Data Recovery from Mechanical Hard Drives

Q: What is a mechanical hard drive and how does it differ from other types of hard drives?

A mechanical hard drive is a magnetic storage device, composed of disks or platters that are usually made of aluminum or glass and read/write heads, to store and access data.Unlike solid-state drives (SSDs) that have no moving parts, mechanical hard drives are more prone to mechanical failure caused by shock or vibration, sudden impact of the drive on the surface of the drives, and degradation and loss of magnetic properties of platter surfaces.This makes it not uncommon for data to need to be recovered from a mechanical hard drive, as it is very easy for a hard drive to take a hit and fail some of the mechanical parts of the device.In addition, in general terms they can be slower in terms of speed of access to data. However, they offer a large storage capacity at a relatively low cost, compared to SSDs.

Q: What is the inner workings of a mechanical hard drive and how does it store data?

A mechanical hard drive consists of one or more magnetic disks or platters that rotate at high speed. Data is stored on disks via reader drives or read/write heads. They move quickly over the disks, reading and writing the information in the form of 0s and 1s. Precise operation involves precise coordination between the movement of the discs and the heads to access the required information. The differences in speed between mechanical discs are determined in many cases by the rotational speed of the platters, the most common being 4200 RPM (revolutions per minute) to the fastest of 15000 RPM.

Q: What are the main parts of a mechanical hard drive and what functions do they perform?

The main parts of a mechanical hard drive include the magnetic disks or platters that are usually made of glass or aluminum, the read/write heads or drives, the motor that spins the platters, and the electronic board, which contains the connection for power and data connectivity. Magnetic disks store the data, while read/write heads read and write the data to the disks. The electronic board or PCB contains various chips such as the MCU (Main Controller Unit) which would be like the main processor in charge of managing all requests, the SPIN MOTOR which is the motor controller (responsible for starting, speed control and braking when it is turned off) and the MHA (reader unit controller).Additionally, there is a ROM (a read-only chip) on the vast majority of boards that contains unique information for that disc, recorded at the time of manufacture of the disc. For this reason, among others, on modern disks, the boards cannot be exchanged without making certain specific modifications with appropriate hardware (tools) and knowledge.

Q: If my hard drive has suffered a physical shock, is it possible to recover the information stored on it?

In the vast majority of cases, it is possible to recover information stored on a hard drive that has suffered a physical blow. However, successful recovery depends on the severity of the damage and the knowledge and means of the company performing this process. It is important to stop using the hard drive and not attempt to repair it on your own, as this can worsen the situation or even leave the device unrecoverable. The best option is to contact a professional data recovery laboratory that has experience in similar situations to assess the feasibility of retrieving the information. It is worth noting that it is not always possible to recover data in cases of severe physical damage.

Don't lose that valuable information.
Let us help you get it back!

Experts with +15 years of experience
Recovers data within 4-7 business days
+24,200 Analyses Performed

We recover your data from all types of Hard Drives

If your hard drive has failed, stopped booting, or simply disappeared from the system, don’t turn off hope before calling us.

At Laby we have been recovering data from mechanical hard drives (HDDs) of any brand for more than 12 years – Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Samsung – and any interface: SATA, IDE, SCSI or SAS.

Whether the drive is making noise, has been bumped, the board has burned out, or it just won’t start, our technicians will evaluate the device in a cleanroom lab, give you a free diagnosis in less than 4 business hours, and a fixed price with no surprises. And if we don’t recover your data, we don’t get paid.

More than 24,200 diagnoses made.
More than 33,500 devices in stock for fast and economical service. Own software and customized intranet.

Recover Data HDD Hard Drive

Problems with your mechanical hard drive?

If you encounter any of these situations, don't continue using the device. The sooner you act, the more likely you are to recover your data.

The computer does not boot and warns of a hard drive failure.
The disc makes a strange noise (clicking, tapping) or goes very slowly.
After a power drop or power outage, the disc stops working.
The computer has crashed and the disk has broken or is not responding.
The computer boots up but does not recognize the hard drive.
You can't access saved videos, photos, or documents .

At Laby we are specialists in recovering hard drives

We work with any brand, model and type of interface. If your hard drive has failed, we will most likely be able to recover it.

