SMR Hard Drive Data Recovery

Name: Apple product data recovery
Brand: Rossmann Repair Group
Rating: 5 (143 reviews)

At Rossmann Repair Group, we specialize in the recovery of data from Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) hard drives, which is new tech. SMR drives are widely used in consumer and enterprise environments since they provide higher storage capacity for less money. Their unique structure makes them very difficult to recover when they fail.

If your SMR hard drive is not working, we have all the tools necessary to get your data back!

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Why Rossmann Repair?

What Makes SMR Drives Unique and Challenging for Recovery?

SMR hard drives write data in overlapping tracks, like shingles on a roof. This allows for higher storage density. While this technology maximizes capacity, it makes recovery more difficult due to the following reasons:

Overlapping Data Tracks: Modifying or recovering one track risks overwriting or corrupting adjacent tracks.
Second-Level Translators (SLT): These firmware components map logical block addresses (LBA) to physical block addresses (PBA). If the translator is damaged, the drive can return empty or corrupted data.
Trim-like UNMAP Commands: SMR drives used in host-managed or host-aware configurations can process UNMAP commands (similar to TRIM for SSDs) in some systems. These commands tell the drive to mark certain data blocks as no longer in use, which can sometimes erase important mapping information in the Second-Level Translator (SLT) that connects logical addresses to physical storage locations. Deleted translator metadata or zone mappings can prevent reconstruction of the overlapping data tracks unique to SMR drives.
Firmware Dependence: SMR drives heavily rely on firmware for managing data zones, and corruption here can make recovery extremely complex.

Who Uses SMR Hard Drives?

SMR drives are commonly found in:

Consumer Electronics: External hard drives like the WD My Passport and Seagate Backup Plus.
Network Attached Storage (NAS): Models like the WD Red series often use SMR drives for storage solutions.
Surveillance Systems: High-capacity drives for storing security camera footage, such as some of Seagate’s SMR-based surveillance models.

Common Issues with SMR Drives

Quick Formatting:

If you format a drive and unplug it, old-style CMR drives (CMR referring to Conventional Magnetic Recording) are trivial to recover with standard software like R-Studio or UFS. Sometimes a pain, but mostly doable.
With SMR drives like some WD My Passport models, you have to deal with second translators, translator dependencies, and you may not even get all the data from it.
Basic software like UFS Explorer and R-Studio will show only empty sectors with zeroes in a case like this where the drive was formatted.
Recovery often requires advanced tools to bypass damaged SLTs and restore fragmented data, like the Acelab PC3000.

Firmware Corruption:

SMR-specific firmware handling is more complicated compared to older CMR drives.
If the second translator has an issue, the drive may click even if the heads are good, which can confuse new technicians into believing the heads are a problem.
Sometimes this means blocking access to the service area or special modules.
Software like UFS Explorer and R-Studio will not handle this. In this case, UFS stands for "u find shit" - only zeroes :'(

Our SMR Data Recovery Process

We use advanced technology and methods to deal with the challenges specific to SMR recovery:

Translator Repair:
- We rebuild or bypass the damaged second-level translator to recover fragmented data.
Firmware Restoration:
- Our tools safely repair corrupted firmware modules to get the drive back to working condition so we can recover all of its data.
Zone Recovery:
- By carefully handling overlapping zones, we ensure adjacent data tracks remain intact during recovery.
Physical Repairs:
- For drives with mechanical issues, our Purair VLF-48 laminar flow bench provides the controlled environment necessary for repairs. The Purair VLF-48 Laminar Flow Bench allows an ultra-clean workspace with ULPA filtration capturing 99.999% of particles down to 0.1 microns. Its vertical airflow design minimizes turbulence, making it perfect for handling delicate media during data recovery. We are NOT opening your drive in any old office!

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Watch a Real Data Recovery Service below!

Why SMR Data Recovery Requires Experienced Technicians

Recovering data from SMR hard drives is a highly specialized task that requires lots of technical expertise & precision. New technicians working with tools like the PC3000 or performing cleanroom repairs on a laminar flow bench are on their way to success if they are committed to learning, but newer technicians often make mistakes that lead to permanent data loss. Here’s why choosing an experienced technician matters!

