Logical or physical: why the assessment comes first
Data loss comes in two kinds. A logical failure means the drive itself works but the files are hard to reach: something was deleted, a card was formatted, a partition vanished or the file system was corrupted. A physical failure means the hardware is damaged: a hard drive that clicks or grinds, an SSD controller that has died, a snapped USB connector or a drive that was dropped while running. The two need completely different tools, and the wrong approach can make recovery harder.
That is why we start with an assessment, not a recovery attempt. We check how the drive behaves, read its SMART data where it responds, and image drives that are stable enough, sector by sector, so recovery works from a copy rather than the original. You then get a plain account of what we found and a quote. We can’t promise every file back, and we won’t pretend to. The service suits families with irreplaceable photos, students with coursework, and small offices with no recent backup.
What we repair
- Accidental deletion and formatting Logical recovery for files removed by mistake, quick-formatted drives and lost partitions, working from a copy of the drive.
- Mechanical hard drive faults Drives that tick, grind or keep spinning down, assessed with minimal power-on time so the damage doesn’t spread.
- Solid-state drives SATA and NVMe SSDs that dropped out, went read-only or report the wrong capacity, including drives from laptops that won’t start.
- Portable drives and USB sticks External drives with broken connectors, failed USB bridge boards or drop damage, plus USB sticks that ask to be formatted.
- Memory cards SD and microSD cards from cameras, drones, dashcams and phones that show as empty, unreadable or RAW.
- Rescue from a dead laptop or PC When the machine itself has failed, we remove the drive where it’s removable and recover from it directly, before any repair or reinstall touches it.
- Severe physical damage Drives with crashed heads or scored platters need work in a clean room. We send these drives to a specialist clean-room lab and show you the lab’s price before the drive goes anywhere.
- Checked before you collect Recovered files are listed and spot-checked with you, so you know what came back before you take it home.
Prices
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Recovery assessment | Free |
| Logical recovery (deleted, formatted, corrupted) | $199–$399 |
| Physical failure (electronics or mechanics) | Quoted after assessment, with the partner lab price shown before any work |
| Clean-room recovery | Quoted separately before any work |
| Copy recovered files to a new drive | $69 |
Prices are in CAD and confirmed in your written quote before any work begins. 90-day workmanship warranty on every repair, with parts covered by their manufacturer’s warranty.
Common questions
Should I keep trying to open files on a failing drive?
No. Every extra power cycle or recovery app scan on a failing drive can widen the damage, especially on a hard drive that clicks or grinds. Shut it down, unplug it and don’t install recovery software onto the same drive. For deleted files, stop saving anything new to that disk, because fresh data can overwrite what you lost.
Can deleted files be recovered from an SSD?
Sometimes, but the odds are lower than with a hard drive. Most internal SSDs use TRIM, which tells the drive to erase deleted blocks in the background, often soon after deletion. If TRIM was off, or the SSD sits in a USB enclosure that doesn’t pass TRIM through, the chances improve. The assessment tells you which case applies.
How do I know if my drive has a logical or physical problem?
Clues help, but only testing confirms it. Clicking, grinding, beeping, a burning smell or a drive that isn’t detected at all point to a physical fault. A drive that shows up but asks to be formatted, appears as RAW or is missing folders usually points to a logical one. Either way, keep it powered off until it has been assessed.
Is there a charge if no data can be recovered?
The assessment is free. For logical recovery, if no usable data comes back, you pay nothing for the recovery work. Clean-room lab work is quoted by the lab, including how an unsuccessful attempt is charged. Either way, you decide whether to go ahead once you know the likely outcome.
Who sees my files during recovery?
Recovery means reading the drive, so file and folder names are visible while we verify what came back. Working copies are kept for 14 days after you confirm your files are complete, then securely erased. Tell us which folders matter most, and we’ll focus our checks there rather than browsing everything.