We recover from internal and external hard drives — mechanical failures, dropped drives, dead PCBs, deleted files, formatted partitions, and drives that just won't show up. Free diagnostic, fixed quote, and if we can't recover the data you don't pay a cent.
Most data loss gets worse in the hour after the failure — usually because the owner panics and tries the wrong thing. Here's what to do (and not do) before you bring it in.
The diagnostic step is mostly about figuring out which bucket your drive is in — that determines the price, the timeline, and the recovery method. Here's what we see most often.
The drive itself is fine — the data's just inaccessible. Accidental deletion, quick-formatted partition, corrupted filesystem (NTFS journal damage, exFAT MFT loss), failed Windows update that wiped the partition table, or a malware/ransomware event.
Power surge fried the controller board (PCB). Drive doesn't spin up, makes no sound, sometimes a faint burnt smell. Common with external drives plugged into a bad outlet, or USB-C hubs that delivered a voltage spike. Often fixable by sourcing a donor PCB and migrating the firmware ROM.
That clicking sound is the read/write head trying to find its calibration zone and failing. Caused by drops, head wear, or a stuck spindle motor. Recovery requires opening the drive in a controlled environment and (usually) transplanting healthy heads from a matched donor drive — a 4–8 hour bench job.
Drive that survived a flood, kitchen fire, was run over, or fell off a desk and started clicking. Often combines mechanical AND electrical failure modes — corroded boards plus damaged heads. Cleaning, drying, full PCB replacement, and head-stack swap may all be needed on the same drive.
We power the drive in a controlled rig (current-limited, watching for thermal events) and listen for the failure signature. Most diagnoses take 15–60 minutes. You get a phone or text with the failure category and a fixed quote — no work happens yet.
Fixed price, written, no hidden charges. If you don't approve, you pick up the drive (free) or we ship it back. No-data-no-fee means: even if you approved and we tried, you don't pay if we couldn't recover.
For mechanical / electrical cases we clone the failing drive sector-by-sector to a healthy target. Every recovery attempt after this point happens on the image, never the original — so we can retry strategies without further risking your data.
Filesystem reconstruction, partition table rebuild, raw file carving for severely corrupted volumes, journal replay for ransomware-encrypted partitions where the keys are still in memory.
You get your data on an encrypted USB drive (yours to keep) or copied to an external you provide. The original drive comes back to you, even if it's no longer functional — your data, your hardware.
Western Digital (Caviar Blue/Black/Red/Purple/Gold), Seagate (Barracuda, IronWolf, SkyHawk), Toshiba, HGST/Hitachi, Samsung Spinpoint. SATA II, SATA III, SAS for enterprise.
WD My Passport, Easystore, My Book; Seagate Backup Plus, Expansion, One Touch; LaCie Rugged, d2; Toshiba Canvio. USB 2.0, USB 3.x, USB-C, Thunderbolt.
Helium-filled archive drives (8TB+), SAS server drives, IDE/PATA drives from 2000s-era PCs, SCSI from old workstations, and iSCSI / NAS-pulled drives.
BitLocker-encrypted volumes (with your recovery key), VeraCrypt containers, native macOS encrypted external drives (with password), Western Digital hardware-encrypted My Books.
For SSDs and NVMe drives — different physics, different recovery method — see our SSD & NVMe data recovery page. For RAID arrays and NAS units, see RAID and server recovery.
Pre-set to hard drive — pick the failure that matches yours and we'll show your range before you even share contact details.
The clicking is the read/write head moving back to its parking position because it can't find the calibration track. It usually means a head crash (head touched the platter) or a stuck spindle. Stop powering the drive immediately — every spin-up risks scoring more of the magnetic surface. This is recoverable in most cases (78% success rate on our bench), but the recovery method requires opening the drive in a controlled environment and transplanting heads from a matched donor.
No. Drop damage often means the head has moved out of its parking ramp and is now resting on the platter surface. Powering it on under that condition will scratch the magnetic layer and dramatically reduce recoverability. Bring it in (or ship it) without trying to power it. Even a "just to see" plug-in costs you data.
Yes — these are some of our most common severe-damage cases. Water-damaged drives need to be cleaned, fully dried, and have the PCB inspected for corrosion before any spin-up attempt. Fire-damaged drives often need both PCB replacement and head-stack work. Success rates are lower (~62%) and prices higher ($600–$1500), but recovery is genuinely possible. The earlier you bring it in, the better — corrosion is progressive.
Pricing depends on the failure mode. Logical recovery (deleted files, formatted drives) is software work — $150–$300. Electrical (PCB swap) needs a donor board — $250–$500. Mechanical (head swap) is bench-intensive and needs a matched donor drive — $400–$900. Severe damage requires multiple methods on the same drive — up to $1500. We confirm the exact price after the free diagnostic, in writing, before any work starts.
Logical: 2–5 days. Electrical: 4–7 days (sourcing a donor PCB takes time). Mechanical: 1–3 weeks (donor drive sourcing + careful bench work). Severe damage: 2–4 weeks. Express service available for time-sensitive business cases — ask when you bring it in.
We recover your files — we don't restore the recovered drive as a working OS. Once a drive has had a mechanical or severe failure, it's no longer trustworthy for daily use. Your data comes back to you on a new encrypted USB drive (or one you provide), and you reinstall your OS on a fresh drive. The original drive comes back too, even if it's now non-functional.
Yes, anywhere in Canada. Email info@fixitlads.com with the drive details (brand, capacity, what happened) and we'll send you a prepaid shipping label and packing instructions. We diagnose, quote, recover, and ship the data back on an encrypted USB. Most mail-in cases finish within 2–3 weeks door-to-door.
We're at 120 Matheson Blvd E, Unit 202, Mississauga — easy off the 403 / 401 / 410. Open Mon–Fri 9–6. If you're not local, we work mail-in cases anywhere in Canada with prepaid shipping both ways.