Data recovery questions answered clearly
Protect the original storage first. Datastrophe then organizes private transport, a free laboratory diagnosis and a decision based on a verified file list and an agreed price.
FAQ
Data recovery questions answered clearly
Immediate actions
What is the safest first response to data loss?
Stop all normal use and note exactly what happened. Safely disconnect storage that clicks, overheats, has suffered an impact or repeatedly drops offline. Never open a hard drive, and do not format, initialize, repair, rebuild, reuse or install a recovery utility on the affected source.
Supported storage
What types of storage can enter the Datastrophe process?
The service covers hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, memory cards, NAS and RAID systems, servers, virtual disks, tablets and iPads. The diagnosis then follows the architecture and condition of the actual storage rather than applying one generic method.
Intake and diagnosis
What is included before I decide on recovery?
For a United States case, the quote and the diagnosis at the Datastrophe laboratory are free, and private outbound and return transport is included. The carrier's role is limited to moving the sealed parcel: it cannot access, diagnose or process the data.
File decision
How does the prepayment file list describe each result?
Datastrophe issues the list before payment with four defined statuses. The recoverable_verified status identifies content that was checked and is usable; partial identifies incomplete content and states its limit; detected_unverified records only a detected name or signature without integrity proof; unrecoverable identifies unusable content. Only recoverable_verified is represented as recoverable.
At what point do I approve the case and pay?
First review the verified file list, every stated limitation and the quoted price. Payment is due only when both the proposed result and price are acceptable. Datastrophe then completes the final recovery, prepares the result and organizes its return; a filename detected without integrity evidence never counts as success.
Payment and fees
Do I owe anything when there is no accepted usable result?
No standard charge is due when no usable data is found, final recovery fails, or the file list or price is declined. That rule covers the intervention, outbound and return transport, customs and the standard return medium. A rare expensive part is the sole exception: it requires separate, explicit, priced approval and remains non-refundable even if recovery fails.
Timing, privacy and return
Who performs the work, and how is the timeline set?
Storage stability, capacity, damage and system complexity determine the timeline, so the free diagnosis establishes a case-specific plan. Datastrophe carries out the diagnosis, recovery work and verification in its laboratory. The private carrier does nothing beyond transporting the sealed parcel.
What is verified before the accepted result is returned?
Datastrophe checks structural consistency, integrity and representative priority files, flags partial or unverified items, and prepares the accepted result on a standard return medium. No process can recreate overwritten, physically destroyed or cryptographically inaccessible information. The failed original source should remain retired from normal use.
First response
Stop activity before diagnosing the failure
Preserving the post-incident state gives the diagnosis better evidence than another scan, repair command or test connection.
The safest first response is to prevent new writes and unnecessary power cycles. A drive that clicks, an SSD that disappears, a card that requests formatting and a degraded RAID array require different handling, but none benefits from improvised repair on the original source.
Record the exact message, last successful access, incident time and every action already attempted. If the storage is unstable, disconnect it safely and leave it unchanged for the laboratory diagnosis.
- Never open a hard drive
- Decline format, initialize and rebuild prompts
- Keep affected storage out of normal use
Deleted or reformatted data
Stop using the affected volume because operating-system activity, synchronization and new captures may overwrite blocks that still contain useful data.
Physical warning signs
Clicking, impact, unusual heat, failed spin-up or repeated disconnection calls for shutdown and controlled evaluation rather than a software response.
Secure intake
Prepare a United States case for private transport
A documented parcel and a clear case reference keep logistics separate from the technical handling of the data.
For a case originating in the United States, start with a free quote and wait for case-specific packing and shipping instructions. Private outbound and return shipping is included. The carrier transports the sealed parcel only; Datastrophe performs the diagnosis, recovery and file checks directly in its laboratory.
Protect the media from impact, static, moisture and pressure on its connectors. The carrier moves only the sealed parcel; Datastrophe receives it at the laboratory and performs every diagnostic, recovery and verification step.
