Hard Drive Crashed

[burgcy]

I was wondering for those out there that know a lot more about this type of thing than me....how probable is it for someone (other than myself, even if I have to pay for it) to successfully retrieve a single word document off a crashed hard drive. I was using my wife’s work computer to complete a project and I lost it all....does it matter that I had only saved it to the desktop? I have no idea about any of this...any info will be greatly appreciated!!


Sorry I think I put this in the wrong forum and dont know how to move it to off-topic...read on here a ton...dont post a lot.

 

[cytech]

It all depends on the reason that it crashed. Data corruption and recovery is likely. Actual hard drive failure then unlikely. There are data recovery centers that you can send a drive to but that will cost between $500 and $3000

 

[burgcy]

It all depends on the reason that it crashed. Data corruption and recovery is likely. Actual hard drive failure then unlikely. There are data recovery centers that you can send a drive to but that will cost between $500 and $3000

Thanks! I'm pretty sure it was data corruption...I hope. I know I'm not spending any substantial amount of money on her work computer. Also does it take long for a company like best buy or a computer shop to retrieve what I need? Thanks again.

 

[Trice]

Thanks! I'm pretty sure it was data corruption...I hope. I know I'm not spending any substantial amount of money on her work computer. Also does it take long for a company like best buy or a computer shop to retrieve what I need? Thanks again.

If you're comfortable taking the hard drive out you could try this:
Save a Failed Hard Drive in Your Freezer, Redux

 

[Zarcus]

Thanks! I'm pretty sure it was data corruption...I hope. I know I'm not spending any substantial amount of money on her work computer. Also does it take long for a company like best buy or a computer shop to retrieve what I need? Thanks again.

I run a small computer repair shop and the time it takes depends on the size of the drive. If the drive still spins there is a good chance of retrieving the file. PM me if you would like more info.

 

[CYdTracked]

If the drive isn't completely toast you can slave it off in another PC and browse it as a secondary drive. If you aren't able to do that then likely the drive itself failed. If it's just file corruption you'll be able to see files on the drive.

 

[BigBake]

If this is your wife's work pc you should check with her employer first. The pc is the company's property.

 

[cytech]

If the drive isn't completely toast you can slave it off in another PC and browse it as a secondary drive. If you aren't able to do that then likely the drive itself failed. If it's just file corruption you'll be able to see files on the drive.

This right here is how I do it. Most places depending on their work load can hook a hard drive up in short order and see if files are visible. If they are the backup won't take much time depending on the amount of files on the system. If they need to run a recovery program on the drive that can take some time.
I am not in Omaha but when someone brings my a system to recovery files off of it I charge $60 for the first 2 gb of data. I imagine you will be able to find a rate around that. Best Buy will charge around $180 or more for data recovery.

 

[Wesley]

If this is your wife's PC, I would buy roses.