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First
Published: July 14, 2008
Last Updated: Oct 1, 2017
Questionnaire
- type, make/model, vintage, usage history, last
known condition
- what happened? seqence of events leading up to
discovery/encounter
- current status
- if any, what have been done (DIY
+ professional efforts) already
- what's the assessment?
- Deadline(s)
- primary objective(s)... scope, priorities,
efforts justified...
- stages & coordination/decision along
the way
- particular concerns, limitations, risks...
quirks
Data Salvaging
Cases | Areas
recycle; undel; unfmt; repart; forensic; signal analysis... decryption
- screening: to take on OR
decline
- nature/sequence of events, symptoms
- positively
HDD/SSD/eMMC-specific issues:
- grind/click/wind/magnetic/CRC
- explicit event log entries
- BIOS/UEFI failed to detect
storage
- rule out extreme physical damage:
warpped/crumpled,
fire, submersioin
- physical | electronic | mechanical |
magnetic | thermal
| environmental / electrical
- non-HDD/SSD/eMMC areas
- solved by simple tricks (ESD, etc.)?
&
strategic advice
- warrants remote diag? feasible?
- deem hopeless or unjustifiable
- accept: deemed hopeful &
feasible
- levels: $0-$100
/ $100-$600 / $1200-$3000
- initial diagnostics &
assessment
- discuss status &
options +
recommendations
- recovery
- define scope
of recovery: prioritize areas
- time-sensitivity vs cost
- stay abreast of progress, how closely?
- participation in decisions
- stages: 1st hr | 1-4 hrs |
4-24 hrs |
1-3 days | 3-60 days
- outcomes:
- successful (98%
of accepted cases)
- online vault delivery
- disc(s), external drives, SD, USB
flash, new
internal HDD
- original HDD/SSD [virtually never feasible,
certainly
not advisable]
- abandon (failed/too
costly): pay
nominal diag fee, rtn unit to you
- referral to $1200-$3000
specialists (less than 1%)...
only
if it's determined to be
- intra-HDD mechanical & electronic
issues
(head/platter/spindle/board surgery)
- beyond my level of diagnostic apparatuses,
and/or
- require large inventory pool of "donor
boards" for
rapid multi-iteration attempts
- even then it's not assured, could be even
further waste
of $
- old system [obsolete: see
revised & expanded article]
- dispose of
- OPTIONAL: immediate data sanitization $15
flat fee (if
feasible/reasonable)
- defered/batched physical destruction
- preseve in storage (fees applied, if beyond
30 days)
- pick-up as-is (in pieces, with some
damage)
- proceed with reassembly
(additional
costs)
- with certain level of cosmetic flaws, etc.
- many modern units (100% of the ultrabook
class) use non-serviceable construction methods:
glue/epoxy/solder/welding
- accessibility
to certain components means permanent destruction & replacement
of
some ribbons/connectors or entire sub-assembly, typically at
unjustifiable costs + delay
Data
recovery companies, are companies that perform
services to access data on physically damaged storage devices.
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