Common Mistakes Made by Inexperienced Technicians

Mishandling Second-Level Translators (SLT):
- SMR drives rely on SLTs to map logical data to physical locations. A newbie may overwrite or improperly rebuild this translator, causing irreversible data loss.
- Using generic PC3000 scripts without understanding SMR-specific firmware quirks can result in fragmented or missing data.
Damage to Overlapping Data Tracks:
- SMR drives write data in overlapping tracks, meaning a mistake in one area can overwrite or corrupt adjacent tracks.
- Inexperienced techs often use cloning methods meant for standard old CMR drives which can destroy the integrity of overlapping zones.
Improper Use of Cleanroom Tools:
- Handling delicate internal components like heads or platters in a laminar flow bench requires experience. Common errors include:
  - Scratching platters while removing heads.
  - Misaligning replacement components, rendering the drive unreadable.
Not addressing UNMAP Issues:
- New techs sometimes overlook the impact of Trim commands, which can prematurely delete data necessary for a data recovery from SMR drives. Misconfiguring recovery software can make things worse.
Inadequate Firmware Handling:
- SMR drives depend heavily on proprietary firmware for managing shingled zones. Without training a technician might apply firmware fixes meant for CMR drives, bricking the device.

Why Choose Rossmann Repair Group?

Certified Expertise: Our technicians are extensively trained and certified by ACE Lab, the developers of PC3000. We understand the nuances of SMR drives and their unique recovery challenges. While "Apple certification" is useless & often means the technician is not allowed to do real repairs, acelab's actually matter!
Industry-Leading Tools: We
Experience You Can Trust: With years of expertise in data recovery, we handle cases other labs cannot.
Top Rated: No, really. Check google maps - we have the highest(and most) ratings of any data recovery company.
No paid advertising: No banner ads, no yelp promotions, no google adwords. We rely on word of mouth and videos demonstrating our abilities. The lack of paid advertising means the savings are passed onto you.

Contact Us Today

If your SMR hard drive has failed, don’t lose hope. Contact Rossmann Repair Group for professional data recovery services!

We Can Extract Information From These Types of Media at Our Lab

Laptop Hard Drives

Liquid damaged iPhones

Physically damaged USB flash drives

SD & microSD cards

WD MyPassport

Desktop Hard Drives

External Hard Drives

USB Hard Drives

RAID configurations

SATA, IDE, SCSI, SAS, SSD Hard Drives

Our Rates?

Giving a price without seeing the device, assessing its condition is impossible. Everyone feels better having some basic idea of what things may cost, so for a basic idea, see below. Do realize the + means price can go up! Please do note that drives that have been opened before are rarely if ever recoverable by us: mention this prior to sending it in as we rarely work on pre-worked on drives.

Hard Drives

$100 for basic data retrieval, $250-$650 for firmware repair, $900-$2000 for heads swap.

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SDcards/microSD cards

$200 for basic data recovery, $900 for breakout board data recovery

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CellPhones

$300-$650 for drop or liquid damage, $1200+ for difficult cases(board swap). $400+ for any damage inflicted by inept repair technicians(long screw) that is above and beyond terrible.

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SSDs

$300-$2000 depending on extent of damage

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Love From Our Customers

Hear from our satisfied customers who trust us for their data recovery needs in Austin. We didn't become the top rated repair shop on Google maps by accident - this was a 15 year effort of providing best-in-class service, with no gimmicks.

					I had a nearly 12 year old MacBook pro with the dreaded kernel panics.  I contacted Rossman Repair Group after finding them on YouTube.  I shipped the computer by following their instructions and it was received unharmed.  Once the computer was received, I found them communicative, professional, and knowledgeable. They replaced the defective part, cleaned the computer and then I added a new battery and they even repaired my DVD drive.The computer was returned to me (the whole process took about 5 business days) and to say fantastic would be an understatement.  I didn't realize that I had build in responses to anticipate computer shutdowns.  I kept trying and trying to get it to crash, but the computer has run 48 hours straight without fail!  This punts the decision for me to buy a new computer down the road 2 years!  I'd give them 11 stars if I could..Thank you!
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Thomas R.
3/25/2022
					Great customer service, and prices are very fair i had no complaints at all this guys go above and beyond the call of duty, my Samsung phone is working amazing again! Not to mention they recovered all my data before the repair started, I really love the work they do and I shipped the phone from California and the send it back to me super fast, this guys really know what their doing will send more products in the near future for repair.Thanks rossman!
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Luis G.
10/13/2020
					I used their mail-in service and followed their simple instructions on how to send it it. First fill out a form, then you get a ticket number and write it down and put it in the box you ship the device in. Few days later from delivery I got an email indicating diagnosis was beginning. 2 days later I got a full quote and was fairly priced, and was accurate on what their website had stated it possibly could total up to be. 2 days later, it's completed and shipped out Rather spending 600+ for a new board from Apple, with no possibility of data recovery, I got to keep the same board, retain my data, and was done cheaper in the same amount of time it would have taken to do their mail in service which is what the Apple store would have done. Amazing how I went from a MacBook that was completely dead, no signs of power going through tthe board, to a smooth running as good as new Mac. Highly recommend their services and his YouTube channel.
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Josue Montalvo
4/17/2022

