how to recover data??

[mkoapple]

Hi,

I'm new to all this and don't know anything about computers.

My iMac doesn't work. Went to the Apple store and was told my hard drive is gone.

Professional data recovery will cost a fortune! Is there any way I can do it myself??

I know, I didn't backup any files for the past 2 yrs. I'm beating myself for that!

I can't lose all my kids photos and videos...especially the one's I took using Photo Booth

and all my freelance work?!

How I can recover my data without further destroying my hard drive?

All help will GREATLY be appreciated!!

Thanks!

mko

 

[louishen]

If the software Apple uses didn't wok then you are out of luck

If you can put the disk in an external enclosure (and you have a working mac) you can use the demo of Drive Genius to verify for yourself that it is dead, but Apple have already confirmed that its probably the hardware that has died
Download Drive Genius Free Trial

If the circuitry or other hardware component of the drive is at fault, then the only way is to send it to a recovery company, since they have the right equipment and clean rooms

Data Recovery - Recover data with our world class data retrieval, disk recovery, file recovery services and data recovery software by Kroll Ontrack

Ask them but it will probably be around $1200

 

[mkoapple]

Thanks for the reply.

Ouch! $1200!

Purchasing a data recovery software would be a waste for this particular problem?

I definitely wouldn't be able to take out the hard drive myself. I have a MacBookPro also.

So if Tech at the Apple Store couldn't see my hard drive, that means it's totally dead?

Sorry, but I'm looking for any kind of hope to get all my photos back...

 

[chscag]

How about some additional info before deciding what is best?

When you turn on your iMac, can you "see" the hard drive? In other words, can you access it at all? If the drive can not be accessed, recovery software will be useless. There's no point spending money on expensive recovery software if it can't access the hard drive.

If the drive can be accessed but has errors, then we have some hope of recovering your data. Since you also have a MBP, you can use Target mode to access the iMac from the MBP.

Also, the suggestion to remove the hard drive and place it in an external enclosure is a good one, however, gaining entry into an iMac to remove the drive is not an easy task.

Let us know.

 

[mkoapple]

Thanks chscag.

I only get a grey screen and the folder icon with the ? mark. Can't see anything else.

I was actually going to use the Target mode. Can I try this without ruining my hard drive?

I'm leaving now to purchase a firewire (400-800?) and also a recovery software for future problems

and an external hd! Any recommendations? Will use mostly for photos and videos.

 

[datalab]

data recovery prices

I work in a data recovery company and as I told someone before... a data recovery service should be your last resort because it's very expensive.

Just be careful when performing a recovery since you can degrade your HD more. The Data can always be recovered regardless of any error (logical or physical), but just be careful in order to prevent deeper data loss.

Apparently what the Apple Techs meant is that your HD is not spinning which is a sign of a physical error which is even more expensive because it will need a sterile environment like a clean room.

My best recommendation is just to hide your HD in a safe place since your data can be recovered in the future when you can afford a data recovery service. Just for you to have an idea, where I work you should be paying between $900 to $1200 if it really is a physical error. Funny thing, our company is one of the cheapest in the industry.

Seriously, hide your drive in a safe place. You might end up degrading it more by running a software right now.