How Much Does Data Recovery Cost?

Data recovery is an invaluable service in today’s computer dominated society. The word data is synonymous with information, and all of the information you have encountered on the Internet is stored somewhere on a physical drive. The format that the data is stored upon can vary widely. Small, portable memory cards, external and internal hard drives, and gigantic servers are all examples of physical data storage formats. The type and size of system from which the data is to be recovered will be a significant factor in data recovery cost. Other contributing factors include the cause of data impairment, the extent of the damage, and the technique used to attempt the recovery.

Data Recovery Services Cost

The type of service chosen (or required) will have consequences for data recovery pricing. The cheapest option is to purchase new or find free software and perform the task on your own. Of course, this is only possible with a certain degree of technical prowess. Many people will instead find a professional service and pay a fee to have their data potentially recovered. Professional data recovery cost can be quite high ($300 or more), but that is expected for service that can be so highly in demand. Cost can be even greater in cases where physical techniques are needed to recover the data, such as when the disk requires a new housing unit to be accessible. The increase is at least partially due to the cost of the new materials. External hard drives are treated similarly to internal hard drives, and also have a comparable cost of data recovery.

Data Recovery Software Cost

Using software to recover information is possible if the lost data is not the result of physical damage to the disk and/or housing components. This form of data loss is often the result of file structure errors. The drive will be accessed with specialized software that can then be used to attempt to rectify any problems with the structure. Software data recovery cost can be minimal (or non-existent) if you have the skills to operate the program. Some free software is available, while others offer premium packages for under $100. This price will be much higher if you need to hire a trained specialist to operate the software. It is also possible for a professional to access your computer over the Internet. Through this remote connection, they may then perform the data recovery without having to come to your location. An accredited, trusted company should only perform this service. Be sure to do your research before allowing anyone to access your computer remotely. This will keep you protected and likely save you on both data recovery cost and safety.

Hard Drive Data Recovery Cost

A hard drive can lose data in a number of ways. Two of the most common culprits are physical damage (possibly due to a head crash), and corruption of the file system (commonly caused by malicious software). Problems with system structure may be addressable with software, and data recovery cost can be reduced if you can operate this software without having to hire someone. If you aren’t comfortable with operating the software (or if your issue involves physical damage), you will need a professional to perform the task. Hiring a service will always lead to an increased cost of data recovery, and may reach near $1,000 for difficult jobs, or even into the tens of thousands of dollars for business related recovery projects. Professionals can charge this much because the recovery of data is an important service that can save corporations unimaginable amounts of money, and so it is rarely contested.

External Hard Drive Data Recovery Cost

Just as an internal hard drive may lose data, an external hard drive is subject to the same sources of corruption. Some external drives are housed in protective casings that will protect the drive from a small amount of physical abuse, but this doesn’t mean that you can be reckless with the device. Data recovery cost for external hard drives is almost identical to that of internal drives, and the same solutions are usually available. An external drive can be hooked up to a computer and accessed with recovery software, unless there is a problem with the physical condition of the disk and/or other components. The cost of data recovery for external business drives may be quite large due to the expertise required to use advanced techniques in the process. The most sophisticated recovery tools are rarely used for the average recovery request. Their high price makes them inaccessible to the general public, and so they are reserved for businesses and the extremely wealthy.

Data Recovery Cost Per GB

In an effort to reach more of the general population, some service providers are offering “per gigabyte” plans. This makes the size of your storage drive directly related to data recovery cost. However, the rate often comes on top of a flat fee based on a predetermined size. For example, the initial cost may be $100 for the first 250 gigabytes, then two dollars for each additional gigabyte. This approach saves a portion of data recovery cost on most occasions, but it can also become convoluted to the point that the savings disappear.

Emergency Data Recovery

There are situations where a person or business needs to have data recovered as quickly as possible. The issue could be medical, legal, or of another nature. For cases like these, 24-hour emergency data recovery services are the only resort, unless you can do it yourself of course. These businesses offer immediate and intensive attempts to recover lost information. Emergency data recovery costs are immense, as the work quality must be very high to efficiently perform these high-pressure tasks. A company is not likely to offer emergency services if they provide low priced data recovery to average computer users. The two markets tend to be separated by the large difference between each service’s data recovery cost, and the resulting mismatch in target client populations.