Xytron Warns of Do-It-Yourself Data Recovery

Xytron Ltd, a data recovery services company, reports that many consumers and businesses are attempting DIY retrieval of their data to failed media and physically opening the disk enclosure in non clean room conditions, thus compounding any potential recovery.

Further to this it has been noted that the PCBs (Printed Circuit Board) are also being replaced in an attempt to gain access to data.

All magnetic storage media are manufactured in clean room conditions and to exacting tolerances, often less than one micron tolerances. Opening the disk in standard room conditions will introduce airborne particulate into the drive. If the HDD is powered backup following the non clean room opening it will cause the heads to crash, that is scrape or damage the drive surface (platter(s)) and head stack assembly, which in extreme cases could render the data unrecoverable.

The PCB holds very specific information relating to the disk it is controlling, and so swapping or exchanging this will not help; in fact in some instances this could destroy any chances of data recovery completely, as the NVRAM and or adaptive data could be written to the HDD.

Why risk it?
The internet is a huge resource and a wonderful place for information and knowledge, however there has to be a caveat applied here, where or how can you qualify, what information is correct and from a trustworthy source?

Open HDD up
Replace PCB
Bang or knock drive
Format or system restore
Place in freezer
Download software from the internet
Let friends or colleagues investigate

With 10 years and thousands of procedures carried out, Xytron has the skills and the engineers to attempt the complex work of data retrieval which includes physical work inside the clean room, electronic failure, firmware failure and logical failure; the firm has the equipment and knowledge to tackle data failures professionally.

“The process at Xytron is; diagnosis, this establishes whether the media has logical, firmware, physical and or electronic failure,” comments Richard Cuthbertson, head technician, Xytron. “From here the device is moved to the relevant department for the next stage, such as the clean room if the HSA (head stack assembly) has failed and the disk has physical issues, the hot air station for electronic work, and a recovery station for firmware and logical issues, following this work a write blocking full bit by bit clone is made of the device, it is this image that the engineers work with to retrieve the data.“

The final part of the process is to email the client an IntegriCheck software which is a folder and file listing of recovered data; this allows the client to check all information has been retrieved.

Here are a few key points from Xytron services;