- Keep the media powered off for packing
- Include only relevant device parts and case records
- Retain the shipping reference until return
What to send
Identify the affected device, its relevant enclosure or adapter, the incident chronology and the priority files; preserve unrelated equipment unless the intake instructions request it.
What stays separate
Keep backups, partial exports and original credentials available for comparison, but do not overwrite or combine them with new recovery attempts before the case is reviewed.
Laboratory diagnosis
The free laboratory diagnosis defines the evidence
The quote and diagnosis are free; technical evidence determines the proposed scope instead of a generic success claim.
Diagnosis separates physical, electronic, firmware and logical faults before the recovery method is approved. Depending on the storage, the laboratory may evaluate stability, controller response, file-system metadata, array geometry, encryption dependencies or the feasibility of a controlled image.
The purpose is to establish what can be attempted safely and what limits are already visible. A preliminary device detection is not a promise that all files, names, dates or folders will survive.
- Classify the failed layer
- Identify acquisition risk and dependencies
- Relate the plan to priority files
Why a working copy matters
When the condition permits, acquisition isolates later file-system reconstruction and file checks from the original storage.
Why priorities matter
Databases, family photographs, video intervals and business records do not have equal verification needs, so the requested result guides the order of work.
Decision evidence
Review a verified file list before payment
A useful result is measured by files that have been checked for integrity and usability, not by the number of directory entries found.
Before payment, Datastrophe provides a list that separates verified usable files from incomplete, unverified and unusable results. This prevents a detected name, a thumbnail or a raw byte total from being presented as a successful recovery.
Review the priority items, stated limits and quoted price together. Payment is requested only if the list and price are acceptable; final recovery, preparation of the result and return follow that approval.
- Confirm the required folders or recording period
- Read the limit attached to every partial result
- Approve both the file list and the price
Structure and names
Original folders, names and dates depend on surviving metadata. Signature-based extraction may recover content without recreating its former organization.
Application-level checks
A copied file may still be truncated or internally corrupt, so representative documents, archives, databases, photographs and videos need checks appropriate to their format.
Pricing decision
Understand the no-result fee policy
The commercial outcome follows the verified result and the customer's decision, with the rare-part exception identified before any order.
If no usable data is found, final recovery fails, or the file list or price is declined, no standard fee is due. The standard intervention, outbound transport, return transport, customs and standard return medium remain covered under that rule.
One narrowly defined exception may apply when a rare, expensive part is technically justified. It is ordered only after separate, explicit and priced approval, and its cost is non-refundable even if the recovery does not succeed.
- No standard charge when no usable result is available
- No standard charge when the list or price is declined
- No rare part ordered without separate approval
If the proposed result is declined
The customer may decline after reviewing the verified list and price without owing the standard intervention or logistics charges.
If final recovery fails
A diagnosis can identify a feasible route without guaranteeing the final acquisition; if the accepted recovery later fails, the no-standard-fee rule still applies.
Controlled return
Control privacy, return and future storage
Confidential handling, representative verification and a healthy destination keep the recovered result separate from the failed source.
The case scope should identify who may approve checks, provide credentials and receive the recovered files. Datastrophe limits verification to what is needed for the agreed priorities and prepares the accepted result on healthy storage through the defined return process.
A failed source should not resume normal service after return. Move validated files into managed storage, keep at least one independent backup, and test restoration before retiring the temporary return copy.
- Define authorized contacts and priority content
- Provide encryption material through the case procedure
- Validate the return before creating fresh backups
Representative verification
Checks focus on priority files and structural consistency without unnecessarily exploring unrelated personal or business content.
After the return
Copy the accepted result to a maintained storage plan, verify at least one restore and treat the original failed device as evidence rather than reusable media.
Diagnostic evaluation
Not sure what happened to your storage device?
Datastrophe evaluates the risk before any recovery attempt and points you toward the safest next step.