Recovering data from fire damaged drives can be a difficult
and time consuming process, but when critical data is
on the line, ESS has the full capabilities to do whatever
is necessary to get it back.
Each fire damaged drive must be carefully cleaned to prevent
contamination of the platters by soot and to repair smoke
damage that the drive may have incurred. In extreme cases,
hard drive electronics can become so damaged that it's
necessary to completely rebuild them, which requires delicate
and precise microcode repair.
When a drive has been damaged by fire, it's critical to get
it to a data recovery company as quickly as possible. We
recommend following these steps:
-
Contact ESS Data Recovery for an estimate. Pricing
for fire damaged drives is arranged on a case by
case basis, and our customer support team will be
able to inform you of probable costs while answering
any questions that you have.
-
Do not try to operate the drive. Running a damaged
drive will cause internal components to break down
and may permanently damage the delicate platters
that store your information.
-
Do not attempt to clean the drive. Data recovery
specialists will be able to carefully and securely
clean your drive, maximizing your chances of recovery.
Home cleaning chemicals and water will cause further
damage.
-
Ground yourself before removing the drive from the
computer. Fire damaged drives still have delicate
electronics, so touch the metal back of a desktop
computer or a grounding screw to avoid causing any
static shock. Try to avoid touching the electronics
board (PCB) of your hard drive.
-
Carefully package the drive. Extreme heat weakens
the internal components of a hard drive, so safe
packaging is especially important. Pack the drive
in an anti-static bag and about 5 inches of bubble
wrap, taking care to ensure that the hard drive is
firmly placed in the box and unable to move during
transit.
-
Ship the drive as quickly as possible. Fire damaged
drives must be treated very quickly to avoid further
damage. Choose a shipping company that can provide
you with a tracking number and keep a record of the
tracking number until your case is delivered.
Contact our Customer Support department at
1.800.237.4200 to
set up an evaluation.
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