There are no products listed under this category.
Shop by Brand
Data Recovery Process
Our Data Recovery Process in San Marcos, TX
When important data becomes inaccessible, the first question is usually simple: Can my files actually be recovered?
Our data recovery process is designed to answer that question with actual recovery results whenever possible.
Our data recovery assessment is free. In most cases, we perform the recovery before providing a quote. This allows us to determine what data is actually recoverable rather than simply guessing based on the symptoms of the drive.
Step 1: Stop Using the Storage Device
If a storage device contains important information and is failing, stop using it whenever possible.
Do not repeatedly restart a failing computer, repeatedly reconnect a failing external drive or continue attempting repairs if the data is important.
Do not format or initialize the device. Avoid software repairs that could modify the storage device until the data recovery situation has been evaluated.
Continued use of a failing drive can result in additional degradation and can make recovery more difficult.
Step 2: Bring Us the Storage Device
You may not need to bring us the entire computer.
Depending on your situation, you may be able to bring us just the storage device, including:
- 3.5-inch SATA hard drives
- 2.5-inch SATA hard drives
- 2.5-inch SATA SSDs
- mSATA SSDs
- NVMe drives
- External hard drives
- USB flash drives
- Memory cards
- Mac storage
- Other compatible storage devices
If you are unsure what needs to be brought in, contact us before removing anything from your computer.
Step 3: Free Data Recovery Assessment
We begin by evaluating the storage device and determining how it can be safely connected to our recovery equipment.
There is no charge for the data recovery assessment.
More importantly, in most cases we don't stop at a basic assessment. We proceed with the recovery process so we can determine what data is actually available.
Step 4: Determine the Appropriate Recovery Connection
Different storage technologies require different connection methods.
Compatible standard SATA hard drives and typical 2.5-inch SATA SSDs can be connected directly to RapidSpar.
Other supported storage configurations can be connected through the RapidSpar USB Stabilizer using appropriate adapters. This may include mSATA SSDs, NVMe storage, Mac storage and other compatible devices.
Step 5: RapidSpar and RapidNebula
We use dedicated RapidSpar data recovery equipment together with RapidNebula, a cloud-based recovery service.
RapidNebula can communicate with the recovery system and provide information about the connected storage device, including relevant characteristics and firmware information. This information helps determine appropriate recovery algorithms and techniques for the specific device.
Step 6: Controlled Drive Imaging and Recovery
When a storage device is failing, the way it is accessed matters.
A normal computer may repeatedly attempt to read the same problem areas of a failing drive. That can result in unnecessary additional reads and potentially increase the risk of further degradation.
Our controlled recovery process is designed to minimize unnecessary reads.
When a sector can be read successfully, the recovered information is copied to a target drive and is not unnecessarily accessed again. When a sector cannot be read, it can be skipped and addressed during a later recovery pass.
This allows the recovery process to concentrate on obtaining as much usable information as possible while minimizing unnecessary access to areas of the drive that are already having problems.
Step 7: Determine What Was Actually Recovered
This is one of the most important differences in our recovery process.
In most cases, we actually perform the recovery before we provide the customer with a quote.
That means we can determine actual recovery results, including:
- The amount of data recovered
- The types of files recovered
- The folders and files that were recovered
- Files that could not be recovered
- Files that may be corrupted or incomplete
Step 8: Detailed Recovery Report
When applicable, we can provide a detailed HTML recovery report showing the file and folder structure found during the recovery.
The report can be viewed in a web browser and allows you to drill down through the folder structure to see the files that were found.
Files can be identified according to their recovery status, allowing you to see which files were recovered and which files were corrupted or could not be recovered.
This gives you a much clearer picture of the recovery results than simply being told that a certain percentage of the drive was recovered.
Step 9: We Provide a Quote
Once the recovery results are known, we can provide you with a quote for transferring the recovered data to an appropriate storage medium.
The quote is based on the actual recovery results rather than an assumption about what might be available.
Step 10: You Decide
The decision is yours.
If you accept the recovery quote, we transfer the recovered data to an appropriate storage medium.
If you decline the quote, no recovery fee is due.
This means you can see what was actually recovered before deciding whether the recovered data is valuable enough to purchase.
Step 11: Transfer the Recovered Data
If you approve the recovery, we transfer the recovered data to an appropriate storage device.
The original storage device can then be handled according to the circumstances of the recovery and your instructions.
What Happens If We Cannot Complete the Recovery In-House?
Not every data recovery problem can be safely handled in a computer repair shop.
We do not perform mechanical disassembly or internal component replacement on damaged mechanical hard drives. Those procedures require specialized clean-room facilities.
When a recovery requires physical laboratory work or other specialized procedures beyond our in-house capabilities, we work with a professional data recovery partner.
Data Recovery Is Not Guaranteed
The condition of the storage device determines what can ultimately be recovered. Some cases result in extensive recovery while others may involve significant file corruption or data that cannot be recovered.
Our process is designed to determine the actual results whenever possible rather than making assumptions about what is available.
What You Should Not Do
- Do not format a drive containing important data.
- Do not initialize a drive because Windows or another operating system says it needs to be initialized.
- Do not repeatedly reconnect a drive that is failing.
- Do not continue using a computer if the drive containing important data is failing.
- Do not run unnecessary repair utilities against a drive containing irreplaceable files.
- Do not open a mechanical hard drive outside of a proper clean-room environment.
Data Recovery vs. Data Transfer
Not every request involving data is actually data recovery.
If your computer and storage device are working normally and you simply want files transferred to a new computer or storage device, you may need our Data Services instead.
Data recovery is intended for situations involving inaccessible, damaged, corrupted, deleted or failed storage media.
You May Only Need to Bring Us the Drive
One of the advantages of professional storage-media recovery is that the entire computer may not be necessary.
If you already have the hard drive, SSD, external drive, USB drive or memory card containing the information you need, you can often bring us just that device.
If you are unsure, contact us before removing a drive from your computer.
Local Advanced Data Recovery in San Marcos
San Marcos Computers provides advanced data recovery services using dedicated recovery equipment and controlled recovery techniques.
Free assessment. Recovery first in most cases. Detailed results. Then you decide.
Contact San Marcos Computers if you have a failed, damaged, corrupted or inaccessible storage device.
Learn more about our complete data recovery service or the types of storage media we can recover.