Supported interface types

PATA/IDE/EIDE

SATA

SCSI

SAS

Fibre Channel

USB

Firewire

eSATA

We work with all brands

How do we carry out recovery?
of data from mechanical hard drives?

A clear, transparent process with real-time tracking. No surprises in the price.

Inquiry

Tell us about your case. Immediate response from a specialist and a quote without obligation.

24/7 · 365 days

Evaluation

We analyze your hard drive and give you a diagnosis with the recovery viability, turnaround time and a fixed price.

Free diagnosis

Recovery

Once the quote is approved, we act. Real-time tracking from your private portal.

95% success rate

Data Submission

Your data on an encrypted device sent to your door. Privacy guaranteed.

Shipping included when you accept the quote

Here are our deadlines

Step 1

In just 1 hour

We process the collection by courier service from your home or company.

Step 2

Within 4 working hours

After receiving the device in the laboratory (within 24 hours), we carry out a diagnosis and quote without obligation.

Step 3

Between 4 and 7 working days

This is the average recovery time for the damaged device after the quote is accepted.*

What to do if you suspect that your mechanical hard drive has lost data?

1

Turn off your device as soon as possible. It will prevent further damage that may condition the recovery process. The heads of a moving mechanical disk can scratch the platters if there is an active fault.
2

Do not tamper with the device improperly. Forcing screws or opening it in an uncontrolled or dust-free environment can negatively affect the chances of recovery. The interior parts of an HDD are extremely sensitive and delicate.
3

Avoid using recovery software in cases of physical failure. If the disk makes noises or is not recognized, running recovery programs can permanently damage the heads or platters, leaving the device unrecoverable.
4

Contact a laboratory specialized in data recovery. They are the only professionals with the tools, the clean room and the appropriate training to evaluate and carry out the extraction processes with real guarantees.

Recovery Pricing
HDD Hard Drive Data

Logic or board fault

250€ – 450€

+ VAT

For logic or board faults

Problems accessing damaged partitions, bad sectors, or surface degradation. Electronic boards burned by short circuit, wrong voltages, or damaged components.

Contact

Firmware Breakdown

350€ – 690€

+ VAT

For Firmware Breakdowns

SW of the corrupted disc. Damaged modules.

Contact

Engine Breakdown

450€ – 890€

+ VAT

For Engine Breakdowns

Over temperature or failure of the motor unit.

Contact

Breakdown of Heads

450€ – 890€

+ VAT

For head failures

Surface degradation or failure of the reader unit.

Contact

HDD Data Recovery

What determines the price
to recover your hard drive?

The cost depends on two key factors: the damage to the components and the man-hours required. At Laby we will never charge you more for the volume of data, only for the difficulty of access.

Component damage

Damaged heads, burnt electronic board, broken motor or degraded surface of the platters. The more serious the damage, the greater the technical complexity and intervention time.

Working hours

The difficulty of accessing the device marks the intervention time. Disks with SMR technology or with damaged firmware require much longer processes than conventional PMR or CMR models.

Why there's a wide price range

PMR/CMR Technology

Albums until 2015 approx.

The reading unit was positioned in a specific sector and read or wrote directly. The flow was constant and the Translator module (responsible for translating physical information into logic) was hardly corrupted, which facilitates recovery.

Easier recovery · Lowest Prices

SMR Technology

Current disks — greater complexity

The tracks are smaller than the reader unit. The head must read a set of sectors, load it into a buffer, modify the values, and rewrite everything. This process creates major firmware issues and explains the wider price range on modern disks.

Greater technical complexity · Greater dedication

If we don't recover your data, we don't charge. The diagnosis is always free and the budget is without obligation. You only pay if we recover your information.

What do you think of us?

