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.
iMac FIXED! One happy Mac owner!Knowledgeable, Qualified and Reasonably priced. What more can one ask for? These guys saved me the expense of a new system or Apple's greedy authorized network. I love Apple equipment but if it breaks and you're past Applecare, you may be at the mercy of Apple's mercenary group of authorized repair centers, or if you are lucky enough to find Rossman's, you should get a fair deal.
Taking the glass screen off a 27in iMac for a hard drive replacement was something I didn't want to do myself though there are kits to do - it's risky business. Buying an iMac that is remotely close to what I have is astronomical in price.
Louis Rossman and his well qualified team of real Mac genius' told me to save some money and get a recommended SSD on Amazon and bring it in. Though they said a week to 10 days and looked busy, I received an email 3 days later that my machine was ready. I saw distressed people with damaged laptops and Rossman's team gave them a diagnosis while they waited- or fixed it.
My iMac seems to be working better than new and I will update this if I see otherwise. Louis Rossman makes videos about Apple and the repair industry that I found informative and entertaining - non-authorized reasonably priced places are under siege. He is part of the thread of "urban legends" and I saw one client ask for a selfie with him- A You Tube celebrity but more.
I was victim to a horrible screen repair on an iPad with junk parts done at an unauthorized dealer, which I write about extensively on Yelp. Finding the "right" repair center is critical and with the tools of Social Media- "Yelp" you can do it. I sincerely believe if you come to Rossman- the job will be done right at a fair price. They put a screen protector on my iPad no charge-gratis. Perks of being a customer?
You can't go wrong at this Apple repair center! It's not just for laptops. *****
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Larry G.
6/09/2019
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.read more
Shawn Lehner
12/17/2020
Great Customer service. Way better than apple (Specially in terms of charges). You can go with any Mac, iphone or data recovery related problems. They are genuinely helpful. Would recommend to anyone anytime.read more
ImTi BabLu
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 😊read more
Hector Nunez
12/17/2021
Got my data back after a used hard drive failed on me. Thank you, folks! Amazing! Even though they're in New York, I trust the work. Was happy to send my drive over.
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M Diaz
12/17/2020
I stumbled on my daughter's 2012 MacBook Pro that she had been told (years ago) was beyond repair. I powered it up and a little research led me to guess that the hard drive was dead or not being seen. So I sent a note with that assumption to Rossman Repair Group. They said it could be the hard drive or it could be the drive cable which is a known issue with this model - $100 to repair if that's what it is. I gambled and paid $13 to ship it. For retail customers, Rossman will diagnose, outline the problem, and provide an estimate for free. They confirmed it was the cable and they needed the OS password to further test the operating system to make sure that it boots (loads to your desktop). I did not have the password so I asked if they could use the password reset? They replied "We wouldn't be able to reset the password, but we can wipe it and reinstall a new OS with a new password if you'd like. The hard drive cable is indeed bad on this device, with a new cable the hard drive does show up."I got it back (free return shipping), since the hard drive now shows up I was able to reset the PW and it looks to be running perfectly! Total repair cost $113.read more
Scott J.
3/18/2021
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 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
They were very responsive, and very flexible. They put a new motherboard in my computer and then learned that the screen was still bad. So they didn't charge me and sent me my hard drive too. I was really impressedread more
Danny Shader
12/17/2020
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!read more
Luis G.