					Very friendly, thorough, easy to get in touch with, and respond quickly in addition to fantastic work. I ended up spilling some water on my Macbook Pro that wasn't even a year old at the worst time possible (when I needed my laptop and the things on it most). I went to Apple and they quoted me $1400 and an additional 500$ for data recovery regardless of whether or not it was needed.         Naturally, my things don't even get damaged in the same way other laptops do and my logic board was done for. Louis took a quick look at it the day I brought it in and said that the hard drive doesn't seem to be affected (something apple wanted to charge me $500 for). They kept in contact with me every step of the way. They got me a great price to replace the board and trackpad for half of what Apple wanted. Thank you, Louis and Steve. I hope I don't have to be the one to bring anything else to you guys, but if I do, I know where to go. Will definitely refer people. I'm also really enjoying the YouTube channel. Thanks again!
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Michael Arustamyan
1/21/2017
					I just got my Macbook Pro back from RRG. I have to say I was overjoyed and honestly getting my Macbook Pro back was the one time I felt pure joy in a while. I caught Louis on the phone a couple of the times that I called and he is super nice, incredibly nice to customers. I called in to tell him I wanted rush service and he noted that I approved $45 rush service. I called the beginning of the next week to see what the status was because it had been delivered on Thursday. Louis said they were in the middle of replacing the battery now, and then within the hour I got an email saying it was done. They did not charge me the rush service charge, which I didn't realize until after I paid and it shipped, but the was a duplicated repair charge on the invoice that I called and noted to them, which they promptly fixed. This leads me to believe that they waived the rush charge. These guys are awesome and made a daunting experience of being without my Macbook Pro for a week super easy. In contrast-- Geek Squad (Best Buy) said they needed to send it off to Apple for a month, and Microcenter, while I'm very impressed that they were able to do it in store, wanted $500 for the repair, which $300 of that was Apple's charge for the battery, that they're forced to use because they are an AASP. My understanding is they replace the whole backing and not just the battery. But here's the thing-- regardless of both places and even though all my data is backed up on the cloud, I simply did not trust to leave my Macbook Pro with either Microcenter (because they are an AASP only, because they're an awesome store with very capable people) or *shudder* Best Buy. Thank you so much Louis for being awesome, and all the rest of the guys. I don't know who the other guys were I spoke with but everyone was incredibly kind.
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Alexander Rose
12/17/2020
					I teach at a gifted school and am dependent on a sturdy 7-year-old MacBook Pro purchased with a parents association grant. I use it for lecture, lessons, student presentations and all of my grading and internet at school. I had dropped the computer and it would not charge afterward. I called apple and they abandoned me. Their authorized repair people referred me to Louis before they abandoned me too. I showed up late on a Tuesday at his store frantic and worn out because this is my busiest time of the academic year. Frightened I would have to leave the computer there, Louis overheard me explaining I didn’t want the hard drive accidentally wiped and proceeded to start to analyze the problem. Then he gingerly opened up my tired computer and hooked power up from the inside, determined it was fixable and had some jolly guy in the back room hammer out the case for me while I waited. Then he put it all back together better than Humpty Dumpty and sent me on my way. I kept asking to pay him and he kept saying I could leave a tip if I wanted. I left a modest tip and thanked him and his really nice staff a few more times. I have never met anyone like this man. Yes Louis Rossmann is a true genius, unlike the misnomer coveted by apple technicians who are demeaning and often ineffective. Louis is talented, patient, and kind. And he’s a good teacher too.  He treated my computer like it was a person and he treated me with dignity for wanting to rescue it. I hope he does well in his business. He seems happy but it bothers me that he says people are not quick to thank him. I wish more people knew the joys of being in the presence of his greatness and leaving so relieved you have your computer back that the rainstorm outside that night doesn’t annoy you. Thank you Louis, and I wish you deep happiness in your life. Keep up the greatness. If you ever need anything let me know.
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Maria Nedwidek
5/21/2019

