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USB Data recovery - any recommendations

Simon_M
Grafter
Posts: 685
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

USB Data recovery - any recommendations

A customer has had a three way failure & is looking at the loss of quite a bit of work.
They have the data backed up onto two USB pensticks, which they alternate.
Failure No. 1 - While one USB stick was in the laptop, the laptop got shoved & the stick got pushed against something. I gather it looked a bit bent, but not actually broken. I don't know how long ago this was, but before it was checked out (or just replaced as a precaution anyway), we get
Failure No 2 - for reasons I won't bore you with, the live data got overwritten.
Failure No 3 - the laptop won't read the other USB stick either.
The second (apparently undamaged) stick was tried in another computer. Still no luck, so both sticks taken to their local computer people - don't know who, but unlikely to be a bunch of cowboys. Equally unlikely to have any specialist recovery knowledge either, but enough to confirm a genuine fault exists & it's not the user failing to spot the obvious.
So it looks like a job for a specialist. The customer doesn't have the knowledge to use any specialist tools themselves.
Can anyone recommend somewhere suitable? It's a small business, so cost is a factor, but it's pointless sending them to someone cheap who might just make things worse. The data isn't irreplaceable, but I would estimate it would cost at least £400-£500 to re-input.
4 REPLIES 4
dvorak
Moderator
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Registered: ‎11-01-2008

Re: USB Data recovery - any recommendations

These look reasonable http://www.abcdatarecovery.co.uk, though haven't used them..
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Simon_M
Grafter
Posts: 685
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: USB Data recovery - any recommendations

Yes - there seem to be a number of different recovery services all based in that building - maybe different faces of the same company, trying to hit all markets.  Google had brought them to my attention & of course, being Sheffield based, they must be good.  Grin
Maybe some of our Sheffield based readers have some personal knowledge?
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
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Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: USB Data recovery - any recommendations

If your data is on two USB sticks and neither of them work then this is a difficult data recovery scenario.  I imagine you have to disassemble the USB stick and put the memory chip where the data is stored into an identical stick that is working.  Make sure your data recovery company really have the skills and hardware to do this.  They are probably most used to getting data off failed hard drives.
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: USB Data recovery - any recommendations

Any company who relies on a laptop as their main data repository (with little USB sticks for backup!) Grin deserves all they get.
Any decent data recovery expert will charge a lot more than £400 - and no guarantee of any recovery.
Tell them to get a desktop and a laptop and a proper backup strategy.

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