Most data recovery labs won't put this in writing. We do, because our 96% success rate, our Tier 3 cleanroom, and 17 years of engineering depth mean we're confident enough to stand behind every qualifying case we take.
Which cases qualify. Clicking drives, dropped drives, drives that won't spin, drives that aren't detected, covered. Most of what comes through our lab is. A few categories are quoted case-by-case instead, because the work is harder to guarantee: fire damage, previously-opened drives, encrypted drives, forensic cases, phones, and a short list of end-of-life models. We'll tell you which category you're in on the first call, before you ship anything, before you pay anything. Full list →
Mechanical hard drive recovery is $2,500 CAD. Flash media (USB, SD, microSD) and SSD or NVMe are $1,500 CAD. Fixed, not an estimate. Includes the donor drive, your data back on a new drive, and UPS Express shipping. RAID, NAS and server: $450 CAD per drive to assess, credited in full. Full price list →
Usually, yes. Our success rate across all cases is 96%. The biggest risk is what happens between now and when it reaches us. Power it off, do not open it, do not run software, and call: an engineer will tell you where you stand in 15 minutes. More on outcomes →
Do not power it on again. Do not put it in the freezer. Do not open it. Do not run recovery software. Do not follow a YouTube fix. Every one of those can turn a recoverable device into an unrecoverable one. Unplug it and call us. Full list on the FAQ page →
Yes. Clicking is one of the most common symptoms we recover from. It usually indicates a failed or damaged read/write head assembly. Our engineers replace the heads inside our ISO Class 100 cleanroom using donor parts matched to your exact drive model, then image the platters to extract your data. We have a 96% success rate on clicking drive recoveries. The most important thing you can do is power the drive off immediately, continued use causes the damaged heads to scratch the platter surfaces, which can make recovery significantly harder or even impossible.
Call 1-888-749-3786an engineer will walk you through your specific situation in 15 to 20 minutes. 24/7.
Hard drive recovery pricing is published: $2,500 CAD for mechanical hard drive recovery, $1,500 CAD for flash, SD, microSD, USB, SSD and NVMe. Diagnosis is free. RAID, NAS and server cases are $450 CAD per drive to assess, credited in full. Once our engineers have assessed your drive, they'll give you a clear written quote before any recovery work begins. You approve the quote, or you walk away. No surprises.
Call 1-888-749-3786an engineer will walk you through your specific situation in 15 to 20 minutes. 24/7.
Standard hard drive recovery typically takes 5 to 10 business days from the time your drive arrives at our lab. This includes a thorough assessment, parts sourcing if needed, the recovery process itself, and quality verification of the recovered files. Emergency cases can be expedited. Call our 24/7 line at 1-888-749-3786 for time-sensitive situations. We provide regular status updates throughout the entire process.
Hard drive platters spin at 5,400 to 15,000 RPM with read/write heads floating just nanometers above the surface. A single particle of dust, invisible to the naked eye, is large enough to cause a head crash that destroys data permanently. Our ISO Class 100 cleanroom maintains fewer than 100 airborne particles per cubic foot, the same standard used in semiconductor manufacturing. Opening a hard drive outside this environment risks contaminating the platters and making recovery impossible. This is why DIY recovery attempts and non-cleanroom labs frequently cause irreversible damage.
Our overall success rate is 96% across all hard drive recovery cases. This includes mechanical failures (clicking, beeping, grinding), logical failures (corrupted file systems, accidental deletion, formatting), firmware corruption, and physical damage from drops, water, or fire. Success depends on the condition of the platters. As long as the platter surfaces are not severely scored or degraded, recovery is almost always possible. Drives that have been opened outside a cleanroom or subjected to repeated power cycles after failure have lower recovery rates, which is why we strongly advise powering off and contacting us immediately.
Do not continue powering on the drive. Especially if it is clicking, grinding, or beeping. Every additional power cycle risks further platter damage. Do not open the drive yourself, even in a "clean" home environment, airborne particles will contaminate the platters instantly. Do not attempt DIY recovery software on a physically failing drive, this forces the damaged heads to drag across the platter surface. Do not put the drive in a freezer. This is a myth that causes condensation damage and corrosion. Do not shake or tap the drive. This can dislodge head debris onto the platter. Power it off, keep it in a safe place, and contact our engineers at 1-888-749-3786.
