Any recommendations on Hard Drive Data recovery services?

[ismaelg]

Hi,

I just had a hard drive failure on my computer. Fortunately, most of the data was backed up, especially the thousands of pictures. But there is data that haven't been backed up in a few weeks. So, while not exactly an overly critical emergency, I would like to explore the possibility of properly recovering the data on the hard drive. I'm a computer techie but this is beyond the DIY and office/home techs.
When you google Data recovery services, there are so many options it is mind blowing. However, digging deeper you find most are scams or less than "reputable" outlets.
Does anyone have any experience in this? Any recommendations?

Thanks,

_______

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[blunc]

based on my own previous research on data recovery, I found the cost of proper software or recovery services to be so high that I ended up just giving up on the lost data.

however, there are things you can try if you are handy with computer parts and depending on the failure you might be able to get the data back on your own.

if the drive failed due to an overheated component, you might be able to get the drive to work by replacing the circuit board with a board from a drive of the same make/model. not real good odds on this option but it's been known to work.

there have been stories of people that sealed their drive in a bag then put it in a freezer for a while then were able to access their data till the drive heated up again.

if the drive was in a USB enclosure, it's more likely that the enclosure failed rather than the drive.

if the drive was dropped, the most likely you're out of luck....it's not the fall that kills them, it's the landing.

[Joe Handley]

Just had this done to my laptop. It started acting odd a few montys ago and I was going to tinker with it, but never got the chance. Dad realizes I haven't been messing with it so he decides to do the same a couple weeks back and has the same issues, so he decides to take it to a little repair shop a few minutes from home that had just fixed my sister's laptop (viruses and a bad battery) and he had found the HD was dying and transfered everything over to a new HD and installed it.........for cheap?!