A drive that clicks, grinds or beeps
A repeating click is the sound of read/write heads failing to find their place. Each attempt can drag the heads across the platters and scrape off data. The single most important thing you can do is turn it off.
In our cleanroom, engineers replace failed heads with matched donor parts and image the platters. Most clicking drives are recoverable if they're powered down quickly.
- Unplug it now and don't restart it to check
- Don't freeze, tap or shake it
- Don't run recovery software
Flood, spill and water damage
Water itself is rarely what destroys data. Corrosion and mineral deposits are, and both get worse with time and with the wrong kind of drying. Rice doesn't help, and hair dryers can make it worse.
We clean and decontaminate devices in the lab, treat corroded components, and clean contaminated platters in the cleanroom. We have recovered data from devices that sat underwater for days.
- Don't power it on or charge it
- Keep a wet hard drive sealed in a bag rather than drying it
- Ship it as quickly as you can
Fire, smoke and heat
A melted case often protects the storage inside it. Smoke and soot are corrosive, and firefighting water adds a second kind of damage, but neither means the data is gone.
Engineers remove storage from damaged enclosures, clean contamination from internal components and bypass burned electronics. Send the whole device, even if it looks hopeless.
- Don't power it on or wipe off soot
- Keep all the pieces together
- Ask us for documentation if you're filing an insurance claim
Ransomware
When ransomware hits, organizations face pressure to pay quickly. Paying doesn't guarantee a working key, and full recovery after paying is rare. DriveSavers looks for other paths to your data, before or after engaging with the threat actor.
We recover structural damage in encrypted virtual disks, backup files and databases, find unaffected prior versions, use tape and cloud copies as alternate sources, and recover files damaged by decryptors that didn't work. We work alongside incident responders, breach counsel and insurers, and can operate under privilege.
- Isolate systems, but don't wipe or rebuild them
- Preserve encrypted data, logs and ransom notes
- Same-day assessment is available
Ransomware recovery on drivesaversdatarecovery.com
Lost cryptocurrency wallets
Wallet files sit on old laptops, failed drives and broken phones, and access depends on details people forget over the years. DriveSavers recovers lost cryptocurrency and compromised wallets from software and hardware wallets.
Cases are handled confidentially under security controls audited every year to the SOC 2 Type II standard. You get a free evaluation and a quote before work begins.
- Stop using the device that holds the wallet
- Write down everything you remember about the wallet
- Never send seed phrases or passwords through a web form
Deleted files and formatted drives
Deleting a file usually removes the pointer, not the data. It stays recoverable until something new is written on top of it, which is why the most important step is to stop using the device.
Engineers image the device first, then rebuild deleted file system structures with proprietary tools, recovering original names and folders when possible. On SSDs, TRIM can clear deleted data quickly, so power them off right away.
- Don't install recovery software on the same drive
- Don't save anything new to it
- Power off SSDs immediately
