We recently had a visit from a client whose laptop had suffered hard disk problems. Unfortunately, as there was no backup available, we had to try to recover the data on the hard disk, which included precious family photographs and important accounts.
Furthermore, without their laptop, the client could no longer raise invoices. If we couldn’t recover the data, the client would have to re-input all invoice data from November to January. To make matters even worse, the client’s VAT return and tax return we both due.
After initial diagnostics, it was apparent that the hard disk failure had been caused by a mechanical fault. We sent the hard disk to a specialist lab that would take it apart and try to rebuild it.
All initial diagnostics work was carried out free of charge, and within 24 hours we had a report back from the lab.
The good news – they were able to recover all data on the disk. The bad news – the hard drive required a new head stack, and would need a ‘transplant’. This meant sourcing an identical drive and replacing the head stack from the new disk into the damaged disk. The cost of the repair was £800 plus VAT and the client couldn’t afford to get it fixed.
In most cases we can recover your data for as little as £80 plus VAT. In this case, the absence of backup and the nature of the fault meant the cost was ten times this amount. By far the best protection is to regularly backup your computer. Windows 7 has an excellent in built backup system and just requires a USB hard drive to backup to – these cost from as little as £40.
For more information on backup solutions, and for practical, friendly advice, call us on 01225 636000.