Yes. All data on a traditional hard drive is stored magnetically on the platter surfaces, thin aluminum or glass discs coated with a magnetic recording layer. The read/write heads float nanometers above these platters to read and write data. When a drive fails mechanically, the data on the platters is usually still intact. Our recovery process involves replacing the damaged mechanical components to regain access to the platters, then creating a sector-by-sector image of the drive to reconstruct your files. As long as the platter surfaces have not been physically scratched or degraded, recovery is possible.
Yes, but with an important caveat: we can recover the encrypted data from the platters, but you will need your encryption key or password to decrypt the files after recovery. Hardware-level encryption (like BitLocker, FileVault, or self-encrypting drives) means the data is stored in encrypted form on the platters. We recover the raw encrypted data and return it to you. Decryption is then performed using your credentials. If you have lost your encryption key, the recovered data will remain encrypted and inaccessible. We recommend always maintaining a backup of your encryption recovery keys.
Every case gets the same lab, the same engineers and the same guarantee. The only thing that changes is where your drive sits in the queue.
Most cases are back with the client inside a few days. Complex mechanical and RAID work can take two to three weeks. You get a specific timeline with your assessment results, before you approve anything.
Your systems are down and every hour is costing you. A crashed array, a production server offline, a court deadline this week. Your drive goes to the front of the queue and stays in production around the clock, nights and weekends included, until it is finished.
An engineer on the phone in 15 to 20 minutes, 24/7
Tier 3, ISO Class 100 cleanroom
PC-3000 imaging and firmware repair
Free UPS Express to our lab, fully insured
Written quote before any recovery work
No Data, No Charge on qualifying cases
Recovered files returned encrypted
Every copy deleted once you confirm receipt
Every hard drive failure tells a story. These are the most common symptoms we recover from, and the signals that mean you should stop using the drive immediately and call us.
A rhythmic clicking sound indicates the read/write heads are failing or have lost alignment. The heads are repeatedly trying to calibrate and failing. Power off the drive immediately, each click cycle risks scratching the platter surface and destroying data permanently.
A beeping drive typically means the spindle motor is seized. The platters cannot spin. This is often caused by a head crash where the heads have landed on the platter surface, or by a motor bearing failure. Recovery requires opening the drive in a cleanroom to free the platters and transplant them or repair the motor assembly.
When your drive is not recognized by BIOS, Disk Management, or your operating system, it often indicates a PCB failure, firmware corruption, or severe head damage. The drive may spin normally but simply cannot communicate with your system. Our engineers diagnose the exact failure point and restore communication to access your data.
Grinding sounds are among the most serious symptoms, they indicate the read/write heads are in direct contact with the platter surface. This is an active head crash. Every second the drive remains powered on, the heads are physically scraping data off the platters. Power off immediately and do not attempt to power on again. Call us at 1-888-749-3786.
A hard drive dropped while powered on almost always suffers a head crash, the impact forces the read/write heads into the platter surface. Even a drop from desk height can cause catastrophic damage. Drives dropped while powered off may have dislodged heads, damaged spindle bearings, or cracked platters. Do not power on a dropped drive, bring it directly to our cleanroom for assessment.
Water, flooding, and fire expose drive internals to contaminants that corrode the platters and heads. Time is critical, the longer contaminants sit on the platter surface, the more data is destroyed. Do not attempt to dry, clean, or power on a water-damaged drive. Ship it to us sealed in a plastic bag. Our cleanroom environment allows us to clean and recover platters that would otherwise be written off.
Every hard drive recovery begins here, a particle-free environment where a single speck of dust can destroy a platter. Our Tier 3 lab in London, Ontario is one of the most controlled recovery environments in Canada. Fewer than 100 airborne particles per cubic foot. The same standard used in semiconductor manufacturing and surgical operating rooms.
Hard drives are precision mechanical devices with moving parts spinning at thousands of RPM. Understanding why they fail helps you know what to do, and what not to do, when yours stops working.
