Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about data recovery & repair.
No scripts, no sales fluff. Just honest answers about pricing, mail-in service, turnaround, and what “No Data = No Fee” actually means.
General & Data Recovery
Click a question to expand. If you don’t see your answer, ask us directly.
Do you charge a diagnostic or estimate fee?
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No. Spoken-word estimates are free. If a case requires deep lab work to determine feasibility, we’ll tell you up front before any paid work begins.
What does “No Data = No Fee” really mean?
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If we accept your data recovery job under our No Data = No Fee policy and cannot recover the agreed-upon target data, you owe $0 for recovery labor.
Exclusions: devices heavily tampered with by other shops, donor parts you ask us to buy specifically for your case, and shipping/return media. We’ll disclose any exclusions before you approve the job.
How long does recovery usually take?
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Simple cases: 3-5 business days.
Complex cases (head swaps, RAID/NAS, severe SSD controller damage): 1-2+ weeks depending on parts availability and drive stability.
Rush service may be available. Ask when you submit your case.
Can I mail in from outside Austin?
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Yes, mail-in is common. Pack the device in an anti-static bag with padding, include your contact info, and ship to our Austin lab with tracking and signature. We’ll evaluate it and send a firm quote before work.
Do you outsource jobs?
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No. All work is performed in-house by our team in Austin. This keeps chain-of-custody tight and timelines predictable.
Do you really need a cleanroom for hard drive recovery?
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You need clean, particle-free air over the open drive. We use a professional laminar-flow clean bench that achieves cleanroom-level conditions without the theater or unnecessary overhead.
Will opening my drive or trying software hurt my chances?
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Often, yes. Opening a drive outside proper airflow can cause irreversible head/media damage. Repeated power-ons after a crash can worsen failures. If your data matters, stop using the device and let us evaluate it.
Can you recover encrypted drives?
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Usually, if decryption keys or credentials are available, or if we can restore the original controller/firmware so the device can decrypt as designed. Without keys and with destroyed secure elements, recovery may be impossible.
What will it cost?
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We provide a free evaluation and a firm quote before paid work. Typical ranges:
• Logical / minor firmware: ~$100-$600
• Board-level / electronics repair: ~$400-$1,200
• Complex (HDD head swap, chip-off SSD, RAID/NAS): ~$900-$2,000+
You only pay for approved work. If it’s easier than expected, you pay less.
What’s your warranty policy?
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Most repairs include a 1-year warranty; certain services carry 3 months. We’ll note exceptions on your quote. We’re reasonable. If something isn’t right, talk to us.
Watch how we actually work
Real recoveries from our lab. No stock footage, no cleanroom theater — just the boring, repeatable process that actually gets your data back.
Ready to start?
Free estimate. Mail-in from anywhere in the U.S. No Data = No Fee on qualifying jobs.