Our Data Recovery Service FAQs

Below are the most frequently asked questions about our Data Recovery services.

Q: Can you get my lost data back?

A: Hopefully. We love getting peoples data back and it’s commercially in our interest to be successful, however until you have good data extracted there is no guarantee of recovery, which is why we only charge the engineering fee if successful.

Q: What devices do you cover?

A: We recover data from Laptops, external hard drives, Internal HDD, HSD hybrid drives, PCs, Mac, USB devices, SD Cards, Micro SD, SSD (solid state drive), Mobile Phones, Tablets, RAID, Multiple Disk Arrays running any Operating System.

If it’s a device that holds data we will be happy to take a look at it.

Q: How much does your Data Recovery cost?

A: We work on a fixed price 4 tier system, which is dependent on what engineering we need to undertake to access your data. Pricing per drive is detailed on our pricing page.

Q: Do you charge for evaluation or a file list?

A: No. Evaluation to the point of knowing exactly what data is available is a myth, to know what data is recoverable you must do the recovery first. The way we work is that sending a device to us is agreeing to the standard recovery charge, if we can recovery the data as a standard then we crack on and do so. If an Advanced or advanced plus services is required, we will explain why and seek your approval before proceeding.

Q: Why are your data recovery prices so competitive, is there a catch?

A: There is no catch, we pride ourselves on offering fair set prices. We believe the majority of data loss events happen in the SME (small or medium-sized enterprise) or home user market, basically we make a bit less per recovery but receive a greater quantity because of this.

Q: How long will the recovery take?

A: Average TAT’s (Turn-around-time) are Standard 5-7 working days, Advanced 7-10 working days, Advanced plus 10-14 working days. TAT is dependent on parts availability and the time it takes for data extraction. It is in everyones interest to turn jobs around as quickly as possible, but engineering quality must be adhered to and is our priority in ensuring the best possible recovery.

Q: How will I get my recovered data back?

A: All data will need to go onto an external storage device, we start at 1TB external HDD’s but you are welcome to send in your own device as long as it’s new and blank. Our drive pricing is detailed on our pricing page.

All devices being returned by courier are encrypted for safe return, a password to access them will be provided once you have signed for the return parcel.

Q: How do I book a data recovery job and get the drive device to you?

A: Booking a job is nice and easy, go to our data recovery booking form or click the green “book your recovery” button on the website. This will guide you through the process and provide 3 options:

1) To use your local DPD drop off points; we provide a label, you package suitably for courier transit (see - packaging guidelines) and take to the most convenient DPD point (detailed as part of the process).**

2) To use DPD collection; the driver will attend your home or work with a foam filled plastic tote box, you will need to break the seals, put your device into the foam, re-seal the box with the seals provided, attach the label also provided in the tote and hand back to the driver who will scan it and take it away.

3) If you want to use your own courier or drop off at our lab yourself then you can do so, just bear in mind you will need to arrange and pay for this yourself.

**Important: If you are sending a small device such as a USB stick or memory card, for extra security please package in a box - DO NOT use an envelope or jiffy bag.

Q: What is the difference between Standard Recovery, Advanced Recovery and Advanced Plus Recovery?

A:
Standard Recovery: Rig based fixes including deleted data, formats and corrupt data.
Advanced Recovery: Physical failures, or when logical data structures are badly damaged and require manual repair.
Advanced Plus recovery: Physical failures where we need to source donor components for example head changes, or chip level NAND engineering.

Q: My drive has been previously opened can you still help?

A: This is not ideal but yes we can accept opened drives. The only difference to normal is that the non –refundable “tamper/lid off” fee of £50.00 applies, this is because a drive being opened significantly reduces the chance of recovery and greatly increases the engineering time involved.

Q: What do you mean by 'critical files', on the booking form?

A: This section is very important. It is our intention to get to all the data however sometimes that is just not possible, and in this instance we want to try and pinpoint your most important data first. The more specific the better.

Q: I have a multi-drive systems or RAID can you help?

A: Yes, the set pricing structure is applied per drive. For example if you have 2 striped drives (RAID 0) one drive has suffered a board failure and one a head failure, that would be 1 x Advanced and 1 x Advanced plus if successful.

Q: Do you recover programs?

A: No, we only recover user data, an image from a failing device would be unstable and there are potential licensing issues. If there are database files or user data within the program files, please detail this within the "critical files" section of the booking form.

Q: I have a question that’s not listed here how can I get help?

A:
Phone us on Freephone 0800 888 6113.
Email support@lazarusdatarecovery.com.
Use our contact form.
Use our online chat (bottom right of this page).

We would be happy to help.