The most common category of hard drive failure. Read/write head crashes, spindle motor seizures, bearing failures, and actuator arm malfunctions all fall under mechanical failure. These are the drives that click, beep, grind, or refuse to spin. Recovery requires opening the drive inside an ISO Class 100 cleanroom, replacing the failed components with precision-matched donor parts, and imaging the platters sector by sector. Our engineers have 17 years of experience performing these surgeries on thousands of drives from every major manufacturer.
The drive hardware works perfectly, but the data is inaccessible. Corrupted file system tables, accidental formatting, deleted partitions, virus or ransomware damage, and operating system failures all cause logical failure. The data is still physically present on the platters. The drive has simply lost the map that tells it where each file lives. Recovery involves creating a forensic image of the drive and reconstructing the file system to locate and extract your files intact.
Every hard drive runs its own internal operating system, the firmware. When firmware modules become corrupted (from power surges, bad sectors in the service area, or manufacturing defects), the drive may spin up but fail to identify itself, report the wrong capacity, or become completely unresponsive. Firmware repair requires specialized tools that can communicate directly with the drive's service area, equipment that most IT departments and general repair shops do not have. Our lab maintains firmware databases for every major drive family.
Drops, impacts, water exposure, fire, power surges, and extreme temperatures cause physical damage that ranges from minor PCB component failure to catastrophic platter destruction. Water-damaged drives require immediate attention, corrosion begins within hours and accelerates over days. Fire-damaged drives may have warped enclosures, melted components, and heat-stressed platters. Our cleanroom allows us to carefully disassemble, clean, and assess physically damaged drives under controlled conditions that prevent further contamination.
Our engineers examine every platter surface, replace damaged read/write heads, and rebuild the mechanical assembly needed to extract your data, work that requires years of training and equipment most labs simply do not have. Every head swap, every motor transplant, every firmware repair is performed under laminar airflow in our ISO Class 100 cleanroom.
When our engineers open a hard drive inside the cleanroom, they examine every component that can cause failure. Understanding what is inside your drive helps explain why cleanroom conditions are non-negotiable, and why a real cleanroom diagnostic is the difference between recovered data and permanent loss.
The platters are thin, polished discs coated with a magnetic recording layer. Your data lives here, billions of magnetic transitions representing every file, photo, and document you have ever saved. Even a fingerprint or a single dust particle on the platter surface can cause permanent data loss.
Request a free prepaid UPS shipping label. Your drive is fully insured in transit. Pack it securely, attach the label, and drop it off at any UPS location. Most drives arrive at our lab within 1 to 2 business days from anywhere in Canada.
Our engineers perform a thorough diagnostic inside our ISO Class 100 cleanroom. We identify the exact failure, assess platter condition, determine recoverability, and provide a detailed report with a fixed recovery quote.
You receive a detailed report explaining exactly what failed, what we found on the platters, and a fixed-price recovery quote. No surprises. You review the exact failure mode we found, the recovery path we recommend, and the fixed-price quote for the work. You decide whether to proceed. No pressure, no hidden fees.
Our engineers execute the recovery, replacing heads, repairing firmware, imaging platters, or reconstructing file systems as needed. The full recovery process is performed inside our cleanroom under controlled conditions. We keep you updated at every stage.
We send you a full recovered file list for verification. Your data is returned on an encrypted external drive or via secure digital transfer, whichever you prefer. All copies are deleted from our systems upon confirmation of receipt.
Our cleanroom maintains donor parts and firmware databases for all major hard drive families. Regardless of brand, model, or age. If the data is on the platters, we can recover it.
If your device is clicking, not detected, or physically damaged. Power it off and step away from it. Every second of power-on can make recovery harder. You don't need to diagnose it yourself. One call to a real engineer, 15 to 20 minutes, and you'll know exactly where you stand.
No sales pressure. No obligation. Just a trained cleanroom engineer on the phone, 24/7, walking you through exactly what to do next.
Independent data recovery laboratory. Not affiliated with any device manufacturer or OEM. All brand names referenced are trademarks of their respective owners.
You are probably holding a drive with something on it you cannot replace. Here is every answer, so the only thing left to do is pick up the phone.
