Can you explain to me what data recovery is?
Data recovery is the process of retrieving data stored on damaged or inaccessible electronic storage media such as hard drives, memory cards, RAID Array systems, and USB thumb drives.

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Can you give me a better understanding of the process involved?
Clients submit their defective media to us for recovery. Upon receipt we will conduct a free diagnosis to determine the extent of the damage causing the data loss and what it takes to recover the data. We will then provide clients with our firm quote and a turnaround time to complete the recovery. This evaluation is free of charge and no work beyond it will be performed without client approval.
After clients approve the cost and agree to go forward with the recovery we will start working on the case performing necessary actions to access the data. Once recovery is completed, clients will receive a list of all the files that have been recovered. The clients will only be charged if and after conforming that their critical files are in the list. Once the client approves completion of work and payment is received, we will transfer the data to DVDs, a working hard drive or other storage media and ship it back to the client.

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Do you charge any evaluation fees?
We do not charge any evaluation fees, excluding Second Attempt Recovery cases. We provide free evaluations for all failed media, including RAID Arrays, that hasn’t been physically opened or tampered with.

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How is the No Data No Charge Policy used?
We believe in results; therefore, there will never be a charge for clients if their data is not recovered. we will only charge a customer if we successfully recovered his or her critical data. We do not charge any upfront fee and the initial diagnosis is free. Charging a client is the last step of the recovery process before shipping the data back.
The only exception is Second Attempt Recovery cases, when the media has been previously physically tampered with. These cases require a $50 diagnostic fee, which will be applied toward the total recovery cost.

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How is my data returned to me?
Recovered data is transferred to DVDs or a new hard drive depending on the size of the recovered data and the preference of the client. The first two DVDs are included at no additional charge. A $10 fee for each additional DVD beyond two will be applied. Data transferred to a new hard drive will have a fee based on the capacity of the replacement hard drive the customer requests. Some clients send in their own replacement drive.

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Will I be charged an additional fee for return shipping after my case is successfully completed?
No, the price quote for services includes the return shipping fee. We provide all clients with a tracking number for their package.

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Will it cost more to recover data from Mac OS X?
We do not charge different rates based on the operating system used. Our expert technicians are equally equipped and familiar with all operating systems.

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Do you offer any special offers or discounts?
Yes, a 10% discount is available to full time university students, nonprofit organizations, charities, active duty military personnel, and clients with recoverable data on more than one device.

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How long will it take to recover my data?
Every data loss case is unique and requires different procedures. The average data recovery turnaround time is 4-10 business days. However, clients can request a Priority or Super-Rush service when needing their data faster. These services require an extra charge but they ensure our highest priority.

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Are you always able to restore a client’s data?
Our technicians have all the hardware and software necessary to handle all data loss situations. However, unfortunately, there can be enough damage to a device that the data truly is unrecoverable. This can be due to severe damage to the platters where the data is stored. No company can guarantee recovery until a diagnostic has been performed on the device. If a company claims otherwise the claim is misleading at best.

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Can you recover data from laptop hard drives?
Yes, ReStoring Data Inc. can recover data lost in physical or logical hard drive failures on 2.5-inch laptop drives, and 3.5-inch desktop drives alike, at the same price levels.

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How should I pack my drive?
It is very important to pack your hard drive the best you can. You should place the hard drive in an antistatic bag, if available and wrap it in a bubble wrap so that all the sides are padded and away from all edges of the box. Try and get the hard drive centered as best as possible and make sure that it doesn’t move inside the box. Multiple drives can be placed in one box, but they need to be wrapped individually. Make sure there is at least 5 inches of padding between all drives. We recommend shipping hard drives via air service to minimize handling.

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Can you recover data lost due to virus attack?
Yes, we can recover files lost from virus infection.

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If data was on a drive that has been formatted can you still recover this data?
Yes, if there has not been new data written to the disk after the formatting process there is a greater chance than if data has been overwritten with new data.

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Are you able to recover data from RAID Arrays?
Of course, our expert technicians are equipped and trained to handle any RAID Array configuration. Our RAID recovery success rates are kept very high utilizing our proprietary hardware and software on any RAID size, configuration, operating system, or platform.

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What hard disk drive manufacturers can you recover data from?
ReStoring Data Inc. can recover data from all media manufacturers: Seagate, Quantum, Maxtor, Western Digital, IBM, Fujitsu, Samsung, Toshiba, Hitachi and more.

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What operating systems can you recover data from?
We are equally capable of recovering data from all of the following operating systems: Novell Netware, UNIX/LINUX, AIX, MAC, Windows 95/98/2000/XP/Vista, DOS, and OS/2.

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Are you limited on any interfaces with your recovery methods?
We support the following interfaces for data recovery: IDE/EIDE, Serial-ATA, SCSI, IEEE1394/Firewire, USB, PCMCIA, SAS, ZIF and more.

