Data Recovery
Lost files, failed drives, and corrupted storage — we recover what matters most.
When Data Loss Happens
Data loss is one of the most stressful technology experiences a person can have. Whether it is years of family photos, critical business documents, or an entire accounting database, the feeling of having important data suddenly inaccessible is genuinely alarming. At Metro North Computer Consulting, we approach data recovery with both technical expertise and the understanding that what we are recovering matters deeply to the person who lost it. We give honest assessments of what is recoverable, what it will cost, and what the process involves before any work begins.
Types of Data Loss We Handle
Data loss falls into several categories, each requiring a different approach. Accidental deletion — files deleted from the Recycle Bin, or a folder accidentally moved or renamed — is the most common and often the most recoverable. As long as the storage device has not been heavily written to since the deletion, file recovery tools can often retrieve the data intact. Drive failure is more serious: a hard drive that will not spin up, makes clicking or grinding noises, or is not recognized by the computer may have physical damage that requires specialized recovery techniques. Ransomware encryption is a different category entirely — the files exist but are encrypted by malware, and recovery depends on whether a backup exists or whether a decryption tool is available for the specific ransomware variant.
Our Recovery Process
The first rule of data recovery is to stop using the affected device immediately. Every write operation to a storage device after data loss reduces the probability of successful recovery. When you contact us about a data loss situation, we will ask you to power off the device and not attempt any recovery yourself until we have assessed the situation. We begin with a non-destructive assessment — examining the drive without writing to it — to determine the extent of the damage and the likelihood of recovery. We provide a written estimate before proceeding with any recovery work.
Logical vs. Physical Recovery
Logical recovery — recovering data from a drive that is physically functional but has file system corruption, accidental deletion, or a failed partition — can often be performed with software tools and is relatively affordable. Physical recovery — recovering data from a drive with mechanical failure, failed read/write heads, or damaged platters — requires specialized equipment and is significantly more expensive. We are transparent about which situation you are in and what the realistic recovery options are. For physical recovery cases that exceed our in-house capabilities, we work with professional data recovery labs and can manage that process on your behalf.
Things to Watch Out For
Do not run disk repair utilities on a drive that has experienced data loss. Tools like CHKDSK and fsck are designed to repair file system errors, not recover data — and they can overwrite the very data you are trying to recover. Do not install data recovery software on the drive you are trying to recover from; install it on a different drive. Be cautious of data recovery services that charge a flat fee regardless of outcome — reputable recovery services assess the drive first and provide an estimate before beginning work. And understand that some data loss situations are genuinely unrecoverable; we will tell you honestly when that is the case.
Prevention: The Only Real Solution
Data recovery is expensive, stressful, and not always successful. The only reliable solution to data loss is a current, tested backup. We help our clients implement backup strategies that are appropriate for their situation: local backups to an external drive, cloud backups to services like Backblaze or Microsoft OneDrive, or a combination of both for critical data. We also verify that backups are completing successfully and that the backup files are actually restorable — a backup that has never been tested is not a backup you can rely on.
Business Continuity
For businesses, data loss is not just a technical problem — it is a business continuity problem. A business that loses its customer database, its accounting records, or its project files may not be able to operate until the data is recovered. We help businesses assess their recovery time objectives — how long they can afford to be without specific data — and design backup and recovery systems that meet those objectives. This includes not just the backup itself but the process for restoring it quickly when needed.