SMR Hard Drive Data Recovery
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!
If your SMR hard drive is not working, we have all the tools necessary to get your data back!
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!
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.
- Handling delicate internal components like heads or platters in a laminar flow bench requires experience. Common errors include:
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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CellPhones
$300-$650 for drop or liquid damage, $1200+ for difficult cases(board swap). $400+ for any damage inflicted by inept repair technicians(long screw) that is above and beyond terrible.
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Love From Our Customers
Hear from our satisfied customers who trust us for their data recovery needs in Austin. We didn't become the top rated repair shop on Google maps by accident - this was a 15 year effort of providing best-in-class service, with no gimmicks.
These guys are awesome! Called a bunch of shops around San Antonio and they all said the whole motherboard would need to be replaced after I spilled water on mine and it would cost me around 1000$ to fix it, not only that, all my data would be lost (might as well buy a new laptop). But these guys, not only they fixed what actually needed to be fixed, charged me with a very reasonable amount, saved all my data, but also were able to ship it back to me in San Antonio for 10$. Still can’t believe I got my laptop back with all it’s data and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Glad I bumped into these guys on YouTube, was worth a 2 hour drive! Also, whoever I talked and worked with was very nice and professional! You guys rock!
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Constantin Startev
10/25/2023
I traveled two and a half hours each way to take my laptop in to Rossmann Repair Group because I was so impressed with the skill and expertise displayed in Louis Rossmann's YouTube channel (in addition to its hilariousness and occasionally brilliant wit and wisdom). It was important to me to go to a repair store that I had trust and confidence in.Louis and his colleagues were extraordinarily diligent, professional, thorough, transparent and went far above and beyond what was necessary and greatly exceeded my expectations. This was literally the best customer service experience I can remember by far. I would recommend Rossmann Repair Group to anyone without reservations. Louis and his colleagues are also among the most uncompromisingly ethical professionals I've ever met - as another reviewer pointed out, they literally invest huge amounts of uncompensated time to educate customers on how systematically faulty MacBooks are despite having a business model reliant on people continuing to buy them.Seriously, if you care about your computer, time, money, data, etc., I wouldn't risk going anywhere else for MacBook repair.read more
Samantha G.
8/10/2019
lost data from hardrive that would not read they got my data off in time for me to file my tax forms
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zeldafreek22
3/01/2025
Hard drive came back perfectly. I think it took a bit long for Rossman group to get the motherboard, but that may be partially my fault due to buying a board and then realizing it was incompatible. Everything was excellent, only complaint was that I had to scratch off a sticker, but it's literally nothing to worry about. Still kinda wondering if the store is an advertisement for the youtube channel or if the youtube channel is an advertisement for the store. Either way 5/5
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Mark Mann
12/17/2020
Apple should thanks them.Apple should move them to a better location, bigger place and properly give them the tools and resources so that they can be at 110%Cant stand Apple products but it is great to have people that can put sweat and tears to give you top level services even when they are being held down by corporations like Apple.You can rest asure they will try everything to have your Apple product see the light of day again.100% recommend this place. But I also recommend to stop spend money on Apple if they keep sticking to you.Best place to recover your DataMy 2 cents.Salvador Pelaez
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Salvador Peláez
9/21/2019
These guys are LEGIT! Don't waste your time with anyone else. I had water damage in a newer iphone and had YEARS of pics which were not backed up. I was given a cost and time estimate reflective of what was on their website. Their service exceeded the high-points of both estimates. It was definitely not a drop-in the bucket cost, but worth the service. I was notified 24 hours later that my data recovery was complete. Unfortunately, my phone was not repairable but that didn't matter much to me anyway. Great service with these guys and glad to find them locally as well. If you're not in NYC- they will coordinate with you.read more
Marlene Leekang
12/17/2021
I had an iPhone 8 that was totally dead, wouldn't recognize being plugged into a computer or power outlet. The biggest problem was that it hadn't been backed up in a long time and there 5000+ photos and videos of our kids were potentially lost.I sent it in to RRG and got a call from Kevin (who was the tech who was actually going to be handling my repair). He was great, forthcoming with the plan, and very polite.Bottom line? Got my phone back with all the data still intact (apps, contacts, photos, videos, settings) working 100%, AND got a flash drive with the photos and videos on it.Thanks guys!read more
Chris S.
