Hard drive recovery in Calgary.
A drive that stops responding may still hold the files you need. The fault might involve its heads, electronics or firmware. An assessment helps us work out how to make the data readable and copy it with care.
What the drive is telling you.
Clicking or ticking
The heads are failing to read and resetting. This is a clean-room repair, not a software problem.
Spins up, beeps, then stops
Usually heads stuck on the platters or a seized motor.
Completely silent
Most often a board or power fault, frequently after a surge or the wrong power adapter.
Shows up as 0 GB or with the wrong name
The drive cannot load its firmware. Your files are normally untouched.
Very slow, keeps freezing
A weak head or spreading bad sectors. Every copy attempt makes it worse.
What we do with it.
- 01
Test it on its own
The drive goes on dedicated recovery hardware, not into a computer, so we control how hard it is pushed.
- 02
Fix what failed
Heads, motors and boards are replaced or repaired in our ISO 5 / Class 100 clean room, with donor parts matched to your drive.
- 03
Copy it once
We image the whole drive, weakest areas last, then put the original away.
- 04
Rebuild and check
Files come off the copy and are checked before you get them.
From the bench.
A donor head stack has to match more than the model number. Firmware family, head count and manufacturing site all matter, which is why donor parts are matched carefully rather than taken from any drive off the shelf.
Swapping the circuit board from an identical drive almost never works on anything made in the last 15 years. Each board carries data unique to its own drive, and that has to be moved across.
Putting a drive in the freezer is an old trick that does more harm than good. Condensation forms on the platters when it warms up.
Before you bring it in.
Helpful next steps
- Turn it off and leave it off.
- Bring the whole computer if you are not comfortable removing the drive.
- Write down what happened just before it failed.
Best avoided for now
- Freeze, tap or open it.
- Run CHKDSK, Disk Utility or recovery software on it.
- Swap the board from another drive.
What clients said.
…they completed my data recovery when other companies told me that it was impossible to recover the data.
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.
Can you recover a dropped drive?
Usually. A drop tends to damage the heads, and sometimes knocks the platters out of line. The less it has been powered on since, the better.
What kinds of drives do you work on?
SATA, IDE, SCSI and SAS, from old desktop drives to current laptop and server drives.
Will you open my drive?
Only if the fault is mechanical, and only in the clean room. A drive opened on a workbench picks up dust that can ruin the surface.
Is it cheaper to recover only the files I need?
It can be, depending on the failure and the drive's condition. After the evaluation, we will tell you if a partial recovery is an option.
Can I bring my own drive for the recovered files?
Yes, if it is new and still factory sealed. We cannot accept used or opened drives for this.
Will the price change after I approve the quote?
Not without your approval. If we find something the quote did not cover, we stop and explain it before going further.
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.