Where We Fit In
Data recovery is a broad field consisting of several distinct areas.
When searching for data recovery equipment, it is prudent to begin the process by identifying the types of problems you’d like to resolve because each type of problem requires specific tools. There are three main areas of problems:
Logical corruption.
Software-level corruption of files or filesystem metadata on healthy storage devices. Handled by inexpensive and easily accessible data recovery software like R-Studio or by various forensic investigation software.
Read instabilities.
Partial hardware failure which causes the storage device to behave too erratically to be recoverable by software alone. Handled by our USB Stabilizer.
Total failure.
Complete failure which causes the storage device to become entirely unresponsive.
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Physical failure. By far the most common cause of total failure. In HDDs, this is the read/write heads or platters getting damaged which requires physical repair in a class 100 clean air workstation. In SSDs, this is NAND failure which is usually impossible to resolve by any tool or method.
Firmware failure. Handled by more advanced tools, such as those made by Ace Laboratory.
Electronic failure. In HDDs, typically solved by swapping the PCB with a new one and carrying over the ROM/NVRAM chip to transfer unique firmware. In SSDs, typically solved by manually diagnosing and repairing the electronic issue.
Matching up with the types of issues, there are three distinct levels of data recovery capabilities that you can aim to obtain:
| Basic | Intermediate | Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problems | Logical Corruption | Logical Corruption + Read Instabilities | Logical Corruption + Read Instabilities + Total Failure |
| Learning Curve | Hours | Days | Months |
| Investment | $$$ | $$$$ | $$$$$ |
At the Basic level, only logical corruption is handled, which is simple and inexpensive to do, with most logical corruption cases only requiring software which costs from tens to hundreds of dollars and a few hours of time to learn how to use it. The relative ease of doing this type of work has made it commonly performed by almost everyone from IT service providers to home users.
When looking at tools to expand from that, a key decision to make is whether to handle total failure cases in-house. Handling them means going up to the Professional level, which requires a full lab of equipment, including a class 100 clean air workstation, firmware repair tools, NAND chip readers, head combs, electronic repair equipment, donor part inventory, and various miscellaneous pieces, such as a microscope, screwdrivers, head/platter cleaning solvent, etc. The total investment required is in the tens of thousands of dollars and it takes at least several months of dedicated full-time learning to acquire just the baseline level of knowledge necessary to put all of this equipment to good use.
If this is not viable then the other option is to move up to the Intermediate level instead where our USB Stabilizer can be used to improve the recovery rate of data recovery or forensics software by also allowing it to cover read instability issues. This is a significant boost in capabilities, it can easily be done without specializing on data recovery, and the price point is low enough for the investment to pay for itself with only a few successful cases. Going to the Intermediate level also opens up the opportunity to build up to the Professional level step by step over time, slowly adding on to your available tools and capabilities.
