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Hobart · Hard drives · SSDs · USB · SD cards
Data recovery in Hobart, done on our own bench.
Clicking hard drives, dead external drives, failed SSDs, and USB sticks or SD cards that won't read. We recover data at the component level here in Tasmania, with the same class of equipment used by dedicated recovery labs.
Describe what the drive is doing, or send a short video of the noise it makes. It tells us a lot.
★★★★★ 4.9 from 130+ Google reviewsDrive just failed? Before you do anything else
What we recover
The drives we see most
Most recoveries come down to a handful of devices. Whatever you have, a quick call is the fastest way to find out where you stand.
Desktop & laptop hard drives
Clicking, grinding, beeping or simply not detected. Mechanical, electronic and firmware faults, recovered at component level.
External & portable drives
Many portable drives have the USB connection built into the drive's own circuit board. When that fails, the disk inside is often perfectly healthy.
Solid state drives
Failed or unrecognised SATA SSDs, recovered at the firmware and controller level.
USB sticks & SD cards
Snapped, dead or suddenly asking to be formatted. Where the controller has failed, we read the memory chips directly.
Laptops that won't boot
If the computer is dead but the drive inside is fine, we can pull everything off it and move it across to a new machine.
Or get the laptop repaired →Deleted or formatted
Accidentally deleted files, formatted drives and lost partitions. Stop saving anything to that drive and call us first.
How it works
From a failed drive to your files back
Call or text
Tell us what happened and what the drive is doing. A short video of any noise it makes tells us a lot.
Drop it off
Bring the drive, or the whole device, to WOTSO reception at 162 Macquarie Street. Call ahead so reception is expecting you.
Proper diagnosis
The drive is assessed on the bench to find the actual fault: logical, electronic, firmware or mechanical. That decides the approach and the cost.
A firm quote first
You get a clear quote before any recovery work begins. Nothing goes ahead until you have approved it.
Specialist work
The equipment behind the harder recoveries
Software can only help while a drive is healthy enough to be read normally. When it isn't, recovery comes down to hardware, tooling and experience.
Not sure if it's recoverable?
Most people aren't. Tell us what happened and what the drive is doing, and we'll give you an honest read on your chances before you bring it in.
Your data
Recovery means handling the most personal files people own
Family photos, business records, years of work. It deserves to be treated carefully, and it is.
Handled on our own bench. Recovery work is carried out in-house in Tasmania, by our own technicians.
NDAs available on request. Common for business, legal, medical and financial clients, and available to anyone who asks.
Cleared afterwards. Once your files are back with you, recovered data is cleared from our systems.
Reviews
What recovery customers say
I was in a tricky spot with important commercial images I needed to recover from a damaged hard drive for a client, and Nelson was the only bloke willing to give it a go. Exceeded my expectations and went above and beyond.
Incredibly helpful assisting my son with transferring his data from an old hard drive to a new laptop. He went above and beyond to make sure everything was handled properly, ensuring none of his important work was lost.
Knowledgeable and able to identify a sub board as the problem, saving me from replacing the whole laptop. Communicates well. Friendly, polite, not patronizing. Give them a go if you need a repair.
Data recovery questions
What people ask before they call
Can you recover data from a clicking hard drive?
Often, yes. Clicking usually means the read heads or another mechanical part has failed, and the data on the platters is frequently still intact. The most important thing is to stop powering it on, because each attempt can cause more damage.
My external hard drive isn't detected. Is my data gone?
Not necessarily. On many portable drives the USB connection is built onto the drive's own circuit board, so a failed connector or controller can leave the data stranded on a perfectly healthy disk. That is often very recoverable.
Should I try data recovery software first?
Not if the drive is clicking, slow, making unusual noises, or disappearing and reappearing. Scanning a physically failing drive puts it under heavy strain and can make a recoverable fault permanent. Software is only safe on a drive that is healthy.
How much does data recovery cost?
It depends on the fault, which is why we diagnose before quoting. A logical problem is very different from a head swap. Call and describe what is happening and we can usually give you a realistic idea, and you always get a firm quote before any recovery work begins.
Can you recover data from an SSD?
In many cases, yes. We recover SATA solid state drives at the firmware and controller level. Deleted files are harder on an SSD, because the drive may already have cleared them, so the sooner you stop using it the better.
Do you recover USB sticks and SD cards?
Yes. Where the controller has failed we can read the memory chips directly, including single-chip monolith cards and sticks.
What should I bring in?
The failed drive, or the whole device if you are not sure which part holds the data. Bring any cables or power adapters for external drives too. Drop-off is at WOTSO reception, 162 Macquarie Street, Hobart. Please call ahead first.
Is my data kept private?
Yes. Recovery work is done in-house by our own technicians, NDAs are available on request, and recovered data is cleared from our systems once it is back with you.
Get in touch
Tell us what the drive is doing
A quick call is usually the fastest way to find out where you stand, including a realistic timeframe for your job. Prefer to write it down? Send a text or use the form.