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What type of failures can you recover data from?
Common failures we recover data from on a daily basis are:

	Accidentally Formatted Drive.
	Deleted Files and Partitions (even from Recycle bin).
	Damaged, corrupt, inaccessible, missing or lost files and/or partitions.
	Lost/damaged/deleted Outlook PST files.
	Data loss due to virus contamination.
	BIOS doesn’t recognize hard drive.
	Overwritten files.
	Blue Screen of Death.
	Burning smell coming from hard drive.
	Hard drives that will not spin up at all or properly.
	Plate surface damage or contamination.
	Fire and/or water damage.
	Failed RAID Arrays.
	Deleted/corrupted digital camera photos.
	Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Failure.
	Software Corruption.
	Loud clicking or other noises coming from drive.
	And a plethora of other situations and scenarios.

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Am I charged per file recovered?
Our prices are governed by the severity of the problem and the actions required to access the data stored on the defective media rather than the amount of data needed. After we have regained access to data we first target the specific data clients are looking for and then recover as much extra data as possible.

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Will my data be kept confidential?
Certainly! ReStoring Data Inc. and its employees commit to absolute non- disclosure of any and all information of data supplied with, stored on or recovered from clients' digital media. Clientele confidentiality is taken very seriously here at ReStoring Data Inc. Client data will not be compromised while in our care.

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What is the difference between physical and logical failures?
Logical failure typically refers to corrupt or lost data on a disk with no physical problems. This can be caused by operating system failure, virus infection, unintentionally formatting of drive, accidental deletion of files, and rarely static damage. If BIOS can still recognize the hard drive there is a good chance for recovery.
Physical failure is when the device itself is damaged and needing repair or replaced components. Damaged Head Disk Assemblies, spindle motors, failed circuit boards, corrupted firmware, and damaged platters are a few examples of physical damage. When a physical failure has occurred typically the hard drive will make strange noises (e.g., clicking, beeping, grinding)., or not be recognized by the BIOS. If there are any noises or sounds, or you suspect a physical failure, stop using the drive right away and contact a specialized data recovery company before a critical loss occurs.

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What if I get my data back and encounter some problems accessing the data?
ReStoring Data Inc. gives warranty on all returned media found to be dead on arrival (DOA) within 14 days of shipment. We keep a back up of clients’ data for 14 days after shipment to insure against any data that is unusable or inaccessible.

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After my data is recovered, can I reuse my hard drive?
We do not attempt to fix the drive but rather recover the data on it. Essentially, we have to repair the drive in order to get the data back but this is a temporary repair that is aimed at getting a read, sometimes a one-time read. A drive that has failed in the past will fail again, so it is better to stop using this drive.

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What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa, Master Card, money orders, PayPal, money transfer and money order.

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Do you recover data from previously opened drives?
Yes. ReStoring Data Inc. performs data recovery from drives which have already been opened or undergone a recovery attempt. This special service we provide is called Second Attempt Recovery. This service allows for peace of mind as it is covered under our No Data, No Charge policy, ensuring that if the second attempt at recovery is not successful, you will not be asked to pay the service fee. Having said that, this service is complex and it carries a higher risk so there is a $50 evaluation fee to determine the extent of the damage. This fee will be applied directly to the cost of service if recovery is successful. The cost of the service is 50% on top of the standard price quote, to accommodate for the extra work associated with attempting data recovery a second time. ReStoring Data Inc. has a great history recovering data declared unrecoverable by other companies.

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How long will the recovery process take?
ReStoring Data Inc. performs data recovery at three speed levels. All three levels assure the highest quality data recovery techniques are used, and a full spectrum of methods is deployed to ensure a successful recovery. The three levels are: Economy, Priority, and Super Rush.
Our economy service has a turnaround time of 4-10 business days. The priority service has a turnaround time of 2-4 business days and our Super Rush service has a turnaround time of 1-2 days.

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What is the quickest turnaround period possible in days to get my data recovered?
Emergency situations require immediate attention. We are proud to feature a Super Rush service for orders needed as soon as possible. This has been created for clients who desperately need their data returned to them with no delay. The turnaround time possible with Super Rush service is typically 1-2 days, but often, same day is possible. Our technicians will work off hours, nights and weekends to complete a Super Rush order.

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I have a physically damaged flash based storage media, can you fix this?
Yes. ReStoring Data Inc. is one of the few data recovery companies that are able to recover data from physically damaged flash-based media storage devices such as memory cards, USB thumb drives, hybrid hard drives and solid state drives utilizing cutting edge technology. This ability is the result of extensive R&D and expertise.

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I heard that putting my failed hard drive in the freezer will help; is this a good idea?
No. This is a common misconception, or rather a ‘data recovery myth.’ When your hard drive has failed you should immediately contact a specialized data recovery company and submit your case for a free evaluation. Our technicians have experience handling failed hard drives, and know the suitable ways to handle a broken drive preventing further damage. Putting the drive in a freezer may worsen the problem as water particles may get inside the hard drive and damage sensitive components.

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My laptop has water damage, and I’ve been told my hard drive is totaled, are you able to recover my data from water damaged drives?

Our technicians can recover data from water-damaged media.  Media that has not dried out yet has higher chance of recovery than water-damaged drive that has fully dried.  That’s right clients actually want the media to still be wet rather than dry.  This is unknown to many users as it is seems counter-intuitive.  The recovery success rate is largely dependent on how extensive the water damage was and how it damaged the different components of the drive.

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