Begin by counting. One damaged document on an otherwise healthy computer is a simple file issue with a solution. Multiple failures across multiple unrelated folders indicate the storage system is sending you some information about itself, and running repair functions on a failing disk will worsen this situation.
First and foremost, determine what type(s) of issues you have; they are not the same.
There are four areas to invest two minutes each into, prior to paying money for repairs.
Microsoft Office programs automatically create recoverable copies of your work, typically in “AppData”, and they usually survive crashes. Microsoft's cloud-based offerings (OneDrive and SharePoint) as well as Google Drive all offer at least 30 days of version history. It takes one click to restore a version from last Tuesday.
On Windows you can find out if an older version of a file is available by right-clicking the folder in question and checking “Previous Versions” (as long as shadow copies have been enabled). The same principle applies to Time Machine on Macs.
If it’s a shared drive, then just ask whoever is responsible for running the server. Many times when we're called to fix a corrupted file or set of files, the issue is solved this way in five minutes without costing anyone anything.
If several files are affected, stop and check the drive. Multiple damaged files typically point to damage within the drive itself rather than a file problem. Instead of repairing individual files while the drive is still failing, deal with the underlying storage issues first.
Most complex file types that contain data also include metadata such as headers, index tables, offsets, checksums, and references to other parts of the file. When the metadata becomes corrupted, the actual content is often still valid but is inaccessible, similar to how a damaged partition table prevents access to a perfectly good hard drive.
Repairing corrupted files involves reconstructing the metadata so that applications accept the file. For example, Office documents are essentially ZIP containers containing XML. If the central directory portion of the container has become damaged, it can often be reconstructed using information contained in the individual file entries. Similarly, databases can be repaired until they will mount properly. Video files are rebuilt from a working video captured on the same device as the damaged file, providing a valid header structure to replace what was lost.
Content creation isn't something that file repair can accomplish. When the bytes are actually lost (and they're gone for good), the file will come back but the areas where bytes were missing won't: an incomplete document (missing some pages), a movie that only shows up to a certain point. We will provide this information prior to requesting payment.
A file repair begins at £250 +VAT. If we determine the damage to the file was caused by a failure of the drive, we will quote the drive recovery instead and include file repair as part of the quote rather than charging you twice.
You only pay if we recover your data. There is no charge if we can't restore access to the file.
Prior to submitting a file repair request, please check autorecover first, then your OneDrive/SharePoint version history, then the Previous Versions of the folder containing the file. If none of these options contains the desired file, the document is a ZIP container. In most cases the structure of a damaged ZIP container can be restored.
Please send us a sample working video recording produced using the same device at the same settings as your damaged video, if you have one. The header of the working sample will contain the structural details required to rebuild the damaged file's structure, and that often makes the difference between the damaged file being repairable or not.
The files have become damaged, but it’s a storage problem, not a file problem. Do not use the drive until it can be evaluated. It doesn’t make sense to fix files that are located on a drive that is failing. The rest of the files will also fail.
Typically. PST and OST files have well-documented internal formats, so they can be repaired predictably. Please send us either the file itself if you know where it resides, or the drive where it was saved: we will never take an entire computer.
Yes, as long as the original content remains intact. If there were actual losses of bytes, then the file will open but will be missing the areas where those bytes were originally located. Prior to making payment, you will be informed if there were any such losses.
2-5 working days. File repair is one of the quicker things we do. Often the diagnostic will establish within hours if the file will be recoverable or not.
Free diagnostics. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. And with our recovery services you can get back corrupted data from any drive, stick or card. Leave the repair tools alone and let us fix the problem. Start your recovery now.