Data Recovery Specialist Recommendations

[velocityg4]

Every so often I come across a hard drive that is beyond recovery through software. I mean beyond that of good programs like Stellar Phoenix and Nucleus Kernel that will scan a drive with no recognizable partitions.

When asked for a referral I don't know which professional data recovery firm to refer them to. I'm talking a real firm that has a clean room and microscopes. That can change drive heads, boards, and motors. Those that do not guarantee all data recovery for $149 (these types are about as reliable as craigslist ads for new Macbooks at $199).

Which U.S. based companies would any of you recommend? Have you used their services? Do you recommend friends, families, clients to them?

Just a couple years ago there was just one or two companies that did this now there is a glut of them. I would like to separate the chaff.

 

[zachsilvey]

DrivesSavers is the best service I have ever encountered but beware it can be very spendy. A client of mine who happens to be an author had a drive die in her MacBook Pro. After trying all the different software solutions out there we sent it off to DriveSaver and they were able to recover everything but it didn't come cheap at well over $1000.

I don't know if you have every tried SpinRite, but it is just about the best data recovery tool you can use because it runs at the lowest possible level and talks to the drive directly. It does require a pc and something a recovery can take weeks to complete but if it can't do it no software will.