Data Recovery from iPhone after Mechanical Damage. Expert Diagnostics Can Save Both the Phone and Your Wallet
The cost of data recovery from external drives, HDDs, SSDs, flash drives, memory cards, mobile phones, NAS, and RAID arrays depends on many parameters. Take advantage of our free diagnostics.
The price of data recovery depends on many factors. We keep our prices competitive with interesting discounts for students, seniors, business partners…
You can call or write to us. We will discuss the issue and find the most suitable next steps.
You can call or write to us. We will discuss the issue and find the most suitable next steps.
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More information about hard drive data recovery
* Current SSDs use the TRIM function, which significantly limits data recovery after deletion or formatting of the media. More here.
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More information about SSD data recovery
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More information about memory card data recovery
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More information about flash drive data recovery
* Current mobile phones utilize the TRIM function, which greatly limits data recovery after deletion. More here.
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More information about RAID data recovery
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More information about NAS data recovery
Data recovery from less common data media such as floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, non-standard data storage.
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The prices provided are for reference only. The exact cost of data recovery will be determined after a free diagnostic assessment.
Additional data recovery services.
We understand that sometimes after diagnosis and assessment of data recovery costs, you may decide not to proceed with the job. Whatever the reason, we respect your decision. If you do not wish to proceed with data recovery, we offer the option to return your data media via courier service. However, if you prefer to collect your media in person, this option remains completely free of charge.
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Data recovery from hard drives has been at a similar level in recent years. However, modern drives introduce new technologies that are involved in the HDD data recovery process. Detailed explanations of data recovery from hard drives (HDD) and other related issues can be found in this article here.
Options for recovering deleted data vary depending on the recording technology used by the drive. Older (but still used) conventional recording (CMR/PMR) often allows for the recovery of deleted data. Newer shingled recording (SMR) can negatively affect the recovery of deleted data or data after formatting. More information on this issue.
Hard drive electronics (PCB) have also undergone significant changes. In the past, hard drive electronics were simple enough that the same type of electronics from another drive could be used without further intervention. Later, hard drive manufacturers endowed electronics with adaptive ROM (a firmware chip unique to each specific drive), which no longer allowed for simple PCB replacement with the same type. However, this obstacle can be overcome. The Self Encrypted Drive (SED) feature has also been introduced, mainly used by Western Digital for regular hard drives. The primary purpose of this feature is to protect user data. However, it could be bypassed if the user did not secure it with their own password. Modern drives have advanced in this regard, and the data on the drive is intertwined with the CPU (processor) and ROM on the drive's electronics, which significantly complicates data recovery in the case of electronics failure or mechanical damage. Losing the original (genuine) PCB may mean it's impossible to recover user data.
Failure of the data platter surface can sometimes be categorized as mechanical damage (if caused by a drop or impact), but it can also be due to material degradation over time or a flaw in the data medium itself. This type of defect can sometimes affect only a small part of the data platters and can be resolved relatively easily, but from the user's perspective, such a defect can cause the drive to become entirely non-functional. In other cases, the defect can be more extensive and complicated to resolve.
Mechanical damage in the case of hard drives or external hard drives is often a result of dropping or impact, but failure at this level can also occur spontaneously due to manufacturing defects or material degradation. Hard drives are electromechanical data storage devices with rotating data platters and rapidly moving read/write heads. This more or less predestines them to this type of failure with a certain percentage probability. Some manufacturers encase hard drives in a rubber cover, give it a robust-sounding name, and the inexperienced user may feel they have purchased an indestructible data storage device. Imagine their surprise and awakening when even a small fall can result in problems with the drive and the need for data recovery.
Hard drives after fire, flood, or inundation may not necessarily be severely damaged, but it is essential that the user does not attempt to turn on such an affected drive. The drive's electronics may be damaged, but high temperatures or penetrating water can cause more severe problems. It is necessary to examine the drive, considering a range of factors.
File system failure can be of purely software-related nature, caused by improper user actions, or due to failing read/write heads or data platters of the drive. With respect to the internal principles of some modern hard drives, it is advisable to use our free diagnostics to prevent potential larger-scale problems.
