Our Data Recovery Training
We believe in showing our work. Here's the training our lead technician has completed and what it means for your recovery.
Meet Chris
Chris (Bogumił) Piskorz is our lead hard drive data recovery technician. He runs the PC-3000 systems in our lab and handles the recoveries that come through our doors and our nationwide mail-in service.
We sent him to get trained directly by the people who make the tools we use. ACELab makes the PC-3000; HEX Akademia in Poland specializes in the mechanical side of drive repair. The courses below represent over 11 days of hands-on training with engineers who work on this stuff full-time.
We're putting these here so you can see exactly what he's trained on. If your drive has a problem covered by one of these courses, we've dealt with it before.
Training Completed
Here's what each course covered and how it applies to your drive.
PC-3000 Seagate Advanced
ACE Lab Europe • July 2024
Four days focused on Seagate F3 and Rosewood architecture: the drives inside most Seagate portables and laptop drives from the last several years.
- Seagate microcode structure and terminal-based diagnostics
- System file operations, ROM modification, and firmware unlocking
- Translator repair within F3 architecture (including "0 capacity" issues)
- Rosewood-specific recovery and Media Cache system management
- Error resolution (LED codes, CRC errors, MCMT parameters)
- Data Extractor optimization with RAM-based head map editing
In practice: If your Seagate drive spins up but shows "0 capacity" or won't mount, this training covers how to fix it at the firmware level without opening the drive.
PC-3000 WD Advanced
ACE Lab Europe • July 8-9, 2024
Two days on Western Digital firmware architecture, hardware encryption, and the specific problems that affect WD portable drives.
- ROM patching and verification, including non-original ROM handling
- Service Area (SA) diagnostics and damaged passport module recovery
- Second-level translator operations and T2 corruption repair
- Drive stabilization ("Slow Responding" issues, TLER settings)
- USB-to-SATA hardware conversion and encryption/decryption
- Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) unlocking procedures
In practice: WD drives encrypt data at the hardware level. This training covers how to deal with that encryption and recover data from drives with corrupted firmware or damaged Service Areas.
Advanced HDD Recovery
HEX Akademia (Poland) • April 2025
Six days of hands-on mechanical work at HEX Serwis in Poland. This is the physical side of data recovery: what to do when firmware fixes aren't enough.
- Head Stack Assembly (HSA) replacement and alignment
- Motor seizure procedures and platter transplants
- Donor drive matching parameters (Micro-jog, Preamp)
In practice: When a drive is clicking or won't spin, the problem is usually mechanical. This training covers the physical repair work needed to get the drive readable again.
Basic HDD Recovery
HEX Akademia (Poland) • April 2025
Four days covering diagnostic fundamentals and the logical side of drive failure. This course comes before the advanced mechanical training.
- Non-destructive evaluation (diagnostic pathing)
- Capturing SID-protected folders and permission bypass
- Addressing SMART trips and surface mapping strategies
In practice: Good diagnosis saves time and money. This training covers how to figure out what's actually wrong before deciding on a repair approach.
Where This Training Comes From
ACELab
ACELab makes the PC-3000, which is the main tool we use for hard drive data recovery. It lets us talk to drives at the firmware level, which is necessary for most of the problems we see.
Their training courses are taught by the engineers who actually develop the software. When Seagate or WD releases a new drive family, ACELab figures out how to support it and then teaches that in their courses.
HEX Akademia
HEX Serwis is a data recovery lab in Poland that also runs training courses. Their focus is on the mechanical side: head swaps, platter transplants, and the physical work that happens inside a clean bench.
The training happens at their facility in Kobysewo, working on actual drives under supervision before you're allowed to attempt procedures on your own.
How This Applies to Your Drive
Seagate drive that spins but won't mount
Usually a firmware problem: Media Cache corruption or translator failure. Shows up as "0 capacity" or a stuck busy state. The Seagate training covers how to repair this at the firmware level without opening the drive. See our Rosewood recovery page for more detail.
WD MyPassport or external that's not detected
WD drives have hardware encryption and complex firmware. Common failures include the "Slow Responding" bug, T2 translator corruption, and damaged passport modules. The WD training covers ROM patching, SED unlocking, and USB-to-SATA conversion.
Clicking or beeping drive
Mechanical failure: heads are damaged or stuck. The HEX training covers head replacement, donor matching, and the physical repair work. We do this on a validated clean bench.
The Tools Behind the Training
We use PC-3000 systems for our hard drive data recovery work. The ACELab courses are specifically about getting the most out of this equipment.
We also maintain a clean bench environment for mechanical work and keep donor drives on hand for head swaps. The HEX training covers how to do that work properly.
View Our Hard Drive Recovery ServicesQuestions About Our Training
What is PC-3000?
It's a hardware and software system that lets us communicate with hard drives at the firmware level. Your computer talks to drives through a standard interface; PC-3000 can talk to them in ways the manufacturer intended only for factory use. This is necessary for most hard drive data recovery work because failed drives often can't respond to normal commands.
Why did you send your technician to Poland for training?
HEX Serwis runs one of the better mechanical training programs available. Data recovery training isn't something you can do online; you need to actually work on drives under supervision. Their facility in Poland was worth the trip.
Do you handle all drive brands or just Seagate and WD?
We work on all brands. The Seagate and WD courses are highlighted because those are the most common drives we see. PC-3000 supports most drive families, and the diagnostic and mechanical skills transfer across manufacturers.
Is the work done in-house or sent out?
In-house. Chris works on drives at our lab. We don't broker work out to other companies. Customers across the US can use our mail-in service to send drives directly to us.
What if my drive problem isn't covered by this training?
Send it in for evaluation. We'll tell you what we find and whether we can help. If it's something outside our capabilities, we'll say so. We don't charge for diagnosis, and our policy is no data, no fee.
Questions about your drive?
Send it in for a free evaluation. We'll tell you what's wrong, what it would take to fix it, and what it would cost. No obligation.