					These guys deserve TEN stars. My mother's Mac Air died on a vacation to NYC. Well, we thought it died. Her bag was lost at JFK and the charger was packed (dumb, yes, but there was a major snowstorm and she slept not at all waiting to find out whether or not her flight was canceled). She had important files not backed up. Yes, dumb. But she's 78 and a lawyer 52 years. A lawyer with secretaries who used to do all that stuff. And she is not computer-savvy beyond the bare minimum needed to email and compose documents. She bought a charger at UES Apple (the one on Madison in the 70s). The computer would not charge above 1%. My friend in IT recommended this place. He says it is the ONLY place other than Apple he will allow to touch his many devices, as an Apple consumer since the 1980s. I called Rossman at noon, from the March For Our Lives, and they said they would take a look at it. But before that, I emailed. Sure enough, there was an email back to my mother (she didn't see it). I told them my friend thought the port was corroded and that might be why it would not (the light) turn green or orange. So I trek back to the UES from the UWS to retrieve the computer. Trains a mess. Two hours later I arrived at Rossman and found three others waiting in the tiny store. It's not that small but typical for the area, narrow storefront and a deep space with workspace in the rear. The man took the computer and then charged with his own charger. Voila! All that stress and it turns out the computer is FINE but that Apple sold us a defective charger. Mom never tested it in the store, having no reason to believe Apple would sell a lemon. (Yuk yuk.) The man (whose name I wish I had asked for as we hung out over an hour) transferred her hard drive onto a little metal thing for 40 bucks. Also, Mom's machine is in very good shape, though she needs a new battery at some point. He does not recommend that she buys a new Air, which she was prepared to do. Otherwise, her device is healthy. Quite remarkable for a 2012 that gets heavy usage. Even at work, she uses her Air not a desktop at the firm. We then talked a lot about old vs new Airs and MacBook Pros. My Pro is from 2015, November. He says NEVER to get rid of this device, just to fix it when it gets old, and that the new MacBook Pros suck. He even expects a class action suit to arise as a result of the hybrid of solid state and movable parts. The new Airs are also not great. If they die and you haven't backed anything up, you are screwed. There is NO WAY to retrieve files without making the machine functional. That's because there is no removable hard drive. He's not impressed with the new products and says the best Pro eve made is the one I own (a gift from a dear friend who knew my 2011 MacBook Pro was on last legs). I am a customer for life and when my 2015 Pro begins to age, I'm taking it here. They also sell refurbished Mac Air/Pro and I would trust anything they had fixed and deemed fit to sell. Everyone is so nice. A lot of people came in and the Saturday hours were 12 to 4. A frazzled young woman came in at 4:10 pm and asked if they were closed. "Yes and no," my repairman told her. I love this place and encourage all Apple people to patronize them. The juice place down the street is quite good (a few doors down) and the prices lower than Juice Press and the like (except for the Acai bowls). But they don't have real milk. Just that soy/almond garbage. It's not far from Veselka and the Immigrant Bar. And St. Marks. THANK YOU, ROSSMAN!
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Victoria O.
3/25/2018
					Great place. Prompt service. Went in for data recovery and was dealt with quickly and without bs. Fair pricing on the service.
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EPHiiOS
12/17/2020
					I sent in an external hard drive that bricked on me. Its a drive I plug in once a year, dump phone videos, photos, and then back on the shelf til next year. This year I went to free up some space and found the drive wouldn't respond. It had the first 10 years of my daughter growing up and I was freaking out. I had almost accepted they were gone until a friend at work mentioned RRG. I crossed my fingers and sent in the drive, not expecting good news (or some astronomical fee that would force me to put a price on those memories). Instead I got a call a few days after mailing saying not only could they repair the drive, but for a fraction of the cost I was expecting. 10/10 would recommend to anyone needing any services they provide.
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Jason Burzynski (Baker)
12/17/2021

