[SOLVED] $300 Data Recovery - Trying to recover a book

[Markverhyden]

Customer has a failed RAID 0 that she just wants her autobiography off of.

This event reminds me of the "aha" moment in regards to data back prior to a repair that I witnessed some 20 years ago at CompUSA. Fortunately I was not the tech that did the work.

Customer brought in a machine, which ended up needing a nuke and pave. The tech called up and told him what was being done. Customer asked what that meant and the tech said "it'll be like it was when it was taken out of the box". But he didn't mention data backup.

Customer picks up the machine and takes it home. Couple of hours later he and his wife called up wanting to know where the files were. There're gone, they weren't on the computer when you took it out of the box. Turns out she'd been working on a book for 5 years. I asked hadn't she printed it at some point or made copies of the files? She's like "why would I do that?". I'm sure hubby spent several months sleeping on the couch in the basement. LOL!!!

Since then, even if the customer said no to a back up, I'll always grab at least My Docs, Downloads and Desktop if it's a nuke and pave, OS/drive upgrade, etc.

 

[Porthos]

I had a client that needed a larger drive. This is the one that changed my business forever when it comes to data.
I happen to have a brand new external that was for another client. I "borrowed" it temporarily to move the other client's data to the new 1 TB black I just received.
Got everything set up on the black and proceeded to format the original client's old working drive to use as a backup. I also wiped the borrowed external to sell to the other client for his backups.
Well, the brand new 1 TB black drive died on my bench and took the client's data with it and I had already wiped it from everywhere else.
The client was furious.

From that day on, Client data was my #1 concern, and even if they say they have backups or it is in the cloud I still backup just in case.
The client wanted his old drive and the dead WD Black I just bought because his wifw wanted to take it to get the data recovered. I offered to get it done but the wife wanted it done locally. I ended up getting amother drive to finish the setup (minus data of course) so in the end I ended up giving him two 1 tb drives my labor and go lucky this was before reviews were a thing and I did not get sued.
I had him sign a realease stating since he would not let me get the data recoverd I would not have any ressponsibilty after he took the drives.

 

[SlickMinnow]

I always ask client about backup, have the short conversation with them.... and then run Fabs on it before I do anything else. Every time.

 

[Porthos]

I now have since the incident I mentioned a 4 TB external for backups. I always do my damndest to get them to get an external or buy one form me.

 

[Appletax]

That's pretty much the only kind of RAID 0 there is. The other kind is the "not sure if it's failed yet" RAID 0.

Anyway, your solution is simple: Ask the client if she's willing to pay $300 for a 50% chance of getting her autobiography back. I'm betting she will, but either way it's her choice.

Then repeat after me: We are not responsible for our clients' poor decisions.

That's what I did. Told her she can get 50% of her data back for $300, which may or may not include her book, but does include other documents and photos. Might still be worth it either way. She agreed to it and is paying me in advance of me paying 300DR.

 

[Appletax]

The best I can tell, ignorance is bliss. Fancy marketing and high pressure sales tends to be perceived as a real data recovery lab. It has nothing to do with the actual facilities, equipment and technicians who do the jobs.

As to the OP, my interpretation is that @300DDR was only able to read one of the two drives. With a typical block rotation size of 64KB, you really aren't going to get much with only one. It is like a zipper with only one side. If this is the case, the only charge with me would be the return shipping. But, that said, it never hurts to get a second opinion, if the data is worth something to the client.

The fancy marketing got to me big time! And I thought I would pay less by going with them.

They could only read one of two drives. 64KB is correct.

They said they think no one else could recover anymore data in my case due to extensive platter damage.

 

[Porthos]

The fancy marketing got to me big time! And I thought I would pay less by going with them.

Most of the local companies around me want a lot more than that.

 

[Appletax]

The data recovered was a bunch of useless junk. Didn't get her book back. She got lucky, though! She found her book on a disc.

 

[SlickMinnow]

The data recovered was a bunch of useless junk. Didn't get her book back. She got lucky, though! She found her book on a disc.

Thanks for the followup!

 

[britechguy]

She found her book on a disc.

I hope to heaven that this incident was enough to make her understand, Why you MUST Routinely Take Full System Image Backups of Your Computer.