Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. What is data recovery?

 

Data recovery is the process of salvaging data form a variety of media, that has been lost due to physical damage, human error, hardware failure, virus etc.

 

2. My drive is making an unusual noise. What should I do?

 

TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY. This symptom usually indicates a head crash that will most likely destroy most of your data. Avoid attempting recovery yourself on severely traumatized drives (i.e., turning your computer off and on, or using over-the-counter diagnostic tools), as doing so may cause further damage or permanent data loss. Bring your drive into one of our offices, where one of our engineers can assist you with a data recovery.

 

3. What is a "Cleanroom" and how does that work?

 

Due to the small scale of the head on the drive, the smallest dust particle is a monstrous obstacle preventing proper functioning of the drive.  As a result drives needing maintenance or repairs need to be opened in a clean environment, free from dust particles that could cause further damage to the drives.  

 

4.  What information will you need from me when booking my drive in?

     a.  Your contact information (Name, address, fax, email and contact number)

     b.  What are operating system you are using (Windows, Linux, Mac)

     c.  The capacity of the drive of storage media.

     d.  The most important files on the drive that you need recovered.

     e.  If any encryption software has been used.

     f.  A full description of the fault.

 

5. Why use Computer Storage Services?

 

With almost 10 years of experience in data recovery, many accolades and awards, this world renowned company is an expert in the fields of storage, data recovery and computer forensics.  You valuable data is safe in the hands of our data recovery specialist, and the company has a “No Recovery, No Charge” policy.  If you’re looking to secure your data off-site, Computer Storage Services has the only Category 5 Vault on the African continent, ensuring that all your sensitive information remains intact, and confidential.

 

6. How can I ensure that I won't lose valuable data in the future?

 

Storage device failures do happen unexpectedly – the best way to ensure that you don’t loose any data in the future is to do regular back ups, and perform regular maintenance and service on all storage devices.  Keep our emergency contact number at hand for any data recoveries.

 

7.  What is the average Turn around Time for a data-recovery?

 

The average turn around time varies according to the complexity of the recovery.  On average our turn around time is 40 – 72 hours (this could increase, depending on the nature of the recovery.).  Once your drive has been tested by  our Data Recovery Specialist, you will be contacted with a quote, and advised on the time your recovery will take.

 

8.  What is your Success Rate?

 

Our success rate for data recoveries is 91.7 % (audited).  If our Data Recovery Specialists are not able to recover your data, you will not be charged for it.