A few questions to determine how your drive is operating and approximately one (1) minute. The results returned will be the fault class indicated, immediate actions to stop performing, and the estimated pricing band within our published pricing structure. There will be no phone call, no enrolment process and nothing will reach us unless you elect to submit your device.
Designed based on actual faults that pass through these doors. All operations run within your browser: nothing is ever submitted, stored or viewed by us unless you elect to contact us after completion.
Enough information to allow for your decision-making process without needing to speak with anyone, including us.
Not a lookup table. The next question asked by the diagnostic process will depend on the previous questions and answers provided by the user.
All diagnostics begin the same way, regardless of whether they were initiated by an engineer or this tool: what type of device the user has, what type of problem is being experienced with their device and what has been done previously to troubleshoot and repair the issue. These three pieces of information rule out more possible causes than any level of detail regarding capacity, age or manufacturer.
The path splits. If the hard drive makes some sort of noise, then the tool asks what type, because different noises indicate different things. A repeating clicking noise is a totally different issue from a continuous scraping, and also has a different level of urgency. If the drive is completely silent, then there's another whole path it takes you down, as a drive that isn't spinning is typically an electronic failure rather than a mechanical failure, and, unlike the first case, the drive doesn't continue to get worse while you make up your mind about how to proceed.
What it cannot do is physically see the unit. A disk that reports an incorrect size and a disk that has a failing head can sound identical when described. Therefore, this output gives you a probable classification and not a confirmed one. The free 48-hour diagnostic is what ultimately determines which is correct.
These costs all exclude VAT, and they are the same as those shown everywhere else on this website.
£250 memory cards and USB sticks; £300 single drives, external drives, SSDs, laptop drives, PC drives, Mac drives; £550 flat Fusion Drive Macs (both drives included); from £500 RAID, NAS, servers, databases; £800 flat BitLocker encryption; £400 flat CCTV; from £800 virtual machines and forensics; from £1,250 enterprise storage area network (SAN).
The tool will tell you what band fits your issue. But it cannot give you a quote, since to give you a quote we need to see your device. So a firm that gives you an exact number based upon the information you submit through a web form is guessing at your number.
To put it bluntly, a tool that over-promised its capabilities would be worse than no tool at all.
It does a reliable job of determining which fault class to place your symptoms in, lets you know whether things are worsening while you determine what to do, and identifies the cases that are closed regardless of who you speak with: encrypted data (without the key), soldered Apple storage on a dead motherboard, deleted SSD data after TRIM.
But it does not provide answers to any question requiring the device to be on a bench, such as whether the platter(s) show scarring, how many sectors have gone bad and spread, if a given controller will react, or how many parts of the array are still readable. These questions are the ones that define the end result of the recovery process, and none can be answered through description alone.
Use the information provided by the tool as a basis to start further investigation, not as an absolute conclusion. This is the exact same information you would receive from a thorough telephone call, which is exactly what it was created to replace at 2am.
These rules apply to every failure/condition that this tool identifies and each device.
Clicking, grinding or scraping sounds indicate that one or more components are moving as they should not be; none of the information reported by this tool can cause it to stop. How long there is between the time you hear something strange for the very first time and when you switch off the power will have a larger influence on the results than everything that occurs after.
No recovery software installed on this device. No test files written back to this drive. No acceptance of any offer by Microsoft (Windows) to format/initialise or repair the drive in question. Recovery should take place from a different drive than that containing the data you want recovered. Recover to a third drive. Or leave the media alone completely.
Completely free. No sign-up required. No card details needed. Runs within your browser, so contact only happens if you choose it. The in-house diagnostic on the device in question is also completely free.
We provide an accurate ballpark estimate for the type of device you are using, which covers the great majority of cases when it comes to recovery. Occasionally, we may see cases where there has been physical damage to the storage medium in question, such as a chip-level failure; or there may be complex RAID rebuilds involved. These cases can fall into higher categories. Your exact price will always be confirmed in writing after the free diagnostic, prior to any work taking place.
On most jobs, if we do not recover your data, you do not pay a recovery fee. Your written quote will clearly set out what applies to your case, so you will never get surprised.
Get a quotation by using the online form or by contacting us directly via telephone. Once you have received your quotation, please pack your media carefully and then either deliver your media to the Vision Park location (Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm) without needing an appointment, or send it to us fully insured via postal delivery. Please include a printed copy of the shipping slip provided above, complete with all relevant contact information such as your name, phone number, e-mail address and your physical address, and place this inside the parcel so that we are able to log it in.
Turn it off immediately and leave it off. In nearly all cases that clicking or grinding noise is a sign of either a faulty head or motor on the disk drive. The longer you run your damaged hard disk, the greater the risk of further damage. If you need some help as far as diagnostics go, refer to our diagnostic tool above, which should be able to give you some guidance based on what you are experiencing, or simply contact us at 01223 655015 immediately.
Yes. All data recoveries are done in house, and all recoveries are treated with total confidentiality. Let us know if you would like an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) for any commercial or sensitive recovery.
Let us know what happened to your disk, and we will normally reply within 30 minutes during business hours.
We'll reply shortly. Anything urgent, call 01223 655015.
When you get a quote from us, bring your disk in to us, or send it to us with the shipping slip, and once we complete your complimentary diagnosis, we will then provide you with your final price in writing. Want to discuss this over the telephone? We are here for you.