Backup and file recovery
Two jobs: getting files back off a drive that is failing, and setting up backup so the next failure is an inconvenience rather than a loss. If a drive needs a specialist lab, we say so after the diagnostic and tell you where to go.
Recovery from a failing drive
A drive that is failing but still spins up is the case we can usually help with: slow reads, files that won't open, a machine that hangs on certain folders. The right move is to stop using the drive, take a full copy of it while it still responds, and pull the files out of that copy rather than off the drive.
Every extra hour a failing drive runs is another chance for it to stop responding for good. If your machine is clicking or grinding, power it off and call us before you try anything else.
We work at the software level: copying the drive, repairing the file system, and recovering from the copy. We tell you what we got and what we didn't, file by file.
What needs a lab
We are not a clean-room lab. A drive with a failed head, a seized motor or physical damage needs equipment we don't have. When we see one, we say so and point you to a lab that does that work, rather than charging you to confirm it twice.
Lab recovery is expensive and not guaranteed. We explain the options and the lab's quoted cost before you commit. You decide whether it is worth pursuing.
Files encrypted by ransomware are a different problem, covered on virus and malware removal. We can't decrypt them.
Backup that restores
We check which files are protected, where the copies go, and whether they come back. What we set up:
- A local copy for fast restores when a drive dies or a file gets deleted
- An off-site copy, because a backup sitting next to the computer shares the computer's fate
- Photos and documents actually included, since the common failure is a backup that quietly skipped the folder you cared about
- A monitored off-site backup if you'd rather not be the one watching it. Copies go to a system we run, with an automated restore test every week
We do a test restore in front of you before we call it done.
Recent work
A homeowner had been told the files on a fifteen-year-old network drive were gone. We copied the drives, pulled the files out of the copy, checked the file lists and a sample of the recovered files, rebuilt the drive, and now run the off-site backup for that house.
Moving to a new computer
When you replace a machine, the files are only part of it. There are also email accounts, bookmarks and saved passwords, printer setup, licensed software, and the documents that live on the desktop for a reason. We agree what moves, check it with you on the new machine, and keep the old device intact until you confirm. See new computer setup.
Pricing
A diagnostic first, then a written quote for the fix. Nothing starts until you approve it. Rates are on the pricing page.
Recovery is quoted after the diagnostic, once we know the drive's condition. If it needs a lab, the diagnostic is all you spend with us. The monitored off-site backup is quoted separately. Backup for offices is on managed backup.
Next step
Power the drive down, then call +1 (573) 691-8012 and ask for Calum.