"CAN YOU SOLVE ALL DATA RECOVERY CASES?"

Short answer is NO.

We have received many questions similar to this one from our users prior to media/hard disk evaluation and also during recovery process. Since there are many possible combination of failures as well as different types/models of hard disk drives and variations in system configuration, some data loss scenarios are unrecoverable.

In relation to our categories for hard disk failure or data loss, here are a few examples where data recovery is not possible at this time, which can be applied also to a multiple disk setup such as RAID in Servers or NAS unit:

A. LOGICAL FAILURE

Depending on data loss scenario, some cases are not recoverable because the data has been corrupted due to :

• Ransomware/malicious malware which purposely alter or modify content of your data/files by encrypting with a secure hash/key. Restoration of data is not possible at this stage without knowing the decryption key and other related information.
• Data corrupted because required data files (usually by accidental deletion/format) has been “overwritten”.
  • The cause of overwritten could be because of new data files being saved unto the disk or new installation of operating system & softwares
  • Data overwrite can also due to using software recovery to scan dan save the result unto the same disk
• Data corrupted because disk has been through wiping or full format process. Hence the “lost” data has been overwritten with factory default values in disk, usually zeros in hexadecimal

B. INTERNAL (FIRMWARE) FAILURE

Sometimes, hard disk experiences internal failures due to firmware issues, weak/bad platter, as well as unstable read/write components. Some of these cases are unrecoverable usually due to :

• Firmware for this disk has fatal failure hence non-repairable
• Firmware in new disks are not yet supported by currently available tools
• Corruption in media platter containing information required to access the data – sometimes bad or unreadable sector exists within the firmware or service area which blocks user access
• Disk is password protected and password is lost or encryption area is damaged therefore unable to decrypt and access data

C. HARDWARE FAILURE

Most likely case where data recovery is not possible is due to external factor related to hardware; from physical component inside the hard disk or electronics board on the outside. Some of these cases includes :

• Disk has been exposed to extreme weather or flooding (submerged into water for period of time) – this causes damage to the internal components of disk including media platter, meaning data is lost because damage to media (for example: corrosion)
• Disk has been dropped or have visible physical damage; which also causes damage to internal components – especially when the accident happens during disk operation (while disk is spinning doing data transfer copy or write). Usually media is scratched and data is lost.
• Electronics are severely damaged due to fire or electrical failures (sudden spike or drop in power) – can cause damage to electronic board’s critical component such as motor chip or ROM chip containing firmware information; hence data is not accessible.

These are only some of the common cases where data is not recoverable in hard disk drives, from PC, Laptop, External Disk, Server/RAID setup, and even flash drives or memory cards. Other cases can be a combination of these failures or could also be a simple mistake from the user (such as when trying to do software recovery with the wrong tool).

In conclusion, while in most scenario data recovery is possible, it is NOT a guarantee that all data loss in any hard disk is recoverable. The best solution to prevent data loss or data recovery is to have multiple backup in multiple devices, preferably across different sites (not in the same place in case of disaster such as fire, flood, earthquakes and such).
Other preventive action would be to stop using the disk when data loss happens, and not to tinker the disk using various method including trying various software recovery to recover the data or even disassembling the disk without proper tools.

We are committed to do the best of our abilities with the currently available tools, technology, and know-how to recover your data but unfortunately, in some cases, data recovery is NOT possible.

Contact us for more information if you require data recovery service