      EXCELENTE  
   A base de 597 reseñas 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Publicado en Google  
   
   YroDUB 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Pese a que no se pudieron recuperar los datos por un fallo del disco, el servicio, la comunicación, el seguimiento y el trato han sido muy buenos. Muy recomendable.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Jordi Villalba 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Es muy caro, carísimo, pero antes de alarmarse y entrar en pánico, hay que entender el porqué vale lo que vale. Hay que pagar a ingenieros cualificados que saben hacer este trabajo el cual es muy delicado. La sala donde se hace es una sala limpia con una ventilación especial para que no haya ni una mota de polvo, los ingenieros también van totalmente tapados para que ninguna mota de polvo enganchada en su piel quede en suspensión en la sala. Se siguen unos protocolos estrictos para que en la sala no haya ni una mota de polvo, ya que hasta una mota de polvo microscópica podría destruir datos del disco duro cuando éste está expuesto al exterior para trabajar con él. Todo este equipamiento y mantenimiento hay que pagarlo también, además de las piezas de respuesto para arreglar y recuperar los datos del disco duro. Es importante sopesar si uno necesita recuperar los datos de su disco duro, una vez asimilado el precio y dar el paso a querer recuperar los datos por su importancia, falta ver su profesionalidad. Aquí no fallan, buen trato, profesionalidad absoluta, consiguieron recuperar todos los datos del disco duro que llevé, es un sitio muy recomendable si se te ha roto por completo el disco duro, ni siquiera lo detecta el pc y necesitas recuperar los datos.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   María del Carmen Benavente Baltasar 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Mi disco duro sufrió una caída. Toda mi vida personal y profesional estaban en él. No podía acceder al contenido del mismo; parecía irrecuperable toda la información. Me quedé colapsada. Pedí a la IA alguna solución y me recomendó el envío a profesionales de recuperación de datos. El primero de la lista era LABY a quienes envié mi dispositivo. Ellos recuperaron todos los datos y me los enviaron en un nuevo dispositivo. ¡Me han salvado la vida!
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Yaiza Sánchez 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Una pasada. En menos de 10 días han recogido mi disco duro, han sacado todos los datos y me los han devuelto en un disco duro nuevo. Me habían dicho en otros sitios que era irrecuperable. Son muy profesionales, merece la pena cada euro pagado.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   lino villegas 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Estaba desesperado porque el disco duro en el cual tenía guardado toda una vida familiar y que creía seguro ,resultó ser que después de un año sin usarlo ya no respondía , se me cayó el mundo encima, hasta que contacte con Laby, cuando me dieron el precio y condiciones me di cuenta que estaba en manos de profesionales, el precio es caro pero reconozco que el trabajo de Laby lo valía, y decirme quien no pagaría por recuperar unos recuerdos de personas que ya no están o de los hijos cuando eran pequeños,  pues bien al final pudieron recuperar el 100% y estos súper agradecido a esta empresa de crecuperacion ,ah!  se me olvidaba en la recepción hay dos chicas súper amables que si entras con alguna duda sales convencido de que tus recuerdos están en buenas manos, felicidades al equipo de Laby.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Ronken1984 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Han sido en todo momento cercanos y profesionales. Se me fastidió un disco duro de 4TB y han podido recuperarlo. No ha sido barato ( porque estas cosas no lo son ) pero si me han ofrecido un servicio excelente, con plena transparencia y confianza. Espero no volver a tener que pasar por esto, pero sin duda si la información es importante volvería con ellos. Muchas gracias por todo el servicio prestado.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Marina Sanchez 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Servicio excepcional, tanto técnica como humanamente. En un momento tan estresante como ver todos tus datos en riesgo, el equipo consiguió que me sintiera acompañada, entendida y en buenas manos desde el primer momento. Fueron siempre claros y transparentes con las expectativas, explicando el proceso con profesionalidad, pero sin perder nunca el trato cercano y humano. La recuperación técnica fue excelente, pero lo que realmente diferencia su servicio es la atención al cliente y la confianza que transmiten durante todo el proceso. Recomendaré su servicio a cualquiera que necesite recuperar datos. ¡Gracias por vuestro gran trabajo!
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Susana G 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Recuperaron mis recuerdos cuando los daba por perdidos. Todo la informacion transparente y clara.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Amandine Louis 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Este laboratorio es, sin duda, el mejor en recuperación de datos. De principio a fin, mi experiencia ha sido fluida y sin complicaciones. Realmente los recomiendo. Son transparentes en todo, se comunican bien y ofrecen un servicio perfecto. Consiguieron recuperar todos mis datos perdidos, y les estoy muy agradecido. Tienen una gran experiencia y saben muy bien de lo que hablan.
  
