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External USB Drives

External Hard Drive Repair and Data Recovery

The largest share of our cases. Drops, spills, electronic faults, encrypted containers. 95% success rate, free diagnostics, donor drives in stock.

Send enquiry +420 775 556 063
5.0·99 reviews
Otevřený HDD s plotnou a šroubovákem — ITHOPE laboratoř záchrany dat
18
years in business
95 %
success rate, faulty HDDs
18 +
media categories
Brno
own laboratory
  • Confidentiality
    NDA on request
  • No recovery = no fee
    No recovery, no fee
  • Fixed price upfront
    No surprises
  • Own laboratory
    Brno-Židenice
  • 18 years in the field
    Since 2008

External drives are invaluable for storing and transferring data. Yet even the most reliable drives can fail over time. We recover them daily — they make up the largest share of our cases. Every year we invest in the latest technologies and specialist training; we consistently achieve a success rate of around 95 %.

Pulling data off a NAS or RAID array? That is a different discipline — never attempt to rebuild a degraded array yourself. See RAID & NAS data recovery (Synology, QNAP) →

External hard drive connected to a computer running diagnostic software — illustration of the external USB drive diagnostic process at ITHOPE
External drive diagnostics — connected to an isolated diagnostic PC running specialist software.

Models we work with

  • Western Digital Elements Portable / My Passport / My Book
  • Seagate Basic / Expansion Portable / Backup Plus / OneTouch
  • Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go / Fingerprint Secure
  • Transcend StoreJet (25 series, 35 series)
  • LaCie Rugged, Mobile Drive, D2 Professional — dedicated LaCie recovery guide
  • ADATA, Toshiba Canvio, Silicon Power

What to do when an external drive fails

  1. Stay calm. Panic won’t help. Failure is common and usually resolvable.
  2. Disconnect the drive. As soon as you suspect failure, disconnect it from the computer. Power down the laptop/NAS. Continued use causes more severe damage.
  3. Do not reconnect a mechanically damaged drive. After a drop, impact, or liquid spill — do not plug it in again.
  4. Contact us on +420 775 556 063 or zachranadat@ithope.cz. Hard drive diagnostics are free of charge.
External USB drive connected to a secondary computer with recovery software (Recuva, EaseUS) — illustration of the safe procedure for logical faults
We handle logical faults on external drives using a secondary PC with specialist software — we only read from the original drive, never write to it.

Types of damage and procedure

Hard drive failed with no obvious cause

After connecting, it appears to work normally — the motor spins up, the platters rotate, the drive doesn’t click. Yet you can’t access your data.

  • Does the computer show the correct drive capacity and model?
    • If not: Electronics failure, damaged service area, platter surfaces, or read/write heads. A more serious problem — diagnostics with us.
    • If yes: File-system problem or less severe platter surface damage. Incorrect handling or a computer virus cannot be ruled out.

Mechanical damage caused by a drop or impact

The drive fell off a desk, a colleague ran over it with an office chair, someone knocked it while unplugging. Do not reconnect. See first aid after an accident.

Drive makes clicking / grinding noises

Clicking indicates a mechanical head fault. Grinding/scraping indicates damage to the platters or bearings. In both cases: disconnect and leave undisturbed until you bring it to us.

Hard drive won’t power on

This could be:

  • USB bridge (bridge chip in the enclosure) — often the bare SATA drive can be removed and read directly, bypassing the problem
  • Drive electronics — PCB replacement, firmware transfer from the original PCB
  • Motor or stuck heads — cleanroom work

Short circuit, power surge, lightning strike

Blown TVS diode, shorted capacitors, or in the worst case heads bent by surge current. Typically a PCB swap + firmware transfer.

Fire, flood, water damage

  • Burnt PCB: replacement
  • Platters covered in soot: ultrasonic cleaning in a cleanroom, test reading
  • Submersion in water: disconnect the drive from power immediately, do not under any circumstances power it on again, do not dry it internally or disassemble it — attempting to start it after water ingress will short the electronics or damage the platters. Bring it in as soon as possible in its original state, ideally packaged so that water cannot leak out.

Logical error (deletion, format, ransomware)

Formatting, OS reinstallation, accidental partition operations, ransomware. Often recoverable with software (Recuva, TestDisk, R-Studio) if the drive is healthy. Once the drive has physical problems, software does harm.

Procedure for deleted / formatted files:

  1. Write nothing to the drive — not even „just that one download". Every write can overwrite sectors that still contain your file data.
  2. If it’s a system drive: shut down the computer, remove the drive, bring it to us separately.
  3. For an external drive: disconnect it and store it in a safe place until delivery.
  4. Do not install „miracle" recovery tools — many write their own installation to the target drive.

Logical recovery diagnostics are free — our standard price list and no-recovery, no-fee principle apply. We charge a diagnostic fee of 1 000 Kč only in two narrow cases: for mobile devices (always) and for targeted searches for a specifically named file (e.g. „presentation_final.pptx"), where the fee is deducted from the total case price upon successful recovery. See the price list for details.