					What a great group of people! I was clueless about my old hard drive and they fixed it til top shape I’m so happy to be able to look at my old photos. Thank you so much!
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Libby J. Justus
12/17/2021
					I took my iPhone 6 Plus with a motherboard completely damaged took it to other technicians that were specialist in motherboards and no one could’ve get my data recovered or fix my phone to power back on these people of  (Rossmann Repair Group) got the phone fully repaired and in perfect working order and also backed up all my data in to a new hard drive . I totally recommend this company they are very responsive responsible and very professional .. thank you Rossmann Repair Group 😊
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Hector Nunez
12/17/2021
					I took my iPhone 6 Plus with a motherboard completely damaged took it to other technicians that were specialist in motherboards and no one could’ve get my data recovered or fix my phone to power back on these people of  (Rossmann Repair Group) got the phone fully repaired and in perfect working order and also backed up all my data in to a new hard drive . I totally recommend this company they are very responsive responsible and very professional .. thank you Rossmann Repair Group 😊
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Hector Nunez
12/17/2021

					Phenomenal repair shop! My moms Macbook pro 16 with coffee spills was pretty much done for, we were heart broken so much money down the drain, luckily my brother stumbled upon this shop online. They live in Chicago, mind you they took a hige leap of faith to mail it in. Long srory short they fixed it at a fraction of what it would cost -600 bucks! For coffee spills they usually switch mother boards ect and you get a bill similar to the price of the computer. They are super transparent about the process. In todays age very few places you can blindly trust, and why i would highly recommend Rossmans to any one around the country, they literally saved my mom from a $2800 loss, so happy! Months down the line im trying to swap out my hard drive in my 21.5 imac and finding the right tape is tricky. Ive heard heaps of horror story of screens falling off in the middle of the night... Any hoot i called them up and asked them for the info, they not only ready helped me over the phone, they also went ahead and gave me there supplier for the adhesive im looking for! This goes to show what an amazing store this is! Thanks guys you rock!
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PhilosophiseIt
12/17/2021
					Owner is knowledgeable and instills good work ethics in his employees. The repair service is kneecapped by manufacturers that don't share their components or even stop 3rd parties from selling replacement parts. But if a board component is unavailable the staff make do with recycled circuit boards (good for the ewaste problem). Unlike at big corporate stores Rossman doesn't have punishing policies like demanding to erase the customer's data even if it's not necessary, or replacing whole circuitboards when just one component needs replacing.
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Robert V.
9/06/2022
					Unfortunately, they weren't able to help with our specific issue but they were great to speak with over the phone. They were responsive, went above and beyond to answer our question and provide advice/consulting on our issue. While at the end of the day we received the same answer as other vendors we talked to (our data would not be recoverable) they were the only one who took the time to give us a detailed understanding of why and what the limitations were of recovering data from a device after it had been factory reset.
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Shawn Lehner
12/17/2020

Our Recent Work

Our highly trained technicians have worked on some of the most complex cases with great success. If your hard drive or SDcard is no longer responsive, we’ll get your information back!

failed usb drive during data recovery service

Have a failed external USB drive? We can by-pass the USB on your drive and go straight for your data!

Stuck heads? No problem! We have the tools and the clean room to un-stick your heads..

on site hard drive data recovery service

We can do clean room data recovery on premises when necessary.

Inspecting a 6 head stack from a donor drive before it goes into the patient.

Bottom Line:

At Rossmann Repair Group, we don’t just recover data; we restore your peace of mind. Contact us today for your hard drive data recovery needs in Austin and experience service that sets the industry standard.

Top Reasons To Have Your Repairs Done By Us

All data recovery done on-site.

Our pricing is fair.

High success rate.

You can meet & speak with the recovery specialist working on your case directly.

Get In Touch with Us

Give us a call or fill out the form below to get a fast price estimate on a fix for your device. If you are not local, we also offer a very streamlined Mail-In Service which makes it very easy to work with us from anywhere in the country.

Mail-In Repair Service

Call or Visit Us

(347) 552-2258

Monday-Friday – 11 AM to 7 PM

2410 San Antonio Street
Austin, TX 78705

Email, Call or Walk Into Our Store. We Want to Hear From You!

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Common Questions

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We Can Fix Your Problem

We provide the best unauthorized MacBook, iPad & iPhone Repair in Austin. You can come to our store for a free estimate without an appointment, or mail your device to us from anywhere in the world to receive service.

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