Data Recovery Services: An Overview

Disaster strikes. Accidents happen. Viruses attack. In any number of ways, your data is unexpectedly lost. It happens every day to businesses, to government and academia, and to individuals.

Your best preventive tool is a comprehensive backup plan. We can help you put one in place.

If, however, you've already lost computer data to a virus attack, hard disk crash, fire or flood, Landmark Ameri-Tech can help you recover it. Our mission is to help you through the crisis as quickly and painlessly as possible.

We support data recovery from popular personal computer operating systems, including DOS, Windows 3.1/95/98/NT, Macintosh, OS/2, Novell, SCO-Unix, PICK, Linux, and others.

We can recover data from all types of magnetic storage devices and media that for any reason can no longer be accessed by your system: from hard drives, from removable disk and tape media cartridges, and even from floppy diskettes.

After a data recovery technician evaluates every sector on that disk, we give you a complete understanding of what the problem is and where it exists. From there, we help you assess the best strategy for achieving a successful data recovery.

Whether your system has been hit by a virus or has suffered physical damage, we can help. We can often recover most or all files from corrupted or damaged disk media caused by a disk head crash, a logical system failure, or even intentional or accidental data loss. As long as the disk is spinning, there's a fair chance we can get the data back.

If your hard disk is physically damaged, our clean room technicians use complex tools in a managed environment to recover your data. This process requires you to remove your hard disk from your computer and later reinstall it. We can help with that too.

Standard Service: Your disk is processed in order of arrival. Typically there is a backlog of several business days. Total turnaround time is 3-12 days from receipt of your disk. When your job reaches the front of the line, a data recovery specialist evaluates your disk to determine the best repair method. We then contact you with a recovery assessment and suggest how--and if--you should proceed. If you decide not to authorize repair, we return the disk to you with no additional charges. The recovery assessment fee is $150. and is nonrefundable.

Priority Service: Your disk gets immediate attention from a data recovery specialist. Total turnaround time can be as little as three days. This service requires a 50% surcharge but may be well worth it to a business which absolutely depends on having the data recovered quickly. The recovery assessment fee for priority service is $225. and is nonrefundable.

Evening and Weekend Service: For jobs done entirely in-house we assess a minimum $50. fee for work performed outside business hours.

We can return your data on CD-ROM, tape cartridge (QIC or DAT), removable magneto-optical media, floppy diskette (3-1/2" or 5-1/4"), or on a hard drive. You may either supply your own media or purchase it from Landmark Ameri-Tech.

Prices vary tremendously on data recovery. A simple job could cost you $80. A complex recovery could cost as much as $2000--even more if you need the data recovered right now. We charge a $150. nonrefundable evaluation fee on all but the simplest jobs to determine the feasibility of recovering your data. Clean room services if necessary cost $500. Expect the job to include some or all of the following services:

• Site visit and/or removal of hard disk from your computer if necessary.
• Removal of virus, replacement of boot sector, etc.
• Recovery/rebuilding of hard disk contents.
• Transfer of data from recovery medium to hard disk, with further restoration of missing elements if
• necessary.
• Reinstallation of hard disk in computer system.

Landmark Ameri-Tech's labor rates start at $80./hour for in-shop work; less if you have a Landmark Ameri-Tech Personal Computer Support Contract. (If you don't, this would be an excellent time to purchase one. Call or write us for details.)

• Despite our best efforts to get all your information back, some files may be unusable, and some data may be lost. We offer no guarantee that we can recover specific files. Our only guarantee is that we will give you our best effort, and that our technicians will do their work properly. We give you an estimated percentage of data and files that will be recovered. We keep you advised at every step of the recovery process, and let you decide how to proceed.
• We ask for a signature and payment at each step of the way so that there is no misunderstanding about procedures or pricing. For complex data recovery services we require cash, cashier's checks, money orders, or common credit cards.
• You may need to purchase a replacement hard disk. Unless we can identify a specific virus or other transient problem, you take a great risk by reusing the old hard disk.
• Consider purchasing a backup device and setting up a backup plan if you have none in place. Data loss can happen to anyone, any time. It would be a shame if it happened again and you were again unprepared.
• You may need some additional work done after data recovery to get everything running smoothly again. Programs may need reinstallation; data may need to be scanned or keyed in; staff may need training on proper backup procedures.

Data recovery is a tricky business best left to experts. We have been supplying personal computer services since 1981. We understand the value of your computer data and are committed to helping you recover it. Some complex data recovery jobs are done by contractors with whom we have shared business over the years. They discount the cost of their services to us so that we may resell their expertise. Thus Landmark Ameri-Tech acts as a broker for services on your behalf. We choose the recovery vendor best suited to your situation. We interpret the "tech talk" and describe the situation in plain English for you. We have clout with our vendors and make sure you are satisfied with their services.

In short, we are here to help you and your business.

If you have lost computer data, call us. If you have not yet lost it but have no backup plan in place, call us now and let us help keep your important files safe and sound.

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url: http://www.landmark.org/datarecovery.html

Last update: 6-4-99. Posted 3-19-99.