Data recovery · Ottawa
Data recovery in Ottawa
Photos, coursework, client files and years of records. When a drive starts failing, the worst thing you can do is keep using it — every extra boot reduces what can be recovered.
428 Rideau Street, Ottawa — approximately 16 years serving the National Capital Region
Sound familiar?
- The laptop will not boot and the files were never backed up.
- The drive clicks, spins up and down, or is not detected.
- Files disappeared after a Windows or macOS update.
- Someone emptied the wrong folder.
- An external drive asks to be formatted before it can be opened.
Stop using the device first
A failing drive degrades with use. Powering it on repeatedly to check is the single most common reason recoveries fail.
- Shut the device down and leave it off
- Do not run recovery software on the failing drive itself
- Do not reinstall the operating system to see if it helps
- Do not format an external drive that asks to be formatted
- Bring it in, or book free Ottawa pickup
How the assessment works
We image what can be read before attempting anything else, so recovery attempts never run against the original media where it can be avoided.
- Drive health, SMART and detection testing
- Sector-level imaging of readable media
- File-system and partition repair on the copy, not the original
- Recovery of photos, documents, mail and account data where present
- Transfer to a new drive or machine, set up and verified with you
What we cannot promise
No honest shop guarantees recovery. Physically failed platters, badly damaged controllers and encrypted drives without keys sometimes cannot be read. You will hear the realistic odds before you spend, and we will tell you when a specialist clean-room lab is the right referral.
From the repair bench
Real work. Carefully done.
Diagnostics, component work and upgrades at our Rideau Street shop.
What changes
Assessment before cost
You learn what is recoverable before committing to the work.
Original media protected
We work from an image wherever the drive allows it.
Set up, not just handed back
Recovered data is transferred and verified with you.
What it costs
Recovery is quoted after assessment, because effort varies enormously between a corrupted file system and a physically failing drive. The diagnostic fee starts at $49 and is waived if you approve the work.
See full pricingCommon questions
- How much does data recovery cost in Ottawa?
- It is quoted after assessment. A corrupted file system is a very different job from a physically failing drive, so we assess first and give you a written price before starting.
- Can you recover data from a laptop that will not turn on?
- Frequently, yes. If the drive itself is healthy, the data is usually recoverable even when the machine is not.
- Should I try recovery software myself?
- Not on a drive that may be failing. Writing to it, or running scans against it, can turn a recoverable situation into an unrecoverable one.
- Do you recover from SSDs?
- Yes, though SSD outcomes are less predictable than mechanical drives because of how controllers and encryption work. We are upfront about the odds for your specific device.
- Is my data kept private?
- Yes. Recovered data is handled only by the technician doing the work and is returned or securely erased at your instruction.
Free pickup
Computer trouble? Skip the trip.
Free pickup and return delivery across Ottawa — no need to carry a desktop across the city.