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Price list for data recovery from hard drives (HDD)
Deleted data or data after formatting an SSD does not remain on the disk until it is overwritten, as people often mistakenly believe. In the early days of SSDs, this was the case, but due to the physical properties of flash memory, it was necessary to implement new features to speed up operation and increase the lifespan of SSDs. These features are called TRIM and Wear Leveling. The former takes care of deleted data. The reason is that erasing memory blocks is time-consuming, and if data were actually erased only when new data was written, it would slow down the SSD, the operating system, and the computer (or other device), which would not be ideal for the user. TRIM is managed by the SSD controller (a chip integrated into the SSD electronics) and the firmware, which is part of the controller. When data is deleted by the user (operating system), the space is marked as empty from the perspective of the operating system, but not from the SSD's perspective. When the SSD is not busy, the SSD controller steps in and, without affecting the computer's performance, internally takes care of erasing memory blocks, effectively freeing them for future use. When the user writes new data and the operating system wants to use the free space on the SSD, it no longer needs to spend time erasing. The SSD is significantly faster, and the user is more satisfied. Unless, of course, they need to recover deleted data…
Defective memory chips are a common cause of SSD failure. Memory chip error rates are predetermined during their manufacturing, and the SSD has a designated additional capacity to reallocate defective memory blocks. However, failures can be more extensive than what the SSD can internally handle. The consequence may be the failure of the operating system, inaccessibility of some or all data, and sometimes even the inability to properly initialize the SSD.
SSD electronics failure is not a very common issue with this type of media, but it can happen. For example, due to a power surge, moisture damage (oxidation), or spontaneous failure caused by a manufacturing defect. SSD electronics are more complex since they contain memory chips, a controller, and other important components, making them impossible to simply replace like some older HDDs.
SSD controller failure is common and often serious, affecting all NAND flash media, from cheap SD cards and flash drives to expensive SSDs and mobile phones. The controller is a small part of the SSD that contains firmware, or service software, among other things, such as a translator, without which the SSD has no idea where to look for a file or directory, etc. The SSD controller stores the key to the data saved in NAND memory chips. In other words, SSD controller failure means loss of information on how to access data from memory chips, and simply desoldering and reading individual NAND chips would result in a jumble of ones and zeros with little meaning. Some controllers are very complex and problematic. Controller failure is considered a serious issue.
Mechanical damage to SSD can have serious consequences if it leads to damage to memory chips or the controller. Everything else can be resolved more or less through a complicated process. As with many other cases, unskilled intervention can cause the most damage. Always entrust a mechanically damaged data storage device to professionals!
File system failure usually results from increasing error rates in SSD memory chips, specifically in defective memory blocks that the SSD can no longer internally reallocate. This can lead to damage to some files, and the consequence may be the failure of the operating system. The cause can also be user error or third-party software issues.
Data recovery and restoration from SSDs are discussed in a separate article, which can be found here.
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Price list for SSD data recovery
Today, the most common memory cards are SD and micro SD (SD, SDHC, SDXC). However, we also receive other types - Compact Flash (CF), XD, Memory Stick (Duo, ProDuo ...), Multimedia Card (MMC), and various robust modifications designed for professional use. In general, memory cards most often fail at the level of memory chips or due to controller errors (firmware).
Deleted data from memory cards may be recoverable, but it depends on the usage, the device in which the card was used, and the user's actions after data deletion. This segment of storage media has recently been equipped with TRIM support, which, similar to SSDs or mobile phones, can prevent data recovery after deletion.
Formatted memory card is similar to deleted data. The difference can also be in the way it was formatted. Most devices (or their users) perform formatting (deletion) quickly, and data recovery is usually possible by some method. However, other factors can also stand in the way of data recovery.
Memory chip or chips defect is a common failure of memory cards. The error rate of memory chips is predetermined during manufacturing, and this feature applies to all NAND flash memories, which we also encounter in flash drives, SSDs, mobile phones, etc. With SD cards, this is compounded by the fact that cheap memory chips are often used, and some memory card specifications do not guarantee the use of the Wear leveling function, which appropriately extends the life of NAND memories. Moreover, an SD card may not properly notify of any emerging error rates.
Controller error in memory card is, from many angles, a severe failure that, combined with often cheap memory chips, can be fatal for these media. Furthermore, there is an innumerable number of memory cards on the market from various well-known, lesser-known, and unknown manufacturers (noname). Micro SD cards, some SD cards, and other types of memory cards are often in a so-called monolithic design. These cards have both the memory chip and the controller integrated into one body, making data recovery even more complicated.
Mechanical damage to the memory card - it depends on whether the memory chip itself was damaged. Sometimes data recovery is possible even with minor mechanical damage to the memory chip (e.g., a slightly broken corner), but usually, a crack means unrecoverable data.
File system failure can also affect memory cards, and the probable cause is in the error rate of memory chips, i.e., defective memory blocks that the memory card can no longer internally manage and cannot reallocate. The memory card may then stop reporting, the device wants to format it, or it cannot read and write data. The cause can also be user error or third-party software issues.
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Price list for memory card data recovery
Deleted data from a flash drive can usually be recovered, although the success of the data recovery can be influenced by factors such as the usage of the drive, the file system, whether the data was encrypted, and especially the user's actions after the data was deleted.
A formatted flash drive is similar to a drive with deleted data, as long as a slow disk format, which would completely erase (overwrite) the data on the flash drive, was not used. Most people, however, leave the quick format option selected when formatting a disk. In most cases, the success of the data recovery depends primarily on the user's actions, the file system, and any software or hardware encryption of the data.
