r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	twistedLucidity
Comment	If the drive works (as in, spins) then you can try recovery yourself with various free/paid tools. I have recovered drives this way, although you do run the risk of any physical damage worsening. Considering imaging the drive first and working on the image. If the drive is toast, then whatever is broken needs fixed or the platters will need pulled and put into a donor body. A specialist task, and not cheap. You need to consider those pictures lost forever. Sorry, but that really is the mindset to get into. Next, find a specialist company anywhere in the UK and ship them the drive (if you have reasonable certainty the heads are parked, but I am sure they will offer you advice). For example: [Data Clinic](https://www.dataclinic.co.uk/hard-drive-data-recovery/) or [Data Recovery Specialists](http://www.datarecoveryspecialists.co.uk/). I have no connection with, nor have I used, either company. You can use Trust Pilot and similar to help you vet them. Keep in mind that if you have any sensitive information on the drive like passwords, they will be exposed upon a successful recovery and you should change them all before sending the drive (also account recovery questions etc). Best of luck, I hope you have backups now! For photos I use a Nextcloud instance and push everything across to that, then back that up. Twice, with one in a physically separate location.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/120blel/data_recovery_from_old_hard_drive/jdgo7pe/
Created	Fri 24th Mar 2023 7:14am
Status	normal ()

If the drive works (as in, spins) then you can try recovery yourself with various free/paid tools. I have recovered drives this way, although you do run the risk of any physical damage worsening. Considering imaging the drive first and working on the image.

If the drive is toast, then whatever is broken needs fixed or the platters will need pulled and put into a donor body. A specialist task, and not cheap.

You need to consider those pictures lost forever. Sorry, but that really is the mindset to get into.

Next, find a specialist company anywhere in the UK and ship them the drive (if you have reasonable certainty the heads are parked, but I am sure they will offer you advice).

For example: [Data Clinic](https://www.dataclinic.co.uk/hard-drive-data-recovery/) or [Data Recovery Specialists](http://www.datarecoveryspecialists.co.uk/).

I have no connection with, nor have I used, either company. You can use Trust Pilot and similar to help you vet them.

Keep in mind that if you have any sensitive information on the drive like passwords, they will be exposed upon a successful recovery and you should change them all **before** sending the drive (also account recovery questions etc).

Best of luck, I hope you have backups now! For photos I use a Nextcloud instance and push everything across to that, then back that up. Twice, with one in a physically separate location.