Sydney · Australia-wide
Hard drive recovery: image first, then rebuild.
Internal and external HDDs, any interface. Failing, slow, clicking (referral check), or “not initialised.” We image sector by sector before recovery attempts.
Before you do anything else
Protect the only copy.
- 01
Power it down
Every minute a failing drive runs can overwrite the bytes you need.
- 02
Skip consumer scanners
Desktop recovery apps write as they scan. That is the opposite of imaging a dying disk.
- 03
No repair, no format
chkdsk, First Aid and reinstall fix the disk; they do not preserve what was on it.
- 04
Call, then decide
Free triage: lab job, cleanroom referral, or Recovery Studio.
When / stop
When to stop spinning it.
Power it down if it clicks, beeps, grinds, smells, or takes longer and longer to come ready. Every extra spin-up can finish the remaining readable area.
Skip consumer scanners, chkdsk, First Aid and “repair” wizards on a dying disk. Those write. Deleted files on a healthy drive are a different job: still image first, then recover from the copy.
What we do
Dying disks get a map, not a spinner.
Unstable media is copied on hardware built for bad sectors. Worst regions last. Recovery runs on the image.
Filesystem rebuild and carve when directories fail. Deleted is often still present until overwritten. NTFS, APFS, HFS+, ext4, FAT and exFAT are ordinary work here.
Clicking, non-spinning, or head-crash symptoms: free assessment, then cleanroom referral if needed. We will not open the drive on a bench.
We do not run a cleanroom. Mechanical failures (clicking, non-spinning, head crash) are referred after free assessment. We will not open the drive on a bench and make it worse.
What it costs
Published band, then a fixed quote.
Healthy-drive logical work from $249. Failing or degraded drives that need imaging from $449. Cleanroom mechanical work is referred at no charge after free assessment. Assessment is free. The figure you agree is fixed before recovery starts. Full lab bands and Recovery Studio licences are on Pricing.
FAQ
Common questions.
Should I keep powering on a clicking drive?
No. Power it down and call. Repeated spin-ups can destroy remaining readable areas.
Do you open the drive in your workshop?
Not for mechanical work. We do not run a cleanroom; those cases are referred after assessment.
What does it cost?
Deleted, formatted or corrupt on a healthy drive starts at $249. Imaging a failing drive starts at $449. Fixed quote after free assessment. No recovery, no fee.
Can Recovery Studio replace lab imaging?
Basic can work an image you already have. Failing platters belong on the lab bench.
Next step
Tell us what failed.
Free assessment. Fixed quote before recovery starts. No recovery, no fee. Sydney drop-off or Australia-wide by tracked post.