 
      Publicado en Google  
   
   Nil Maté 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifica que la fuente original de la reseña sea Google. Hicieron una faena estupenda recuperándome datos de un disco duro que tenía hacía muchísimo tiempo, incluso cosas que había borrado hacía años que ni me acordaba que una vez estuvieran en el disco. Es caro, pero sin duda vale cada céntimo. Tu decides que precio tienen tus datos y lo importantes que son para ti. Yo lo tengo claro, si lo necesito para otro disco en algún momento, volveré a ellos. Profesionalidad, rapidez y amabilidad.

FAQs about Mechanical Hard Drive Data Recovery

What is a mechanical hard drive and how does it differ from other types of hard drives?

A mechanical hard drive is a magnetic storage device, composed of disks or platters that are usually made of aluminum or glass and read/write heads, to store and access data.

Unlike solid-state drives (SSDs) that have no moving parts, mechanical hard drives are more prone to mechanical failure caused by shock or vibration, sudden impact of the drive on the surface of the drives, and degradation and loss of magnetic properties of platter surfaces.

This makes it not uncommon for data to need to be recovered from a mechanical hard drive, as it is very easy for a hard drive to take a hit and fail some of the mechanical parts of the device.

In addition, in general terms they can be slower in terms of speed of access to data. However, they offer a large storage capacity at a relatively low cost, compared to SSDs.

What is the inner workings of a mechanical hard drive and how does it store data?

A mechanical hard drive consists of one or more magnetic disks or platters that rotate at high speed. Data is stored on disks via reader drives or read/write heads. They move quickly over the disks, reading and writing the information in the form of 0s and 1s.

Precise operation involves precise coordination between the movement of the discs and the heads to access the required information. The differences in speed between mechanical discs are determined in many cases by the rotational speed of the platters, the most common being 4200 RPM (revolutions per minute) to the fastest of 15000 RPM.

What are the main parts of a mechanical hard drive and what functions do they perform?

The main parts of a mechanical hard drive include the magnetic disks or platters that are usually made of glass or aluminum, the read/write heads or drives, the motor that spins the platters, and the electronic board, which contains the connection for power and data connectivity. Magnetic disks store the data, while read/write heads read and write the data to the disks.

The electronic board or PCB contains various chips such as the MCU (Main Controller Unit) which would be like the main processor in charge of managing all requests, the SPIN MOTOR which is the motor controller (responsible for starting, speed control and braking when it is turned off) and the MHA (reader unit controller).

Additionally, there is a ROM (a read-only chip) on the vast majority of boards that contains unique information for that disc, recorded at the time of manufacture of the disc. For this reason, among others, on modern disks, the boards cannot be exchanged without making certain specific modifications with appropriate hardware (tools) and knowledge.

My hard drive has fallen and is now making noise, does this mean it is damaged or broken?

If your hard drive has fallen and is now making noise such as clicking, buzzing, or repetitive knocking, it has likely suffered physical damage and you need to recover data from the hard drive.

The reader unit or heads are elements that are very sensitive to vibrations or sudden shocks. It is important to bear in mind that a fortuitous blow can cause the reader units to impact the surface of the discs or platters, marking them or even scratching the surface. After a sudden blow, if any abnormal sounds are heard, it is advisable to stop using the hard drive and seek professional help to assess the situation and determine if the information can be recovered.

If my hard drive has suffered a physical shock, is it possible to recover the information stored on it?

In the vast majority of cases, it is possible to recover information stored on a hard drive that has suffered a physical blow. However, successful recovery depends on the severity of the damage and the knowledge and means of the company performing this process. It is important to stop using the hard drive and not attempt to repair it on your own, as this can worsen the situation or even leave the device unrecoverable. The best option is to contact a professional data recovery laboratory that has experience in similar situations to assess the feasibility of retrieving the information. It is worth noting that it is not always possible to recover data in cases of severe physical damage.

These prices are indicative, so that we can give you a reference.

If you want to know exactly the cost for you, the best thing to do is to contact us and we will give you a free quote without obligation.

Data Recovery from Mechanical Hard Drives

We recover your data from all types of Hard Drives

Problems with your mechanical hard drive?

At Laby we are specialists in recovering hard drives