Question 1

What is data recovery?

Accepted Answer

Data recovery is the process of retrieving inaccessible, lost, corrupted, damaged, or formatted data from storage devices such as hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and RAID arrays.

Question 2

Do you offer a no data recovered, no fee guarantee?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If we cannot recover your data, you will not be charged for the recovery attempt. We only charge if we successfully retrieve your files.

Question 3

How long does data recovery take?

Accepted Answer

Recovery time depends on the type of fault and the device. Logical recoveries (deleted files, accidental format) typically take 1–3 days. Physical or mechanical hard drive recoveries can take 1–4 weeks or longer depending on severity.

Question 4

How do I know if my data is recoverable?

Accepted Answer

Contact us with a description of what happened. We offer a free initial assessment and will advise on the likely outcome before you commit to anything.

Question 5

Can you recover data from anywhere in Australia?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We accept mail-in devices from anywhere in Australia. See our 'How to Send Your Hard Drive' guide for safe packaging instructions.

Question 6

My hard drive is making a clicking or grinding noise — can the data be recovered?

Accepted Answer

Clicking usually indicates a mechanical head failure or damaged platter. Recovery is often possible but requires professional handling in a controlled environment. Do not attempt to run disk utilities on a clicking drive — stop using it immediately and contact us.

Question 7

My hard drive is not detected — is my data gone?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. A drive not being detected can be caused by a failed PCB (circuit board), seized motor, corrupted partition, or firmware issue — all of which are recoverable in many cases.

Question 8

My external hard drive fell on the floor and stopped working — can you recover the data?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is one of the most common scenarios we handle. Impact damage typically causes read/write head failure. The sooner you bring it in, the better the chances of a full recovery.

Question 9

Can you recover data from a water-damaged hard drive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in many cases. Turn the drive off immediately if it gets wet and do not attempt to power it on again. Bring it to us as soon as possible — corrosion builds quickly once a drive is exposed to moisture.

Question 10

Can data be recovered from a failed SSD?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though SSD recovery is more complex than HDD recovery due to the way data is stored and managed (TRIM, wear-levelling, encryption). We have experience with common SSD failure modes including controller failure and firmware corruption.

Question 11

My SSD just stopped being detected — what happened?

Accepted Answer

Common causes include firmware corruption, a failed controller chip, or power spike damage. Many of these are recoverable. Do not attempt firmware updates or disk repair tools on an SSD that has stopped responding.

Question 12

Can you recover data from a MacBook SSD?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We recover data from MacBook SSDs including models with the proprietary Apple T2 and M-series chips. Encryption and soldered storage make this more complex, but recovery is possible in many cases.

Question 13

Can you recover data from a physically broken USB drive?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If the USB connector has snapped off, we can often repair or bypass it to access the flash memory chip directly. Recovery success depends on whether the chip itself is undamaged.

Question 14

I accidentally formatted my USB drive — can the files be recovered?

Accepted Answer

Often yes. A quick format does not immediately erase data — it just marks the space as available. The sooner you stop writing new data to the drive, the better your chances of recovery.

Question 15

Can you recover photos from a corrupt SD card?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SD card corruption is a very common issue and we have a high success rate for photo and video recovery from corrupt or unreadable cards.

Question 16

Can you recover data from a RAID array?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We recover data from RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10 configurations across all major NAS brands including Synology, QNAP, Buffalo, and Drobo.

Question 17

My NAS device failed — can the data be recovered?

Accepted Answer

Yes in most cases. NAS failures are typically caused by drive failure, controller issues, or filesystem corruption. We assess each drive individually and reconstruct the array.

Question 18

Should I rebuild a RAID array myself after a drive failure?

Accepted Answer

We strongly advise against attempting a RAID rebuild without professional assessment first. A failed rebuild can overwrite data and significantly reduce or eliminate recovery chances. Contact us before taking any action.

Question 19

I accidentally deleted important files — can they be recovered?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in many cases. Stop writing new data to the drive immediately and contact us. The sooner you act, the higher the chance of recovery.

Question 20

I accidentally formatted the wrong drive — is my data gone?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. A standard format does not immediately destroy data. Avoid writing anything new to the drive and bring it to us as soon as possible.

Question 21

My computer crashed and I can't access my files — is this recoverable?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. OS crashes, partition table corruption, and filesystem errors are among the most recoverable data loss scenarios. We can often retrieve all files intact.

Computer Repairs & Data Recovery Canberra | No Fix No Fee | AlphaGeeks

Data Recovery FAQ

General Data Recovery

Hard Drives (HDD)

SSDs & Flash Storage

USB Drives & SD Cards

RAID & NAS Devices

Accidental Deletion & Formatting

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