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Data Recovery FAQ

Q: I have lost some very important data. What do I do now?

A: First and foremost, turn off all power to your computer immediately! If you continue to leave your system running, or try to recover the data yourself, you will lower your chances for a successful recovery significantly. Do not run any software utilities on your computer. Many of these tools will change the structure of the data on your disk and possible cause more damage. Send your media in to a professional who has the tools and proper equipment to ensure a safe recovery.

Q: But my hard drive is making a clicking sound, can you still recover it?

A: Yes we can! A clicking hard drive usually means that your drive has internal mechanical parts that have failed. In order to recover mechanically failed drives, a clean environment is needed. Flashback Data's recovery lab is equipped with a Class 10 clean environment. The class number refers to the maximum number of airborne particles greater than or equal to one-half of a micron that would be allowed in one cubic foot of clean environment air. Therefore, A Class 10 clean room would not contain more than 10 particles bigger than half a micron in a cubic foot of air.

Q: How can I ship my damaged media to Flashback Data?

A: Contact Flashback Data by calling our toll free number at 1.866.786.5700 or by filling out our online forms. Package your damaged media in a anti-static bag in a box at least twice the size of the hard drive or media itself. Pack the media with plenty of packing materials to ensure no movement while in transit. When shipping, next-day air service is recommended for the least possibility for damage during transit. Please include your service agreement in the box.

Q: Is there a charge if the data is unrecoverable or I change my mind?

A: The evaluation fee is applicable as per our service agreement, but there is no charge on the actual recovery service if the data is unrecoverable.

Q: I found a place that can recover my data for a very low flat rate, why do you give me a price range?

A: Our quote ranges are based on the best and worst case scenario. The recovery of your mission critical data is not something that should be taken lightly. We ask that you read this brief article that explains some background on data recovery services and about low cost, flat rate data recovery shops.

Q: My documents are confidential. How can I be sure that they will remain confidential?

A: We offer our clients a secure environment so you can be sure that only authorized personnel have access and your document remain private. All employees are under a non-disclosure agreement. Our recovery work is done in our secure lab, and only data recovery technicians have access to this part of our facility via biometric scanners. We monitor the access to our lab very closley.

Q: What is the best way to send my data to you?

A: You can download our hard drive data evaluation forms on our web site here. Then, follow the steps on our Hard Drive Shipping Instruction page to ensure that your data makes a safe arrival at our lab.

Q: How will I receive my data back once it has been recovered?

A: You can choose how you would like to have your data returned to you. We can provide the data on CD's, DVD's, Hard Drives or virtually any other media type. You can also choose to download the data from our secure FTP site.

Q: Now that I have my data back, how can I ensure that I will not lose my data again?

A: You can never be certain when a data disaster might happen, but you can take many steps in order to protect your vital information. Backing up your data is the most important task to prevent data loss from happening again. Always have another copy of your data at another location, and make sure that your data can be restored by verifying all backups. Please consider a remote backup service as one of the best alternatives to local backups. It is automatic and extremely secure.