Encrypted container (BitLocker, VeraCrypt, FileVault)

  • With the key: treated as a standard recovery
  • Without the key: structure yes, content no

Diagnostics at our lab

Before attempting any drive repair, we run diagnostics. We use:

  • CrystalDiskInfo, HD Tune — for logical diagnostics
  • PC-3000, DeepSpar — for hardware diagnostics in cloning mode
  • WARNING: If the drive emits high-frequency squealing sounds indicating grinding, we do not perform diagnostics — the drive would suffer further damage. We go straight to the cleanroom.

Drive repair

If your drive is damaged, there are several options:

  • Software for logical errors — CHKDSK (Windows), Disk Utility (Mac), TestDisk/PhotoRec (Linux)
  • Physical repair — for hardware damage, take it to a professional lab. Bring it in person to Brno or send it by post/courier. We serve clients from all over the Czech Republic — Ostrava, Prague, Plzeň, Liberec, Pardubice, Ústí nad Labem, České Budějovice, Havířov.

Contact

External drive diagnostics are free (during standard working hours).

See also: Main data recovery hub · How to send a hard drive · Recovery price list

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much does data recovery from an HDD hard drive cost?
For logical faults (deletion, formatting, an unbootable system) from 2,900 CZK. For a mechanical fault requiring a head replacement in the clean chamber, typically 9,900–18,900 CZK. We tell you the exact price after a free diagnosis. If the recovery fails, you pay nothing apart from any shipping costs.
How long does data recovery take?
For logical faults 1–3 working days. For mechanical faults 5–14 days depending on complexity and the availability of spare parts (donor drives of the same model). For RAID reconstruction 7–21 days depending on the number and condition of the member drives.
My drive is clicking. What should I do?
Disconnect it from power immediately. Every further power-on damages the platters and lowers the chance of recovery. Clicking is almost certainly a mechanical fault of the heads — no software will help; the drive needs to be opened in a clean chamber and the read mechanism replaced. Call us on +420 775 556 063 and we will diagnose it within 24 hours.
Can I use a data-recovery program from the internet?
Only if the drive is physically healthy and it is a logical fault (deletion, formatting). In other cases such programs harm the drive — they repeatedly try to access it, which worsens its mechanical condition. For serious cases, bring the drive straight to us instead; diagnostics is free.
What about confidentiality? What happens to my data?
Before opening the device we sign a written non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Only we process your data; nothing is sent abroad. After we hand over the recovered data, we guaranteed wipe every copy from our stage storage (DoD 5220.22-M wipe).
Can you recover data from an encrypted drive (BitLocker, FileVault)?
Yes, provided you have the recovery key or password. Without the key, encrypted data is mathematically unrecoverable. That is why it is important to store the recovery key off the drive (a printout, a Microsoft account, a USB stick). Without it we can recover the structure, but not the contents of the files.
Can you handle a RAID 5 where two drives have failed?
Yes, in many cases. A RAID 5 with two failed drives is not reconstructable in the traditional way, but if the second drive has not died completely, some data can be recovered from it and the array rebuilt. Success depends on which sectors are readable on each drive. Contact us as soon as possible — do not clone the array yourself, as that complicates matters.
Where should I send or bring the drive?
Our premises at Viniční 3587/216, 615 00 Brno-Židenice. Open Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00. If you send it by post, use good packaging (the original box + bubble wrap + a cardboard box). We accept Zásilkovna and PPL.
What if I'm in a hurry and need it within 48 hours?
We have an express mode with a 50–100% surcharge. Tell us your deadline up front in the enquiry and we will say whether it is technically feasible to make it (for mechanical faults it often is not, because of the wait for a donor drive).
Is it really free if the recovery fails?
Yes, for standard HDD/SSD/RAID/NAS/USB cases with a mechanical, electronic, firmware or logical fault (deletion, formatting, ransomware). Diagnostics for these is free and the no recovery — no fee principle applies. There are two exceptions: diagnostics of mobile devices (a flat 1,000 CZK, always) and a targeted search for a specific named file (1,000 CZK, deducted from the job price on a successful recovery). See the following questions.
How much does diagnostics of a phone or tablet cost?
Diagnostics of mobile devices is 1,000 CZK — always, as a flat fee. Phones are generally more demanding for data recovery — we deal with chip-off, decryption and proprietary systems (Apple T2/M1/SE, Samsung Knox). Diagnostics includes an initial assessment of whether your data can be recovered from the given model at all. For phones the fee is not deducted.
I need to find one specific file — how much does that cost?
If we are looking for a specific named file (e.g. 'presentation_final.pptx', 'tax return 2024.pdf', 'family holiday photo'), we charge 1,000 CZK for targeted diagnostics and a targeted scan. On a successful recovery the amount is deducted from the total job price. If it is general data recovery from a deleted or formatted drive (without a specific file), the standard price list applies with no diagnostic fee and the no recovery — no fee principle. In both cases: write nothing further to the drive, as every write lowers the chances.
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