery. If you don’t have one, we will be happy to provide one for you and add that cost to the final invoice. Depending on the amount of recoverable data and other factors you may want to consider DVD’s, thumb drive, external drive, NAS device or invest in a RAID. In rare cases we can FTP (file transfer protocol) or email small files.
Is my hard drive data secure?
We do have the obvious security measures including confidentiality agreements, alarms, motion detectors and a safe to secure highly sensitive data, but let’s face it, if an employee wants to steal customer’s data they are going to do it. It doesn’t matter what security measures a company takes, you are vulnerable. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that with Inter-Data Recovery Services. We are a small family run business and the only technicians that have access to your property are the partners. It would be completely self destructive to do anything with your data other than recover it. Absolutely no files leave our lab without your knowledge, period.
Can I reuse my hard drive?
In some rare cases after a recovery the failed hard drive can be reused. However, we do not recommend it. Usually they are unstable and it would not be wise to put them back into service. New hard drives prices are very low and it simply isn’t worth the risk. The only value the old hard drive has is it can be sent in for warrantee or used as parts on a future recovery.
Why do you recommend not using data recovery software?
Since the introduction of cheap over the counter software success rates in our industry have fallen dramatically. The reason is simple, hard drives that are starting to fail deteriorate and often times can fail so severely that your data will be lost forever. The longer your hard drive is running while you are trying to recover the data with software the more damage you are doing. Professional data recovery services do not approach a recovery the same way a consumer would. We have specialized equipment, knowledge, and expertise to know how to preserve your data before your hard drive “crashes” completely.
If you don’t recover my files do I still have to pay?
No. Like most reputable data recovery services we do not charge for the service unless we are successful. There are exceptions, for example if you bring us a hard drive that has been previously opened then we will often times charge a small nonrefundable amount to pay for parts and labor. Normally we would make that investment ourselves but in these cases our ROI is low.
How will I know which files are recoverable?
In most cases once the recovery is complete we will be able to generate a file listing of exactly which files are good and bad. This file listing will be emailed to you for your review and approval before any charges are made to your credit card.
Can I get an idea of how much the service is going to cost before I send you the hard drive?
Yes, in most cases if you describe the symptoms the hard drive is having we will be able to categorize the hard drive failure type and give a more accurate estimate for the data recovery service. Keep in mind that the phone consultation can differ from the actual evaluation results from our technician. This is due to the fact that several different failure types show the same symptoms.
Once the recovery is complete, will Inter-Data Recovery Services keep a back up until I confirm receipt of the recovered data?
Yes, we keep a copy of your recovered data for a 10 day period. This should give you ample time to make a proper back up and verify your critical files are working. If you need more time just let us know before the 10 days are up and we will securely store that data until you have notified us. As a professional courtesy there is no additional charge for storing your data after the 10 day period.
How do I package my hard drive to avoid any damage during shipping?
Please read these hard drive packaging guidelines by clicking here: Data Recovery Shipping Information