Helium Drive Data Recovery
We recover helium-sealed hard drives across all failure types, including mechanical head swaps with helium refill. Firmware repairs, PCB component work, and head replacements are all performed in-house at our Austin, TX lab. Five published pricing tiers from $200–$5,000+.
Full In-House Helium Recovery
Firmware and Electronic Failures
Many helium drive failures are firmware corruption, PCB component failure, or Service Area damage. These do not require opening the hermetic seal. We diagnose and repair these using PC-3000 with the appropriate Hitachi/HGST, Seagate, or WD modules.
- ✓Firmware corruption and Service Area repair
- ✓PCB component-level repair (motor driver IC, TVS diode, preamp power)
- ✓ROM extraction and transplant (seal stays intact)
- ✓Adaptive parameter correction via PC-3000
Mechanical Head Swaps with Helium Refill
When the read/write heads have failed, the motor has seized, or the platters are damaged, the hermetic seal must be breached. Helium drives cannot be safely opened on a standard laminar flow bench without helium refill. The read/write heads are aerodynamically tuned for helium's low density; replacing the helium with atmospheric air causes immediate head-platter contact.
We perform these mechanical recoveries in-house at our Austin lab. The head swap is done on our 0.02µm ULPA-filtered clean bench, then we refill the drive with helium and connect to PC-3000 for imaging.
- ✓Head stack replacement with helium refill
- ✓Motor and bearing failure repair
- ✓Platter cleaning and surface damage recovery
Why In-House Helium Capability Matters
Some labs advertise helium drive recovery but open the drive on a standard bench without helium refill capability. In atmospheric air, the heads experience incorrect aerodynamic lift, causing head-platter contact that strips the magnetic coating from the platters. A failed recovery attempt on a helium drive does not just fail; it destroys any chance of a second attempt.
Other labs that lack the equipment send the drive to a third party, adding cost, transit time, and a middleman between you and the engineer doing the work. You lose visibility into the process and cannot communicate directly with the technician handling your drive.
We keep the entire process under one roof. From the initial PC-3000 diagnosis through the head swap, helium refill, and final imaging, your drive stays at our Austin lab. You speak directly with the technician working on your case.
Helium Drive Recovery Pricing
Simple Copy
Low complexityYour helium drive works, you just need the data moved off it
$200
3-5 business days
Functional drive; data transfer to new media
Rush available: +$100
File System Recovery
Low complexityYour helium drive isn't recognized by your computer, but it's not making unusual sounds
From $600
2-4 weeks
File system corruption. Accessible with professional recovery software but not by the OS
Starting price; final depends on complexity
Firmware Repair
Medium complexityMost CommonYour helium drive is completely inaccessible. It may be detected but shows the wrong size or won't respond
$900–$1,500
3-6 weeks
Firmware corruption: ROM, modules, or translator tables corrupted; requires PC-3000 terminal access
Helium drive firmware recovery is more complex due to sealed chamber architecture
Head Swap
High complexityYour helium drive is clicking, beeping, or won't spin. The internal read/write heads have failed
$3,000–$4,500
4-8 weeks
Head stack assembly failure. Transplanting heads from a matching helium donor drive on a clean bench. Helium refill required.
50% deposit required (usually $1,100 non-refundable deposit). Helium cost ($400-$800) and donor drive cost additional.
50% deposit required
Surface / Platter Damage
High complexityYour helium drive was dropped, has visible damage, or a head crash scraped the platters
$4,000–$5,000
4-8 weeks
Platter scoring or contamination. Requires platter cleaning, head swap, and helium refill
50% deposit required. Helium cost ($400-$800) and donor drive cost additional. Most difficult recovery type.
50% deposit required
Hardware Repair vs. Software Locks
Our "no data, no fee" policy applies to hardware recovery. We do not bill for unsuccessful physical repairs. If we replace a hard drive read/write head assembly or repair a liquid-damaged logic board to a bootable state, the hardware repair is complete and standard rates apply. If data remains inaccessible due to user-configured software locks, a forgotten passcode, or a remote wipe command, the physical repair is still billable. We cannot bypass user encryption or activation locks.
No data, no fee. Free evaluation and firm quote before any paid work. Full guarantee details. Head swap and surface damage require a 50% deposit because donor parts and helium are consumed in the attempt.
Rush fee: +$100 rush fee to move to the front of the queue.
Helium cost: Helium cost: $400-$800 additional for head swap and surface damage tiers. This covers the helium refill required after opening the sealed chamber.
Donor drives: Helium donor drives must be an exact match. Typical donor cost: $200–$600 depending on model and availability, plus helium refill cost ($400–$800) required after opening the sealed chamber.
Target drive: The destination drive we copy recovered data onto. You can supply your own or we provide one at cost plus a small markup. For larger capacities (8TB, 10TB, 16TB and above), target drives cost $400+ extra. All prices are plus applicable tax.
Helium Drive Recovery FAQ
Can helium drives be recovered?
Yes, across all failure types. Firmware corruption, PCB failures, and electronic issues that do not require breaking the hermetic seal are handled with PC-3000 tooling. Mechanical failures requiring the seal to be opened (head swaps, platter cleaning) are performed in-house at our Austin lab. We open the drive on our 0.02µm ULPA-filtered clean bench, swap the heads from a matching helium donor, refill with helium, and image with PC-3000.
Why can't you just open a helium drive without refilling with helium?
Helium has roughly one-seventh the density of atmospheric air. The read/write head sliders inside a helium drive are aerodynamically designed to fly at a specific height in that low-density gas. If atmospheric air replaces the helium, aerodynamic lift changes and the heads crash into the platters, stripping the magnetic substrate. A standard laminar flow bench pushes filtered atmospheric air; it does not maintain a helium atmosphere. After performing a head swap, we refill the drive with helium to restore correct fly height before imaging.
Which drives are helium-filled?
Helium technology is standard in drives 14TB and larger, though many 12TB enterprise models also use it. Note that some modern 12TB consumer NAS drives (like WD Red Plus) are now air-filled. Look for the welded seal to confirm. Common models include the Western Digital Ultrastar DC series, Seagate Exos X-series, and Toshiba MG enterprise drives. Look for a smooth, welded metal lid with no visible screws on the top cover.
What does it cost?
Helium drive recovery starts at $200 for a simple copy and $600 for file system recovery. Firmware repair is $900–$1,500. Mechanical recovery requiring head swap runs $3,000–$4,500 plus helium refill ($400-$800) plus donor drive cost. Surface damage cases are $4,000–$5,000 plus helium and donor. All tiers are plus tax and target drive. Contact us for a free evaluation; we will tell you which category your drive falls into before any work begins.
Send Us Your Helium Drive
Free evaluation. We diagnose the failure type, quote the exact tier, and perform the full recovery in-house. No data, no charge.