DATA RECOVERY FAQ

What should I do if my hard disk is making strange noises?
Any type of strange and unusual noises generally indicate there are physical problems with the hard disk.  You may hear grinding or hard drive clicking noises.  If you experience such noises, you should immediately power the computer off to stop the hard disk from functioning in its present state.  Continuing to use a disk making such noises can cause permanent data loss.

What is the difference between logical and physical data recovery?
Logical data recovery is performed when there is nothing physically wrong with a hard disk.  Examples of problems requiring
logical recovery include virus corrupted data, master boot record corrupt, partition table corrupt, deleted files, or a formatted hard disk.  Physical data recovery is performed when there is physical damage to the components of a hard disk such as circuit board failure, read/write arm failure, platter damage, and hard drive motor failure.

What is a data recovery clean room?
A clean room is a room that is used for the physical recovery of data.  It operates at specific temperatures and humidity
required to maintain the air quality needed when opening a hard disk.  The air is also filtered to ensure it remains dust
free.  The room is kept sterile and is used strictly for the purpose of repairing damaged parts in a hard disk.  Clean rooms
used by data recovery companies are classified as Class 100 because they function with less than 100 particles larger than
0.5 microns per cubic foot of air.

I have some computer knowledge.  Can I attempt data recovery myself?
No matter how experienced you are with computers, you should never attempt your own data recovery.  Usually there is
only one chance to make an attempt to recover data.  The internal components of a hard disk are extremely sensitive to
dust.  If a hard disk is not opened in a clean room, you are exposing it to the dust particles in the room.  It only takes a
tiny amount of dust on the platters inside the disk to cause permanent data loss. 

I have read on the internet that one can freeze a hard drive to repair it.  Is this true?
There exists a belief that one can freeze a hard drive in order to get it working properly again.  This is only a myth and can
actually cause permanent data loss.  When the hard disk is removed from the freezer, condensation can be introduced
through the ventilation hole on the top of the disk.  If any amount of condensation enters the platter area- it can cause
data to be lost for good.  If you care to recover your data, it is not a good idea to freeze your hard disk.

My hard drive is clicking.  Can I just gently shake the drive to make it work normally again?
You should never shake a hard disk.  Doing this could cause the read/write arm to scratch the surface of the platters.
We have seen many cases of permanent data loss through the years which is caused by a scratching of the platter
surface.  The internal components of a hard drive are very sensitive and cannot endure physical abuse.

Data recovery is expensive but was necessary for me to recover Quickbooks data used daily by my company.
How can I prevent future problems that will require data recovery?
The single most important thing you can do is to ensure you backup your data on a frequent basis based on the
importance of your data.  For example, if your company depends on its Quickbooks data to make daily decisions,
you should be backing up your data on a daily basis.