Data recovery
Photos and files back from things that look finished
Most data recovery doesn't need a clean room — it needs someone patient with the right equipment. Basic and advanced level 2 recovery both happen in our own workshop, which keeps the cost down and your drive in the Redlands.
Sound familiar?
- Drive not detected, or detected but unreadable
- Clicking, grinding or repeated spin-up noises
- Phone won't power on and the photos aren't backed up
- Accidentally formatted or deleted
- Snapped USB stick or damaged memory card
- Water damage
Pricing
Attempt fee
$79Paid upfront, and the most you'll pay if the data can't be recovered. We don't charge extra for an attempt that doesn't work out.
Standard recovery
$199Computers, laptops, tablets, phones, external drives, USB sticks, SD and microSD. Transferred to our secure server, checked for errors and viruses, then returned on a device you supply or buy from us.
Advanced recovery (level 2, in-house)
From $299Where the drive needs lengthy sector repairs or regeneration. Still done in our own workshop.
Clean-room lab recovery
From $799Mechanical failures needing a drive dismantled and rebuilt. Outsourced to Payam Data Recovery in Brisbane, 1–3+ weeks turnaround.
Broken USB stick
From $79Most snapped USB drives can be repaired by soldering on a new port — from $79 for basic solder work, more where board tracks are damaged. Send or bring a photo of the drive for an accurate quote.
What the work looks like
What actually happens in our workshop
More than most shops attempt. HDD and SSD recovery is done in-store, including board-level work: we've swapped drive mainboards and transferred the BIOS chip across so the replacement board actually talks to the platters. For drives that keep shutting themselves off mid-copy, we use a power-cycling rig we designed and built ourselves — it restarts the drive automatically while the recovery keeps pulling your files across, bit by bit, for as long as it takes.
The one thing we won't do — and why
We never open a drive to the platters. That's clean-room territory: it needs the room, the tools and years of doing it, and one speck of dust or one wrong move wrecks the data permanently. We've seen too many drives arrive here already destroyed by an 'expert' who opened one up after watching a YouTube video. Sometimes your tech mate isn't your best option — data recovery is one of those times. Knowing where our line is means your drive still has every chance when it matters.
When it goes to a lab
Genuinely mechanical failures — the ones that do need the drive opened — go to Payam Data Recovery in Brisbane. They're excellent, and we'd rather send you to people who are than pretend we can do it here. Lab work does get expensive, and the $79 handling and attempt fee covers freight and handling before it's sent, not the recovery itself.
About that snapped USB stick
We can usually re-solder a new port onto the board and pull the files, often same day. We don't recommend trusting the repaired drive afterwards — the data gets copied onto a new one, either yours or one bought here.
Insurance rarely covers this
If you're claiming on a damaged device, be aware that data recovery usually isn't covered by the insurer even when the hardware is. Worth checking your policy before you assume. Your data drives can still be retrieved at no cost, even on a written-off claim.
The sooner the better
A failing drive gets worse every time it's powered on, and liquid damage keeps corroding after the device is dry. If something important is on it, stop using it and bring it in.