10/14/2019
I have a 2017 macbook pro. For those who aren't aware this model had a ton of design flaws. A few months ago Apple replaced my keyboard and battery for free which was great. Then it started crashing unexpectedly. Apple wanted $500 (before tax) to repair the issue. Rossmann quoted me $350 (total), so i went with them. When I came to pick up my laptop the guy at the front handed my computer back, told me there was some debris in one of my usb-c slots, and that the problem was fixed. He also told me they had fixed it FOR FREE, since they didn't need to do any real repairs/labor. That was amazing and I really appreciate the honesty because I'm sure Apple would have charged me $500 for the same fix. And yes my computer seems to be working fine. I only have one constructive criticism: which is the time it took to get my computer back. I brought it in on a Friday night, seeing that they were open on the weekend, i figured I could have my computer back by Monday or Tuesday. The guy at the front informed me that they don't do repairs on weekends, so I'd have it back Wednesday, absolutely latest Thursday. Well, half way through Thursday I hadn't heard back, so i left a comment on the ticket asking for an update - to which they replied they'd have it ready Friday or the following Monday. I had a feeling this meant Monday and that turned out to be the case. Thankfully I didn't absolutely need my Mac those few extra days past the original Wed/Thurs estimate they gave...but I definitely wasn't thrilled about that. So my recommendation for your database/ticketing system: please add a date that specifies the estimated completion date communicated to the customer at drop off. This way your company can be proactive and reach out to customers if repairs will take longer than expected...and ensure everyone is on the same page about the most updated time to complete. But again, thank you for the repair/service, and I look forward to more great videos from Louis on YT :)
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Max P.
10/30/2021
I had the pleasure of visiting the Rossmann Repair Group in Austin one day almost two years ago as friends of mine needed an evaluation of a broken Macbook Pro, a bad hard drive and possible data transfer. Louis Rossmann greeted us immediately and was very friendly and patient. He told us exactly what the problem was and said that the Macbook Pro was beyond repair due to bad GPU connections. In fact he saw this as soon as he turned it on, he could detect very faint lines on the screen which indicated this issue. He was very honest about this, he said that some places would get it to work for a while by heating it up and charging a few hundred dollars, but that the repair would not last long and it would certainly fail again.My friend asked him if he could transfer the data from the Macbook to a Mac Mini so it would work like the Macbook. He said he could and it would take a couple of days. We returned a few days later to pick everything up. The cost was very reasonable and my friends were very satisfied with the service. He gave the bad HD back to us, said it would require sending to a recovery center. Just honest. No ripoffs.
In this tech repair industry, dishonesty is very common since tech people know the average person has no clue about any of this technology and there is almost no chance they would know if they are being fooled or how much the repair is really worth. I know this well since I also do computer and electronics repair and support myself and I know how easy it would be to fool customers left and right! I don't do this and I highly appreciate other tech experts who aren't tempted to profit from people's trust and innocence!
So in summary, if you don't want to get ripped of and lied to, and are looking for a highly competent reliable technician, make sure you go here with your Mac equipment. If you like, you can stop by an Apple Genius bar first for a good laugh, while they give you the wrong diagnosis, quote you an insanely high repair price, and try to convince you to buy a whole new unit.
Finally, if you want to be amazed, look for Louis Rossmann on YouTube and watch some of his videos where he shows exactly how he repairs the "unrepairable" and inspires many others to do their own repairs, start their own repair businesses and with his tireless entrepreneurial positive attitude even motivates disillusioned young students to not give up on school and go to college! (In fact one student said he was about to give up on education but after watching Louis on YouTube he made the decision to enter Med school! Now that's remarkable!)
Louis is such a great guy, that in some cases where the issue is very minor, like a bad cable, he even does the repair for no charge! Try to find anybody who is willing to do anything for no charge these days! (The Genius bar would certainly tell you that your unit has been water damaged, when it wasn't, (maybe was in a humid room which would turn the water indicators red!) and quote you $1000 for a repair that would cost them $7 for the cable)
Louis Rossmann is a hero, one of those rare individuals who make positive contributions to individuals and society every single day. I am pretty sure that anybody who gives him a bad review probably either is part of Apple, or considers Apple to be some kind of religious deity.
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Jerry D.
9/05/2019
Sent in a SSD for data recovery for a client of mine. Data was recovered! What else can I say. Thank you.
