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Data Recovery — Hard Drives

Hard Disk Drive Data Recovery

Mechanical, electronic, and logical HDD failures. Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, HGST, Samsung — in our own lab in Brno, with a 95% success rate for mechanical failures.

Send enquiry +420 775 556 063
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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

Hard disk drives (HDDs) are the most common media we see in our lab. The mechanics are as precise as a watch: heads fly above the platter at a distance of a few nanometres while spinning at 7,200 rpm. When something fails, the drive turns against itself — and lets us know with clicking, scratching, or silence.

Open HDD with platters and read/write heads — data recovery in the ITHOPE cleanroom, Brno
An open HDD in our cleanroom: visible platters, head-stack assembly, spindle motor. This is what the first step looks like during a mechanical failure.

Listen to a faulty HDD

If your drive makes a similar clicking sound, there is a 95 % chance it is a mechanical head failure. Recording from the lab — WD WD20SDRW-34VUUS0 2TB:

Manufacturers and series we work with

  • Seagate — Barracuda, IronWolf (incl. Pro), Exos, SkyHawk, FireCuda
  • Western Digital — Blue, Red, Red Plus / Pro, Purple, Black, Gold, Ultrastar DC HC
  • Toshiba — P300, N300, MG07/08/09, X300
  • HGST — Deskstar, Ultrastar (historically)
  • Samsung — Spinpoint F3/F4 (historically)

Typical failures we deal with daily

Mechanical damage (60 % of cases)

The most common symptom: clicking or scratching sounds. The heads fly above the platter at nanometre distances — as soon as the magnetic layer, another head, or a bearing gets damaged, the drive lets you know immediately.

  • Read/write head damage — clicking, system freezes during reads, inability to read sectors
  • Platter damage (glass/aluminium with magnetic coating) — scratching or grinding noises, unreadable blocks, sudden capacity loss
  • Head stack assembly stuck — repeated clicking on startup, irregular rotation
  • Bearing wear — beeping, buzzing, humming, unstable rotation

If the drive makes any unusual sounds, disconnect it immediately. Every additional power-on further damages the platter. See also our detailed guide What to do when a drive clicks.

Electronics problems

  • Drive controller failure — clicking, squealing, control electronics cannot manage the heads
  • Power issues — insufficient voltage (typically 5 V or 12 V), drop below 4.5 V on the 5 V rail = motor won’t spin up
  • Voltage fluctuation — controller repeatedly restarts, intermittent access
  • Inrush current — HDD startup can draw up to 2 A to spin up the platters
  • PCB components (fuses, capacitors) — disrupted power distribution

Firmware problems (internal software)

  • Firmware corruption in the system area — the drive cannot initialise properly
  • Translator Table errors — physical-to-logical sector mapping is damaged
  • S.M.A.R.T. module failure — drive reports false errors or fails without warning
  • Adaptive read/write parameters reset to inappropriate values
  • Power management module — drive constantly powers on/off, overheating

Logical errors

  • File deletion or overwriting, file-system corruption (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, ext4, btrfs, APFS)
  • Drive formatting, incorrect access during OS reinstallation
  • BitLocker without a key — without the recovery key we cannot access the content, but we can reconstruct the structure
  • Ransomware — depending on the family, decryption may be possible via No More Ransom; otherwise, shadow copy recovery

How we work with HDDs

An HDD is a mechanical device. Every power-on of a damaged drive worsens its condition. That is why, for mechanical failures, we work exclusively in our own cleanroom (particle filtration). We use PC-3000 and DeepSpar Disk Imager cloning stations, and we keep donor drives in stock.

  1. Free diagnostics (within 24 h of receipt)
  2. Fixed quote before any intervention, NDA
  3. Cloning to healthy media (read-only mode)
  4. Work on the clone, the original is preserved
  5. Firmware reconstruction / head replacement as needed
  6. Handover and verification of content on our stage storage, then you pay
  7. Wipe of all copies on our side (DoD 5220.22-M)

Indicative HDD price list

Failure typePrice
Logical error (deletion, format) — Level 1from 5 000 Kč
Damaged firmware / service area — Level 2from 6 000 Kč
Combined HW+SW damage, encrypted systems — Level 3from 9 000 Kč
Mechanical failure — head replacement in cleanroom9 900 – 18 900 Kč
Platter damage (critical)from 24 900 Kč

Prices are indicative; an exact quote follows free diagnostics. Unsuccessful recovery = you pay 0 Kč.

Case studies

Common HDD questions

The drive clicks. What should I do? Disconnect power immediately. Every additional power-on damages the platter. See first aid after a crash.

Can data be recovered from a physically destroyed platter? If the surface is unreadable by magnetic means (fire, crushing), no. We will tell you straight away during diagnostics.

How long does it take? Logical errors: 1–3 days. Mechanical failures: 5–14 days, depending on donor drive availability.

Does your drive need recovery? No-obligation enquiry · +420 775 556 063 · Workshop Viniční 3587/216, Brno-Židenice

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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