Memory chip failure is a common issue with flash drives. Error rates are considered during the design and manufacturing process of flash drives, as well as for all other NAND flash-based media (memory cards, SSDs, mobile phones, etc.). Flash drives are more prone to this type of failure for several reasons: many non-branded flash drives use cheap components, and both cheap and expensive consumer flash drives typically lack advanced memory chip management features found in SSDs and mobile phones.
Flash drive controller failure is a serious problem. Flash drives are often made with cheap memory chips and can be completely non-branded, meaning there is no available documentation about their technological connections. Monolithic data storage devices (where the controller is part of the same unit as the memory chip) or COB (Chip On Board) devices, where the memory chip, controller, or both are embedded (part of the drive's electronics), are usually unmarked and provide no access to technological pins.
Mechanical damage to a flash drive can range from simple to complex, and can even render data recovery impossible. A common issue is a damaged connector, which can sometimes extend to the drive's electronics. This issue is typically solvable. However, if the memory chip is cracked or broken, data recovery is usually impossible.
Photo of a mechanically damaged flash drive
File system failure can occur, for example, due to failing memory chips or faulty memory blocks, which the flash drive can no longer internally manage. Consumer flash drives do not have advanced memory chip management features and are therefore more susceptible to this type of failure. Symptoms of this failure include incorrect detection of the inserted media in the operating system, a prompt to format the inserted flash drive, and errors during read and write operations. However, user error or software issues could also be the cause.
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Flash drive data recovery price list
First, it is necessary to determine whether the target data is stored in the phone itself or on a memory card, which many users use to expand the internal memory. Data recovery from a memory card may be more fruitful, but even here, several factors can affect the possibilities. The lifespan of memory cards is, in principle, lower than that of a phone's internal memory. It is possible to enable encryption of the card's content in the phone, and data on some memory cards may be affected by the TRIM function (see the paragraph below).
Deleted data from mobile phones might still be stored in the trash if the device's operating system has this feature. However, if they are no longer in the trash, the chances of recovering deleted data are very low. Mobile phones use NAND flash memory for data storage, and a controller is responsible for its proper function. The controller optimizes data in NAND memory, and one of the functions of current devices is TRIM. When the phone is not busy, TRIM permanently removes user-deleted data from memory cells. This significantly speeds up the writing of new data and overall device operation.
Deleted data from a memory card in a mobile phone may be recoverable, as most memory cards do not yet (as of January 2022) have the TRIM function.
Data recovery from a formatted memory card in a phone is similar to the case of deleted data. In many cases, data recovery is possible.
Restoring a mobile phone to factory settings means definitive removal of user data and settings in current devices. User data is a very valuable asset, and mobile phone manufacturers implement a range of features to protect user data from unauthorized access. Restoring factory settings is usually used when a user is giving away, selling, etc., their phone. This function should ensure that the original user's data cannot be recovered by the new user. If there is a memory card in the phone and data encryption on the memory card is enabled, restoring factory settings will have the same effect on the data on the memory card as on the data in the phone.
Older phones were not as thorough in this regard. If your phone's manufacturing date is 2013 or older, the chances of data recovery may be higher.
Firmware failure of a mobile phone can occur, for example, during a failed update of the phone to a newer version of the operating system. The cause can also be an unauthorized intervention in the device, such as "root" on Android devices or "Jailbreak" on Apple phones. During such intervention, the manufacturer's set restrictions and security features of the device are modified. Firmware failure can also be caused by a hardware fault in the device, which prevents repair of the firmware issue through methods that the user can try on their own, and it is then necessary to entrust the phone to specialists.
Failure of electronics (PCB) in a mobile phone can occur spontaneously (due to manufacturing defects, wear over time), or it can be caused by a drop, liquid intrusion, moisture condensation, or mechanical damage. The failure of the entire device can sometimes be caused by seemingly unrelated components. The issue with mobile phone electronics and its possible solutions varies across different manufacturers, with Android OS devices being less complex in this regard than iOS devices. Data recovery options are also influenced by the phone's software version. To precisely determine the scope of the defect and data recovery possibilities, use our free diagnostics service.
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Price list for mobile phone data recovery
EXALAB Data Recovery
Microshop s.r.o.
Pod Marjánkou 4
169 00 Praha 6
Česká Republika
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday
9.00 - 18.00
Friday 9.00 - 17.30
other opening hours are possible upon agreement
Hotline: +420 608 177 773
Office: +420 233 357 122
E-mail: info@exalab.cz
Hotline: +420 608 177 773
Kancelář: +420 233 357 122
E-mail: info@exalab.cz
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday
9.00 - 18.00
Friday 9.00 - 17.30
other opening hours are possible upon agreement
EXALAB Data Recovery
Microshop s.r.o.
Pod Marjánkou 4
169 00 Praha 6
Česká Republika