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Data Recovery - NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland County, NY

 

If there's anything I've learned in all my years in I. T., it's that if you use a computer long enough, some day you'll experience a data loss. It's not a question of "if." It's a question of "when."

Because you're reading this page, I'm guessing that right now is when, for you. So let's not waste any time. You've had a computer crash or other data loss and you want your irreplaceable data back. If that describes your current situation, then click here to tell us what happened, get a no-obligation estimate for data recovery, and start the ball rolling.

Whatever you do, don't try to recover your data by yourself. Chances are you'll just make it worse. The most common reason why we're unable to accept a data recovery job is that the customer tried to do it himself first, and in the process rendered all or some of the data irrecoverable. So don't do that!

We provide data recovery services in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York, and can work with internal and external hard drives, RAID arrays (all variants), ZIF drives, flash drives, memory sticks, DLT/DAT tapes, iPods, and most portable computing devices that use the Windows, Mac-OS (HFS), Linux, UNIX, and most other filesystems.

Lost data can usually be recovered, but time is of the essence. Every time your computer accesses its hard drive, there's a chance that another piece of lost data is being permanently overwritten and rendered irrecoverable.

If you're just reading this page for general information, however, then please read on.

 

What Happens to Lost Data ?

Usually nothing, believe it or not.

One of the most common data recovery jobs is caused by accidental deletion. This data is usually recoverable if the recovery is attempted soon after the accidental deletion. By default, when Windows "deletes" a file, all it actually does is move the pointer to that file to the Recycle Bin. It doesn't delete the file itself. So if you're missing a critical file, first check in the recycle bin. Chances are it's in there.

If you empty the recycle bin, the computer's reference to the file is removed and the space it formerly occupied is marked as being available for new data. But again, the file itself is not removed. Until the file is overwritten by new data, it's usually recoverable using special software. But the chances of it getting overwritten increase every minute that passes since the accidental deletion occurred.

 

What About Accidental Formatting?

Very, very often, users get so annoyed with a computer problem, such as a stubborn virus, that they decide to reformat the drive and reinstall the operating system. Sometimes they don't know that reformatting will wipe out all their data, and other times they forget about certain important files on their computers until after the reformat. Either way, accidental formats are another very common data recovery job.

Here's the good news: When a hard drive has been accidentally formatted, but the operating system has not been reinstalled, we usually get get all or most of your data back. Really.

If the operating system has been reinstalled, chances are that we'll be able to get some, maybe even most, of your data back. It depends how much of your data was overwritten during the operating system reinstallation.

 

Missing Partitions

Sometimes the entire partition on a hard drive disappears. These cases become apparent when you try to start your computer and get a message like, "Operating System Not Found," "Boot Partition Not Found," "No Valid Boot Image Found," and other sad messages.

In most cases, data from a missing partition can be recovered, but the difficulty (and cost) of doing so depends on the reason for the partition's disappearance.

 

Recovering Data when the Hard Drive has been Physically Damaged

We never cease to grieve over the indignities that hard drives suffer. We've come across drives damaged by power surges, water damage, being run over by cars, and being even being dropped (or thrown) out of windows. Other times, the drive's logic circuitry burns out, but the drive itself is intact.

Believe it or not, unless the internal disks themselves have been scored, broken, or otherwise damaged, most of the time the data on these drives can be recovered in a clean room environment. It can be expensive, but the good news is that there's no charge for an evaluation. And if we can't get your data back, there's no charge for letting us try.

 

When Does Data Become Truly Irrecoverable?

There are a few -- but only a few -- times when it doesn't even pay to try to recover lost data. Some examples of these times include:

• When the data has been intentionally destroyed by using a hard-erasing program.
• When the internal disks have been severely damaged or degaussed by magnetism.
• When a low-level format has been performed on the drive.

Thankfully, these sorts of things are quite unusual. In the vast majority of cases, lost data can be recovered.

Whatever your data recovery needs, contact RJM Tech Support for prompt, dependable service.