Bay Geeks logoTampa Bay IT Support · Since 2004

Recovery & Backup

Data Recovery Services

Multi-drive file server, desktop, laptop, external drive, SSD, flash drive or SD card — if it holds data you need back, our technicians can likely help.

Same-day appointments usually available

We work with 3.5" and 2.5" drives, SSDs, M.2/SATA drives, spindle drives, flash drives, SD and microSD cards, and most mainstream and legacy storage technologies. In the unlikely event we can't recover your data ourselves, we call on local partners for clean-room environments and advanced drive rebuilding.

Unless data has been overwritten or the drive has already been securely destroyed, we generally have the tools, resources and partnerships to get it back. Call today rather than waiting — the sooner we start, the better the odds.

Common Causes of Data Loss

  • Mechanical or electronic drive failure — clicking, not spinning up, or not detected at all
  • Accidental deletion or a reformatted drive
  • Ransomware or malware that encrypted or corrupted files
  • Water, fire, power surge or other physical damage
  • Corrupted RAID array or NAS after a failed rebuild
  • Failed OS update or firmware corruption

Secure Hard Drive Destruction

If you have old drives you'd like disposed of securely, our hard drive destruction process leaves them as scrap metal — unrecoverable even by the world's best-funded data recovery labs.

Don't Let It Happen Twice

Pair recovery with our Unlimited Cloud Data Backup Solution, available through our Automated Maintenance Plan and upgraded plan options, so a future drive failure is an inconvenience instead of a crisis.

How It Works

Our Recovery Process

The wrong first move on a failing drive can turn a recoverable situation into a permanent loss — so we start with diagnosis, not guesswork.

Evaluate

We inspect the drive and diagnose the failure — mechanical, logical or firmware — before touching anything else, and give you a clear picture before work begins.

Recover

Using imaging tools and, when needed, our clean-room and advanced rebuilding partners, we pull data off the failing media without risking what's left.

Deliver & Verify

We hand back your files on new media and verify everything's intact and usable before we call the job done.

What We Work With

Media & Device Types We Recover From

Desktop & Laptop Hard Drives

Traditional 3.5" and 2.5" spindle drives, from single machines to multi-drive file servers.

Solid State Drives & M.2

SSD and M.2/SATA drives, including logical failures and controller issues.

RAID Arrays & NAS Systems

Multi-drive arrays, including failed rebuilds and degraded RAID configurations.

External & Flash Drives

USB flash drives and external enclosures of nearly every make and format.

SD, microSD & Memory Cards

Camera, dashcam and device memory cards, including accidental reformats.

Water, Fire & Physically Damaged Drives

Physically compromised media, escalated to clean-room partners when needed.

Related

Keep It From Happening Again

Residential Maintenance Plans

Automated backup and drive health monitoring for home PCs.

See home plans →

Questions

Data Recovery FAQ

How much does data recovery cost?

It depends on the type of failure and the drive involved — a straightforward logical recovery costs far less than a mechanical failure requiring clean-room work. Call us and we'll evaluate the drive and give you a clear quote before any recovery work begins.

My drive is making a clicking or grinding noise — is my data still recoverable?

Often, yes — but power it off immediately and stop using it. A clicking or grinding drive usually means a mechanical failure, and every additional power-on cycle risks further head or platter damage that can turn a recoverable drive into one that isn't.

How long does data recovery take?

Logical recoveries, like deleted files or a corrupted partition, can often be turned around in a few days. Mechanical failures requiring clean-room work take longer, since we're relying on outside partners and specialized equipment.

Can you recover data after a ransomware attack?

Sometimes — it depends on the ransomware variant and whether backups or shadow copies survived. Don't pay the ransom before calling us; we'll assess what's actually recoverable first.

What should I do immediately after data loss?

Stop using the drive right away. Continuing to write to a failing or accidentally-formatted drive is the single most common way people turn a recoverable situation into an unrecoverable one. Power it down and give us a call.

Ready When You Are

Let's Fix It

No issue is too big or small. Call, open a ticket, or schedule a technician — we'll figure out the fastest path back to working.