As a small business or personal user it is ideal for your everyday backup needs.

A good lifespan for a hard drive is now probably around 3-5 years. In reality we often see hard drives that are only a few months old. If you’re a gambler then maybe you have got away with it so far, but is it really worth the risk?

Backup your data. Maybe then you won’t need to find out how good we are at recovering it.

Read more about backing up your data here

Can’t you just remove the platters?

In most cases, NO WAY! Platter extractions are one of the most severe types of recovery we carry out. When drives are manufactured the platters are clamped onto the spindle motor. If you undo this alignment, there is virtually no chance of getting that alignment back and therefore no chance of recovery. Also, if the problem was with the data stored on the disks then removing them, is not going to help in any way.

We only remove platters if a spindle motor has stuck, or if the hard drive is fire damaged or physically warped / crushed.

Can’t you just swap the PCB / Logic Card?

Unless we find a fault with the PCB, then it would be pointless to replace it. Most modern hard drives have unique PCBs, which are not even compatible with drives of the same model number. We often have to reprogram the replacement PCBs to work with a drive.

When people talk about firmware, it is very different to firmware on other devices. Not only is part of the firmware on the PCB, but the vast majority of hard drive firmware is stored on a hidden part disk. If the problem is with on-disk firmware then changing the PCB won’t make a blind bit of difference.

Can you repair my hard drive and return it?

No. When dealing with a failed or failing hard drive, the last thing you want to do is try to repair it. Our number one aim is to get as much data recovered as possible. In most cases, we read every sector and save it onto another hard drive.  Sometimes with data recovery, you only get one shot, so you have to make the most of it.

Can I just use Diskwarrior, Spinrite, etc…?

No. If used on a failing hard drive, this type of software can cause so much damage that recovery can be impossible. It is important to use read-only methods to access the data. Even if the disk is not failing mechanically, when you overwrite the disk structure using Diskwarrior you could lose access to some of the data. Data that would have otherwise been recoverable.

We only suggest using Diskwarrior if a drive has already been recovered safely, then you can see if it will get it running again. That way you have nothing to lose if it all goes wrong.

Any software like Spinrite etc, that attempts reading and writing sectors could be destructive if used on a failing hard drive. If a drive is deteriorating, the last thing you want to do is retry reading the same sector 2000 times.

PCB.

The PCB, Card or Logic Board is where the electronics and some firmware are stored. The PCB is also where the Power and Data connectors are attached.

Platter.

The metal or glass disks inside a hard drive, which contain data in magnetic form.

Firmware.

Partly on the PCB and partly on the hard disk surface, firmware is the brain of the hard drive. It makes the motor spin, the heads read/write, and makes logs of errors. Without firmware, a hard drive is just an expensive paperweight.

Mac

Guide

In Depth

Misc

The process for restoration varies a little bit depending upon how your Mac is currently set up.

Best Case Scenario:

If you have a new hard drive with a fresh system installed, and have not yet clicked through the Setup Assistant screens follow this guide. >>>

2^nd Best Case Scenario:

If you have a new hard drive and have set it up with a username you will need to follow this slightly more complicated guide. >>>

Migration Assistant

So you have a Mac which boots up to a desktop as normal, but without your recovered data. This is not quite ideal, and gives us a few things to sort out before the migration.

Arrange.

You will first have to backup any newly created data. If something goes wrong with migration then you don’t want to lose your new data. If this new system has been created with the same username as the old one, you will not be able to import the old user without renaming which is not advised. After you have backed up your files, you could open “System Preferences / Users & Groups,” (“Accounts” in pre Lion systems) and rename the current user to something else. This will allow you to transfer your original user account and Applications into the correct locations on the new system. If your system is set to automatically login to a user account (ie. doesn’t require a password when you boot) then you will need to turn off “Automatic Login” setting under Users & Groups to allow you to access the old user account.

Fingers crossed you should be ready to migrate.

Connect.

Connect the new hard drive to your Mac. If it’s a desktop 3.5” drive then plug in the power adapter and switch it on. If you are restoring to a laptop then it would be a good idea to have the AC adapter plugged in, as this can take a while.

Migrate.

Go to “Applications / Utilities” and launch “Migration Assistant”. Choose “From another Mac, PC, Time Machine Backup or other disk.” Then choose the second option; “From Time Machine Backup or other disk.” You should see the orange icon for the external drive, labelled with your job number. Click on it and then click continue.

Select.

You can choose to migrate everything, or be a bit selective. You cannot choose individual files to migrate, only whole user accounts, Applications, Settings, and other files. Make your choice and click next.

Wait.

The migration itself can take a while depending how much data you have. Once complete you can boot into the Mac and it will feel very familiar. As if nothing ever failed. If you backed up any files from the new system then now would be a good time to load them back on.

Migration Assistant generally does a good job of transferring your data and software. If any software installs files into the Mac system in unusual locations it may need to be reinstalled, but most Applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop will be transferred correctly.

Connect.

Connect the new hard drive to your Mac. If it’s a desktop 3.5” drive then plug in the power adapter and switch it on. The Mac should be off at this point. If you are restoring to a laptop then it would be a good idea to have the AC adapter plugged in, as this can take a while.

Power.

Power on the Mac, and wait for it to load the setup assistant. You will be asked a few questions so answer as necessary.

Migrate.

Choose “Migrate from another disk or Time Machine backup,” and then click next. You should see the orange icon for the external drive, labelled with your job number. Click on it and then click continue.

Select.

You can choose to migrate everything, or be a bit selective. You cannot choose individual files to migrate, only whole user accounts, Applications, Settings, and other files. Make your choice and click next.

Wait.

The migration itself can take a while depending how much data you have. Once complete you can boot into the Mac and it will feel very familiar. As if nothing ever failed.

Setup Assistant generally does a good job of transferring your data and software. If any software installs files into the Mac system in unusual locations it may need to be reinstalled, but most Applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop will be transferred correctly.

Read more at the Register