Fixed, not an estimate. Includes the donor drive, your data back on a new drive, and UPS Express shipping. RAID, NAS and server: $450 CAD per drive to assess, credited in full. Full price list →
And on qualifying cases, if we cannot recover your data the recovery fee is refunded in full. Clicking, dropped, won't spin, not detected: all covered.
You get a specific timeline with your assessment results, before you approve anything. Cannot wait? Emergency service is +$500 CAD and keeps your case in production around the clock. Emergency service →
Every extra minute a failing drive spends powered on can turn a recoverable case into an unrecoverable one. Unplug it and pick up the phone.
Unplug the device and leave it alone.
Call 1-888-749-3786. An engineer answers, 24/7.
In 15 minutes you will know whether your case is likely recoverable, what it costs, and whether it qualifies for No Data, No Charge.
We email a free UPS Express label. Insured, next-day, from any province or territory, and it costs you nothing.
Nothing is charged until you approve the price.
Clicking drives, dropped drives, drives that won't spin, drives that aren't detected: all covered. Most of what comes through our lab is. A few categories are quoted case-by-case instead, because the work is harder to guarantee: fire damage, previously-opened drives, encrypted drives, forensic cases, phones, and a short list of end-of-life models. We'll tell you which category you're in on the first call, before you ship anything, before you pay anything. Full list →
See what our clients say about getting their data back.
Great to work with, Paul kept me updated throughout the entire process and they were able to recover all of our data from a failed RAID array on our NAS. They worked with us every step of they way without being patronizing like a lot of tech places tend to be.
Great service. Great results recovering photos I had deemed lost
Data recovery team really helped with my clicking hard drive! Got all my work and pictures back!! Plus my UWO discount was appreciated!!!
The support that the team gave me was thorough and timely! My data was recovered in a single interaction. Awesome !
Data Recovery Group was an amazing help!! They were fast, professional and able to recovery all our data!! Customer Service was fantastic! Would 100% recommend. - Jim & Melanie
Amazing help fixed a drive that was dead for me and saved my school semester! Thanks guys !
Amazing help was able to Quickly recover a dead harddrive that I thought was a gonner. Amazing service
My External Hard Drive With all my clients files Crashed, Nine years of records could not be accessed, I could not work without those records. DRG recovered them in 24 hrs getting me back in business by Monday morning. They were responsive and understanding. Thank goodness I called them.
Pat and Data Recovery Group helped retrieve my parents photos from a crashed hard drive over the holidays in an incredibly quick and safe manner. Highly recommend if you find yourself In this unfortunate situation. Thanks Pat!
Highly recommend Data Recovery Group. Very professional & extremely helpful, all of my data was recovered and I was kept informed throughout the whole process. Don't think twice if you have a dead drive with lost information. Thank you once again for the recovery of my data.
Though a broken external hard drive is a horrible thing to happen, the team (especially Paul) at Data Recovery group made it the most positive experience. They were exceptional fast and responsive, and recovered data that I was sure was gone forever. Compared to the big box stores, I believe I wound up paying less and had my files back in 2 days vs. the 4 to 8 weeks I was quoted from the other guys. I hope I never encounter a broken hard drive situation again, but if lightning strikes twice I know who to call right away!
I am extremely happy with the service I received with Data Recovery Group. My laptop dropped from just a foot high and wouldn't turn on completely. It just kept saying "repairing". I called Asus and they recommended I have my data backed up before attempting to fix anything. I was very fearful of losing my children's pictures (foolishly not backed up) and I wouldn't trust just any company to help me out. After chatting with Paul I felt reassured I had called the right place with the best ability to help me out. My hard drive was damaged and they were successful in recovering most of my pictures which I am beyond thankful for! Paul has great communication skills and kept in contact with me throughout the process and helped me to copy my pictures from my new external hard drive he made me onto my new computer. He took the time to educate me on how to keep my pictures regularly backed up going forward. If you have anything very important to you I say don't take a chance going anywhere else!!
Tell the engineer what happened. You will know in 15 minutes what it costs, whether it is recoverable, and what to do with the drive tonight.
100% Canadian owned · one lab in London, Ontario · your data never leaves Canada
