Article Written By: Maureen Davies
So you're working on a critical job, and bam! Your Mac hits the skids. The hard drive seems, for all intents and purposes, to be broken. When this is the case, it is quite probable you've encountered a catastrophic mechanical hard drive failure. This means that no data recovery product around is going to be of help. Action plan, anybody?Unless you happen to have a fully stocked data recovery lab and lots of history working in the data recovery field (if you do, it's doubtful you're reading this article, frankly), you're going to need the aid of a professional Mac Hard Drive Recovery vendor. Consider the following when making your selection:1. Data Importance - First off, how crucial is the data on your drive? If it's not very crucial and you can simply get a new drive, this is definitely the most cost-effective avenue. It's really simple to install Mac OS X on a clean drive, so if your files are not that critical, this is your best decision. If, on the other hand, your Mac contains important business or personal data, a professional will be a good choice.2. Is Your Service Mac Ready? - The fact is, an estimated 30% of data recovery service vendors are not equipped to perform Mac data recovery. Recovering Mac hard drives is incredibly different to simple PC hard disk recovery, and requires different equipment as well. Are you sure that the shop you've selected is the best? Make sure to ask for testimonials.3. Testimonials - In a similar vein, if the data recovery provider you call upon says that they offer Mac data recovery, dig a little deeper. While many providers will not provide actual names and phone numbers because of privacy issues, they will at least have a good library of customer testimonials on hand. It never hurts to get references, especially when it comes to your critical data.4. On Phone Consultation - Beware always of companies that urge you to ship your Mac hard drive before they've asked any questions. Data recovery sales people can be very aggressive, and look to take advantage of people having a data emergency. A good technician should be able to diagnose your problem while on the phone. Hold them to this.5. Quote First, Then Ship - It's simply an industry standard to get a data recovery quote before service is provided. If you're speaking to someone that won't quote or even guarantee a price on your hard drive recovery, time to call someone else. Smaller shops will often charge more than you might have imagined, particularly if you don't have a guaranteed price. Get them to put pen to paper on a price, and then consider sending your disk drive. You'll be glad you did.Fact is, no one wants to be in a scenario where they need Mac hard drive recovery services. But if it happens, don't forget to stay smart and don't panic.
This Article Has Been Published on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 and Read 309 Times