MjM Data Recovery Ltd.

What is data recovery ?

Data recovery is

the restoration of access to
inaccessible data.

Before a data recovery job can begin, procedures must be performed to determine what the causes of the failure are and any repairs or remediation processes to rectify the problems are identified, only then can recovery of the data begin.

The process follows procedures to ensure consistency and to avoid diagnosis errors. A mis-diagnosis of a fault can often mean that the data is not recovered properly or at all. We have seen hundreds of drives that had been mis-diagnosed by other companies and by using the correct analysis procedures have resulted with us, in most cases able to recover the data.

Remember that a recovery can not start without knowing the precise reasons for the failure. Failures may also be compounded, for example, if a hard drive has a seized motor bearing and the bearing is replaced, it is only then that the heads can be tested fully to see if they are working as expected.

The data recovery process starts with identification and separation of the two major causes of error.

  • Logical failure. such as deletion of data, virus damage, malware, etc.

  • Mechanical failure. Dropping a laptop computer or external hard drive. Head faults, seized motor bearings, electronic failures, firmware issues, fire or water damage, bad media, etc.

Once the failure mode is known and any repairs are made then the data recovery may commence. The recovery process is a 4 stage procedure consisting of.

  1. Analysis and repair
  2. Cloning of media
  3. Testing recovered data
  4. Copy and encrypt data

Each of these stages is described below.

The data recovery process

The four stages of
data recovery

1. Analysis and repair

Analysis of the media to determine the failure. Once complete, any faulty components are replaced. There are several stages in the diagnosis, including electronic, internal examination, firmware testing and head functionality.

3. Testing data

Once cloning is complete, it is automatically tested using software developed in-house to make sure that the files are correct and any that contain errors are identified. A list of the files is then made accessible to customer for verification purposes.

2. Cloning

A clone of the failed media is made using advanced cloning software and hardware to enable us to clone as much as possible to gain access to the data. Often there is only one chance of making a clone, so great care is taken during this process.

4. Copy data

Once the the customer has verified the file list, the data is then copied to new media ready to be returned by the customer. We can provide the return media in an encrypted format to conform to data protection laws.