Has your computer’s hard drive stopped working?
Outsource is experienced with computer recovery. We will get your data back so you can get on with your life.
Experience with Computer Data Recovery
Outsource Can Get Your Data Back
We have successfully repaired or recovered thousands of hard drives and solid state drives. Furthermore, we have a partnership with Donor Drives, the largest supplier of donor PCBs and hard drives, so we have immediate access to almost any donor drive or part imaginable in order to complete your recovery or repair as quickly as possible.
Success Rate
We are able to successfully repair or recover nearly nine out of ten projects we receive. This rate is among the best in the industry, and we offer a True No-Data, No-Charge Guarantee for your desktop computer data recovery service: If we cannot recover your data, you will not pay any service fee!
Hard Drive PCB Issues
Failed PCB or Firmware Issues
There are many different causes for hard drive failure. Watch our YouTube video about how to identify common hard drive failures. One of the most common is a burnt PCB. The cause of this can be a power surge or other sudden electrical jolt. If your drive won’t spin up, or if you smell smoke coming from the drive, these can be signs of a burnt PCB, which will need to be fixed as soon as possible.
Replacing a Failed PCB
If you do have a PCB issue, you can try to repair your hard drive by replacing the circuit board. Be sure to use our donor matching guide for data recovery to increase the chances of compatibility between the hard drive and the new circuit board. For example, you should use a replacement circuit board with the same PCB revision and model number. Also, watch our video to the right for some tips on trying to replace the circuit board. If you don’t want to try this yourself, we offer a $60 Hard Drive Repair Service for the repair or replacement of the PCB, which includes parts and labor!
Other Common Problems with Hard Drives
Clicking Drive
If your drive is clicking, power it down immediately! This could be a sign of a mechanical issue, such as a head crash.
Bad Sectors
Bad sectors generally signify surface damage, degrading magnetic head reading capabilities, or the end of life of the hard drive.
Preamplifier
A shorted circuit board electrical shock passes through the head disk assembly preamplifier chip and makes it malfunction.
Translator
Corruption of system area translator modules results in loss of data access and requires a “hot swap”.
Frequency of Failures
41% $60 Repair Service: includes electrical failures, such as failed PCBs, Brick errors, translator corruption, or basic firmware issues. Cost: $60*
36% Cleanroom recovery: includes drives with head crashes, preamplifier failures, or other mechanical issues requiring a cleanroom. Avg. cost: $787*
10% Degraded surface: another type of mechanical failure, also known as bad sectors, which usually does not require a cleanroom. Avg. cost: $545*
9% Logical issues: includes recovery of deleted data and similar logical issues. Avg. cost: $336*
4% Advanced firmware: includes advanced firmware failures not covered under the $60 Hard Drive Repair, such as corrupted firmware on the disk platters. Avg. cost: $567*
*All data recovery services are all-inclusive and include repair, recovery, parts, and transfer media. These prices are the average paid by actual customers in 2014 excluding discounts, such as those our Partner Program members receive. Prices will vary depending on several factors. The $60 Hard Drive Repair Service is not a data recovery service and only includes repair (parts and labor) for drives that do not need data recovery.
Why Choose Outsource?
- Get a quote before you send your media
- Quick service: more parts and donor drives in stock than anyone else
- No hidden costs, parts fees, or attempt fees
- Excellent Partner benefits and discounts