Hard Drive Data Recovery

It is important to distinguish between data recovery and drive repair. Data recovery focuses on retrieving your files from a damaged or non-functional drive, while drive repair means restoring the drive to full working order for continued use.

Mechanically damaged drives are not normally repaired, because repairs are expensive and a repaired drive is never fully reliable. In some cases — firmware corruption or service area damage — the drive can technically be repaired, but this requires complete reinitialisation and recalibration of the service area, which destroys all stored data.

For these reasons, DataHelp does not offer drive repair. We specialise in data recovery, including from drives with mechanical damage, firmware failures or service area corruption. After recovery, we return your data on a new, verified drive — the original drive is never reused.

Our team recovers data from all major hard drive manufacturers — Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, Toshiba, Hitachi (HGST), Fujitsu, Maxtor, Quantum, Transcend, IBM, HP, Intel and Dell. The DataHelp laboratory has operated continuously since 1998, and our team’s experience — more than 35 years — goes back to the TDP-Ontrack data recovery division founded in 1990. We handle desktop, laptop, enterprise and server drives, from historical 1 GB IDE models to the latest 20 TB+ SATA and SAS drives.

Hard drive damage is most commonly caused by a drop or impact, power surges, worn mechanical components or manufacturing defects. Typical symptoms include unusual noises (clicking, squealing, grinding), the system slowing down, files disappearing or the computer failing to boot. If you notice any of these, disconnect the drive immediately and hand it over to specialists — every further power cycle reduces the chance of recovery.

Our laboratory in Prague uses ISO Class 5 laminar flow boxes, which provide a controlled, dust-free environment for opening drives and working on their internal components safely. We keep a stock of over 10,000 catalogued donor drives for read head, motor and PCB replacements for most models. Every recovery is carried out with original ACELab PC-3000 tools and firmware-level diagnostic equipment.

Diagnostics are free of charge and the entire process is transparent — we quote a fixed price upfront, and recovery only starts after your written approval. If recovery fails, there is no recovery fee (the optional €45 pickup fee is non-refundable).

HDD data recovery is a highly specialised, technically demanding process that depends on the type and extent of the damage. For mechanical problems such as damaged read heads or platters, the work must be carried out inside a laminar flow box to minimise the risk of dust contamination. Head replacement is one of the most demanding procedures — incorrect handling can cause permanent data loss.

Another common cause of hard drive failure is faulty internal electronics, which can prevent data access or cause complete drive failure. Repeatedly powering on a drive in this state often leads to irreversible platter damage, significantly reducing the chance of recovery.

Entrusting the drive to specialists means it is analysed and recovered using professional tools that minimise the risk of permanent data loss. Don't try to fix the drive yourself — amateur attempts often cause further damage. Our team has more than 35 years of experience (since 1990), operates ISO Class 5 laminar flow boxes, and has immediate access to 10,000+ catalogued donor parts.