WHAT TO DO AND NOT TO DO:

Recommended Steps:

• Firstly and most importantly, please stop whatever activity you are doing and immediately switch off and unplug your computer or data storage device. 
• Ensure that the failed hard drive (or other storage device) is not operated any more as any further operation of the drive in such failed state will deteriorate the drive's fault and will decrease a chance for data recovery, risking even a permanent loss of your data. 
• If by mistake data is deleted from the hard drive (or the drive is reformatted or the operating system is reinstalled on the drive), the subject drive should immediately be switched off, unplugged and brought to a specialist for data recovery, as with further use of the drive the drive's sectors that contain the original (lost) data would be permanently overwritten and the subject original data would be permanently lost.
• Appropriately protect and pack your failed hard drive (or other storage device) and bring or send it for assessment and data recovery only to a data recovery company which is reputable by the industry standards (i.e. which has a proven track record, appropriate facilities and equipment, and highly trained data recovery engineers).

Not Recommended actions:

• Do not try to operate the hard drive (or other storage device) on which you experienced a data loss.
• Do not attempt to open or repair the damaged drive (storage device) yourself. 
• Do not try to recover data yourself. Do not temper with the hard drive. 
• Do not hit the drive on hard surface. Do not freeze it in the fridge. Do not wash it.
• Do not use off-the-shelf basic data recovery software. Such software may look like a cheap solution to your problem and sometimes it is even free to download. However, a recovery software, which is not of a professional level is usually of poor quality and when ran on a failing drive, it can additionally deteriorate the problem and cause permanent loss of data.
• Do not give the hard drive for assessment and data recovery to a friend who deems to be an “IT guru”, just because he will do it for free.
• Do not give the hard drive for assessment and data recovery to some general IT shop on the corner, which claims to be in data recovery business by having one semi-trained technician and a freebee data recovery software downloaded from the net.

Once you pass through these recommendations, you are ready to start with recovery of your data (for more details, see the page Data Recovery Process )

For any additional information, please call us on 1300 656 071 or contact us via email or Enquiry / Quote Request form.