External hard drive recovery in Calgary.
An external drive is a normal laptop or desktop drive inside a case, with a small USB board connecting it to your computer. When it stops showing up, the question is whether the drive failed, the USB board failed, or both. They need very different fixes.
Common ways they fail.
Disappeared from the computer
Could be the cable, the USB board or the drive. We test them separately.
Knocked off a desk, now clicking
Head damage. It needs the clean room.
"You need to format the disk"
The file system is damaged. Click Cancel; the files are usually still there.
Broken USB port
Often a quick repair with the data untouched.
WD My Passport or Elements that will not mount
Many of these encrypt your data on the USB board, so that board matters.
How we work on it.
- 01
Take it out of the case
We test the drive and the USB board separately to see which has failed.
- 02
Repair
Connector, board and mechanical faults are each fixed differently; mechanical work is done in the clean room.
- 03
Unlock if needed
If the enclosure encrypted the data, we use its original board to decrypt it.
- 04
Copy and recover
We image the drive and rebuild your files from the copy.
From the bench.
Many WD drives encrypt everything written to them on the USB board, even when you never set a password. If that board is lost or damaged, the data on a perfectly healthy drive can become unreadable. That is why we ask you not to pry the case open and to bring every part.
Some newer portable drives have the USB connector soldered straight onto the drive's own board, with no separate adapter inside. Those cannot simply be moved into another case, and need board-level work instead.
Before you bring it in.
Helpful next steps
- Bring the drive with its case, cable and power adapter.
- Tell us if it ever had a password.
- Unplug it if it clicks or beeps.
Best avoided for now
- Pry the case open. On encrypted drives that can break the board holding the key.
- Keep plugging it in to see if it comes back.
- Run CHKDSK or Disk Utility First Aid.
What clients said.
…they were able to recover all the Data I thought was lost forever, from my NAS External Hard Drive.
Our terms, in plain numbers.
- Who does the work
- iCube Development (Calgary) Ltd., recovering data since 2005.
- Where
- One address, and it is our lab: #610 - 11012 Macleod Trail SE. Recovery is done here by our own staff and is not outsourced. No drop-off depots, no appointment needed.
- Evaluation
- Free standard evaluation within 72 hours, for one device per client. Priority (24 hours) and same-day evaluations, multi-drive arrays and devices another company has opened are quoted before we start.
- Your quote
- In writing, before any recovery work. Nothing extra is done or billed without your approval.
- If we cannot recover your files
- You pay nothing for the recovery, parts included. Any exception, such as a paid diagnostic for a device another company has opened, is agreed with you in writing first.
- Success rate
- We do not publish one. A percentage cannot describe your device; your evaluation tells you what is actually recoverable.
- Your recovered files
- Returned on new media or, with your permission, by secure download. Our working copy is deleted seven days after completion unless you ask in writing to keep it longer.
- Privacy
- Your device and files are handled only by our own staff, who are bound by confidentiality, unless the law requires otherwise.
- Your device
- Please collect it within 30 days. Photo ID is required at pickup.
Questions we get asked.
Why do you need the case and power adapter?
The USB board may hold the encryption key, and the wrong adapter can damage a drive. Missing parts can turn a simple job into a hard one.
Can you recover a WD My Passport?
Yes. We keep the drive and its original board together the whole way through.
Should I just buy a new external drive?
For storage, yes. The free standard evaluation tells you whether your old files can be recovered and what that costs, so you can decide.
Can I ship my drive instead of dropping it off?
Yes. Call or email before you ship so we can send packing instructions; how a drive is packed matters.
Tell us what happened.
Send the details or call (587) 387-2346. We will tell you what to do with the device in the meantime.
Drop-off: Southcentre Executive Tower, #610 - 11012 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary. Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.