Apple Recovery Gone Wrong

Whose Data is This?

Recovery Impostor

Recovery Impostor

This was quite a common event with a number of Singapore customers. The story started quite the same way. One day, the poor customer could not access the data. Based on recommendation, he then sent the hard disk to some "data recovery expert". After several days, he was told that the data is not recoverable. Eventually the customer found us and sent in the disk to us.

Upon examination, it was horrific to learn how the disk had been ill- treated by the pretender of specialist. In one case, we could see obvious finger prints clearly imprinted on the platter besides the usual dust contamination, with the servo-assembly loosely or not fitted at all. In another case, the platter was smeared with some liquid (probably some one is trying to clean the platter using some liquid). In the worst case scenario, the platter was scratched clearly as a result of mis-handling. Some even come with parts that belong to other type of disks.

Surprisingly, such work could come from some unknown computer vendors by the street or even renowned recovery vendors. We later learned that some recovery vendors do not perform physical data recovery in Singapore as all complex jobs were sent overseas. That probably explained our observation as the damaged disks were serviced by the unskilled local staff.

To avoid such issue, it pays to be more cautious by just asking some relevant photo shots of the working lab from the "expert" you are talking to. Look at the web site information. Is the information provided local or just marketing-hype from some well equipped overseas headquarter? What is the strength of the local team? Are there any references or testimonial you could rely on? Try to visit the office. Do you think the vendor has the professional capabilities to handle your job? How about the environment ? Does the vendor have enough security measures such as video cam or intrusion detection alarm to protect and handle your media within the premises? If you are not convinced, do not risk losing your valuable data in the wrong hands.