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David Dachenhaus (DDock)
12/17/2021
I have a 2021 MacBook Pro that just died. Flatlined. Took it to Apple Store in Plano, TX and Oklahoma City, OK. They both said system has an internal short and for $848, they could repair it. Problem is, I still had data on it that I needed. Apple said no chance on preserving any data because logic board and SSD are encrypted and it's an M1 laptop. They were going to replace logic board which would wipe everything on SSD. Only 16 months of life and this "incredible" Apple product died. No damage, moisture, cracks, or scuffs and it died. Apple Geniuses said probably a defective board but since they're Apple, I'll still have to pay for repair and since there's no activity, $0 for trade in. Have you heard about our "pay for cloud storage??????" Apple quality has dropped significantly. Steve Jobs must be rolling over in shame and disgust. Fortunately there is the Rossmann Repair Group. Shipped it to their Austin, TX facility. They were constantly communicating with me about the status of my MacBook Pro. Let me tell you who fixed my MacBook Pro M1 with SSD. NOT Apple. NOT some of these Data Recovery companies that wanted a $1000.00 non-refundable just to " try and do our best". The ROSSMANN REPAIR GROUP fixed it. I don't mean just repaired the encrypted logic board so that my MacBook is operational again, I mean the Rossmann Repair Group also SAVED ALL MY DATA on my SSD. EVERYTHING is intact. Data, preferences, EVERYTHING! ALL FOR LESS THAN APPLE wanted. That's right. Less money and they preserved everything while fixing what Apple shoddily put out into the market but wouldn't acknowledge as being DEFECTIVE. Whatever your needs for tech repair, Rossmann Repair Group. They truly have you covered. Their actions and results are what really matters when it comes your devices and data. Since OU is an Apple school, I had to buy another MacBook Pro for exams. When school is over, I'm tossing Apple into the gutter where it truly belongs. At least now I have ALL of my data to take with me thanks to the Rossmann Repair Group. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Just to clarify. I bought another MacBook Pro M3Pro BEFORE I even heard of Rossmann Repair Group. I actually bought it while at OKC Apple Store being told for the 2nd time that all is lost. Wish I hadn't because Rossmann Repair Group had it for less than a week and fixed Everything. Law school is unforgiving though and Finals are a real mother.read more
Stephen P.
12/08/2023
This is literally the first review I've ever written, and these guys absolutely deserve it. I had a hard drive fail after it was connected to a bad power supply and fried itself. I basically lost 6+ months of work and was devastated. I sent the drive Rossmann Repair and they managed to recover all of the data I lost, and sent it to me on a new 1tb external drive. Also important to note: when I sent the drive in the company was in the process of moving to a new store location. Because it took a couple weeks extra for them to get to my drive, they waived the cost of the 1tb external my data was copied onto which was SO nice of them. I am so incredibly thankful, and would highly suggest going through Rossmann Repair if you need an affordable alternative to something like Drive Savers. Again, thanks guys. You rock.
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Matt Nemecek
12/17/2020
I used Rossmann Repair Group as a mail-in customer in the past. They are the best of the best. They are honest and incredibly skilled. I had some hard to replace videos on a MacBook that went bad and they got in there and managed to get my data back. Saved me a few weeks of edits and the prices are reasonable - its not the cheapest but its clear that the quality of the work being done. I hope that Rossmann Repair Group can expand into more lines of repair - I'd love for Rossmann Repair Group to end up being the place to bring anything worth saving with an electric cord or a power brick. Rossmann Repair Group also has free sessions where you can bring anything in and they will help you repair, solder, reflow and diagnose anything you can carry in.read more
Mick R.
12/13/2022
I would give this place and service 10 stars if I could. I spilled the smallest amount of water on my 2015 Macbook Air space bar (the size of a quarter). It was in perfect condition before that. The computer bugged out and shut down. I went to the Apple Genius Bar to get it looked at and hopefully fixed. Though friendly, they did nothing to actually help and just told me that I didn't get water on the hard drive, but since it wasn't turning on, I needed to buy a new laptop - never again will I go there. A friend I was complaining to suggested Rossman Group, which I wasn't far from so I thought it was worth a trip - and it certainly was! I regret not getting the service guy's name, but he assessed the issue and told me I only needed to replace the track pad cable ($75 + tax), while teaching me some things about hardware along the way (i.e. rice does nothing for liquid damage, Macbook Air's after 2017 are garbage, the screw driver to open your computer safely is a WHIA Pentable 4, etc). I've never been so thrilled to spend $75 before - vs. the $1,100 Apple tried to get me out of me for a new machine. My computer was saved and works perfectly as it should. Could not be more grateful - a miracle on First Avenue!
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Lauren Nobile
10/21/2019
My satisfaction with Rossmann Repair Group goes beyond just 5 stars. I had a hard drive die some time ago, but I had no idea where I could send it knowing it would be safe, or there being a chance I'd be ripped off. After watching Louis Rossmann's YouTube channel for over 10 years, and being able to see how the process for data recovery works at your store, I decided to give it a try because I felt good about supporting a business owned by someone who I have listened to for many years. I mailed my drive, and within 3 days, I already had an estimate that I was satisfied with. I went forward with the repair. I got the drive back in just under 2 weeks, which was faster than I expected. Once I received the drive and the data back, I was amazed to see that everything was in place as I left it when the drive died! I was very pleased with the process for recovering the drive from start to finish. I hope I never have the need for another data recovery, but if I do, I know where to go. I am truly thankful for all you have done for me.
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Kyle Hartley (crazybangles)
6/13/2025
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!
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..
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 ServiceEmail, 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.
Made In America
No Outsourcing
Experienced Technicians
Address
Rossmann Repair Group Inc 2410 San Antonio Street,
Austin, TX 78705
(347) 552-2258
OPENING HOURS
Monday-Friday – 11 AM to 7 PM
Austin, TX 78705
(347) 552-2258
OPENING HOURS
Monday-Friday – 11 AM to 7 PM
QUICK LINKS
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