WHY IS DATA RECOVERY SO EXPENSIVE?
WHY IS DATA RECOVERY SO EXPENSIVE?
NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY
Luckily, the cleanroom process isn’t the default process of data retrieval or recovery, it’s only meant for hard drives in the absolute worst shape. Data retrieval software such as Kroll On Track does the job when attempting to recover deleted hard drive data, but if you’ve dropped your hard drive in the water, or heard that clicking sound then your hard drive has probably failed. A failing hard drive is a dirty situation, and for many the cleanroom is the only solution.
That’s not to say the cleanroom is the only means of true data recovery. There is data recovery machinery that does the job at a faster rate, but because of the cost of actually purchasing these devices (upwards of $100,000), it makes every use an expensive proposition. DSAT machinery reads from a damaged sector, quickly projects a mirror of the hard drive data, then allows engineers to put that information on a new storage media.
It’s simpler than the cleanroom, but just as resource intensive. DSAT hardware is typically only available to the military and law enforcement. DSAT data recovery is considered “forensic level“ recovery, used in investigations to find evidence that criminals attempt to destroy. You can try, but your local FBI office probably isn’t going to let you use that to get back pictures from your trip to Brussels. Currently, Data RecoveryMD is one of the very few commercial services in the entirety of North America that performs DSAT recovery for “everyday” clients.
IN CONCLUSION
Many people scoff at the expensive cost of data recovery, but based on the means used to recover data from failing hard drives, it’s simply necessary. If you have a functioning hard drive and accidentally deleted files, don’t worry, this isn’t about you. As said before, commercially available software could do the trick. True data recovery is only for those that have the most damaged hard drives.