10/13/2020
For the sake of objectivity, my rating ONLY reflects the quality of the work as requested, however, be warned that the customer experience is a different story.I brought in an iPhone Pro Max that wouldn't power on. A common problem with a simple enough fix. This phone has sentimental value to me due to it being one of the first produced. It was a test unit used by Tim Cook himself and still carried his personal collection of over 250GB of traumatizingly nasty adult videos.The Apple Repair center REFUSED to even attempt a repair and offered only a replacement after much debating. OUT OF THE QUESTION, for obvious reasons. I'm well aware of the quality of Apple's products and know for a fact that dropping it into an industrial shredder is not enough to cause irreparable damage, as they claimed.Ordinarily, I would never bring an Apple product anywhere but an authorized repair center. I am strongly opposed to allowing untrained personnel to risk their lives fumbling around with the internals of such a device, and aside from that, they're unlikely to even be capable of comprehending the intricacies of the design. Without highly specialized tools and training, these amateurs pose a significant danger to not only themselves, but those around them, and to some extent, society as a whole. But I had to make a rare exception.Rossman repair group came recommended by some of the less scrupulous Apple fans I know, so that's where I went.Upon entry, as any discerning iPhone owner would, I looked around for the tell-tale signs of forced labor, underage workers, and a volatile undercurrent of resentment among the employees. Those are the marks of a shop owner that truly understands Apple's methods. Disappointingly, I found none.When they finally noticed my arrival, the desk worker pointed to my companions and said "we don't serve their kind here!" When I requested clarification, he replied "You can come in, but your droids will have to wait outside." I found this odd and somewhat discriminatory, and still to this day don't know how he was able to tell they were Android users. While I try to be tolerant and open minded, they are indeed lesser forms of life so I complied and sent them outside.I described my predicament and deposited the fragments of my phone on the desk. He took it to the back where his co-workers gathered and seemed to discuss it at length.I was elated when one of the staff informed me that they could fix it. I thanked Saint Eugene, patron Saint of tradesmanship and customer satisfaction for guiding me here.I watched as they initiated some sort of summoning ritual. They placed the remains of the phone in the center of a circle. Around the perimeter, a camera, a microphone, a Tesla Enthusiast newsletter, and one gallon of Amtech flux were placed, while members of the staff chanted incantations that seemed to imply that a certain person's manhood or lack thereof was dependent on their ability to complete the repair.It was then he appeared, as if he had been present the whole time. Lewis Rosmann himself approached my phone. Lifting the bottle of flux, he began pouring it on the fragmented components. Only the whites of his eyes were visible as they rolled back in his head. He began speaking in tongues as the flux continued to pour from the bottle, now running off the edge of the table.The smell of brimstone overwhelmed me as heat seemingly fueled by Hell fire issued forth from the nozzle of his Atten hot air rework station in his other hand. The flux had by then covered the entire shop floor as an impossible amount still poured from the container. The Mark of the Beast(SAMSUNG) appeared on his forehead. As he began cursing the name of Paul Daniels, the solder started to reflow and the pieces of the phone drew back together and became one.The shop turned silent, we were at that point ankle deep in flux. For a single instant, I saw a black cat, seemingly above it all, observing, as if he alone made the rules that dictate causality, the beginning and the end. Then..."Fan Spin!" There was a blinding flash as the phone's backlight suddenly illuminated. The cat was gone, flux was everywhere.As I regained my wits I asked him to repeat himself."Fan spin," Rosman said as he returned the iPhone, "that's all that matters."I examined the phone, and the fan was indeed spinning, very impressive considering that iPhones don't have fans.I confirmed the device was fully functional and that no data was lost, and asked how much I owed."$138 and your first born," he replied, which I gladly agreed to, because if you've ever gotten a quote from Apple you'd know that's quite a bargain!So, despite using unofficial, even unothodox tools and techniques, they were able to help me out, and perhaps they can help you too.read more
Andrew C.
2/15/2022
I have a 2016 15" MacBook Pro with touch bar, which crashed randomly and wouldn't restart. I tried a bunch of things over next couple of days but no dice. Figured it was dead.Took it to Apple Store (W 14th St). Their Genius took it apart in a back room and told me the logic board is dead and quoted $678 to fix it, with loss of all data.I went to Rossmann nearby to ask about data recovery (having researched various options and finding lots of recommendations for this place). The guy at the front desk took it apart in front of me and found the issue in 10 seconds. A small screw had become dislodged and was wedged between two components on the board. Worked fine after removing that.No cost (I gave the guy a tip).Amazing.Added bonus: my faith in humanity is renewed. (My faith in Apple is much reduced)Can't recommend this place enough.read more
Daniel P.
4/04/2022
My laptop was ruined from water leakage in my bag and I was so worried that all of my data would be gone. I went to Apple and they said to buy a completely new laptop, which is costly. RRG repaired my laptop in A DAY with a reasonable price and I was so relieved. Weeks later, by laptop is working perfectly. I highly recommend this company for electronic repairs!
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Haley Balouch
5/17/2022
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.read more
Alexander Rose
12/17/2020
Absolute miracle workers. I dropped off an 8tb hard drive that had fallen into a BUCKET OF BLEACH and they did the impossible. Look no further than this placeread more
Robert
7/17/2022
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.
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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.