How Much Does HDD Data Recovery Cost? 💾
Hey! Today I want to tell you about something that keeps many of my clients awake at night - lost data!
Real-Life Price List 💰
According to our price list, HDD data recovery costs are as follows:
- Logical damage (technically working drive): 600-1000 PLN Cases where files "disappeared" but the drive still works
- Physical damage (non-working drive): from 900 PLN to several thousand PLN We're talking about failures where the drive isn't detected or "clicks"
What Affects the Final Price? 🤔
- Degree of damage - are platters scratched, are heads damaged?
- Urgency - express mode is an additional 500 PLN
- Need to clean up after DIY recovery attempts - this is the worst :(
- Drive type and brand - some models are real puzzles!
Workshop Examples 🛠️
Example 1: (600 PLN) 🟢
Mr. Tomek brought a drive he accidentally formatted. The drive was in perfect physical condition, data wasn't overwritten. We used specialized software and voila! Photos returned.
Example 2: (900 PLN) 🟠
Mrs. Jadwiga, an accountant, brought a drive that stopped working after... a coffee spill! The electronics were damaged. After PCB repair, the drive came back to life.
Example 3: (several thousand PLN, approximate) 🔴
Dr. Marek dropped his laptop during a conference. Drive heads were completely destroyed, platters slightly scratched. We needed a compatible head donor, 3 days in the clean room, and several weeks to read the drive contents.
What Definitely NOT to Do ⛔
- Don't put it in the freezer!
- Don't open the casing yourself!
- Don't hit the drive!
Current approximate prices are always in our price list, and the full service description on the data recovery page.
Three types of damage — this is what drives the price
Hard drive failures fall into three categories: mechanical, electronic and logical — and it's the type of damage (plus what you did with the drive after the failure) that determines the recovery cost.
- Mechanical (clicking, whining, wrong capacity/model in BIOS) — damaged heads, motor or platters. The hardest and most expensive cases, requiring laminar chamber work. If your drive makes unusual noises — disconnect it from power immediately.
- Electronic — contrary to popular belief, quite rare (about 20% of cases, half of which is internal electronics). Important: simply swapping the PCB for a new one will NOT bring your drive back — the ROM on the board holds adaptive data unique to your specific drive. A DIY PCB swap usually only increases the recovery cost.
- Logical — deleted files, formatted drive, removed partition, corrupted file system or service area. The drive is physically healthy; this is the cheapest scenario.
Founder of the workshop (since 2009), personally supervises every repair and data recovery. Over 18 000+ completed orders. About Us
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Prawdziwe nagrania z naszego laboratorium — @kolegainformatyk
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