Customer description and recovery process:

    Several days after the Spring Festival Gala of a large-sized gambling group of Macao, an employee discovered that the external hard drive storing videos shot during the Gala became malfunctioned. The hard drive could not be recognized and made strange noise after being inserted to a computer. The employee thus immediately sent the hard drive to the Computer Department of the Group. The Computer Department had received the services of data recovery from the Company for a number of times in the past. They knew clearly our technologies and professionalism. For this reason, they immediately asked the Company to offer the data recovery service. The Company at once inspected the hard drive carefully, and discovered that the magnetic head for reading and writing data had been damaged, which resulted in failure of the hard drive to read the data normally. The main reason for strange noise from the hard drive is that the magnetic head is damaged. After details of malfunction were nailed down, we were able to make the correct rescue plan on damage status of the hard drive, and then replaced magnetic head of the hard drive in a dust-free environment. After replacing magnetic head, no strange noise was heard from the hard drive. However, we still couldn't read detailed information of the hard drive via professional data recovery equipment. It was obvious that further analysis was needed. Finally, we found that firmware of the hard drive was also malfunctioned. The next step of data recovery would not be done unless the firmware was repaired. Then the biggest problem appeared. The damaged hard drive was the latest model of the product series. The firmware had been locked up while the hard drive was manufactured. Only by unlocking the firmware could we normally visit the firmware. As far as we knew, nearly no data recovery company had acquired the technology to unlock the hard drive of this product series. Fortunately, the gambling group did not need to use videos in the hard drive immediately for the reason that they were shot for memorial purpose. We were given a lot of time for data recovery of the hard drive. After nearly a month of hard work, engineers from the Company succeeded in unlocking and repairing the firmware. Finally, the data was recovered. It was verified by the customer that the customer’s important data were complete and the data recovery was successful.

Reminders:

    In case of malfunction of hard drive and the need for data recovery, you are advised not to try reading the data again by keeping the computer and hard drive on, for this may cause further damage to the storage device and reduce the success rate of data salvation. You are advised to immediately send the storage device to professional data recovery companies for data salvation. Further damage to the storage device may cause the data unable to be salved.