Data Recovery in Cessnock NSW

Losing files feels different from any other computer problem. A broken screen is an expense. Losing the only copies of the kids' photos or a year of records is something else entirely.

Steven Galvin helps people around Cessnock and the Hunter Valley get files back from computers, laptops, external hard drives, USB sticks and memory cards. Data is often recoverable, but how much comes back depends on what happened to the drive and what has been done to it since. That second part is the bit you control, so read the section below before you try anything.

Stop using the drive

When a file is deleted, the computer usually just marks the space it used as free. The file is still there until something new is written over it. Every program you open, every web page, every update and every attempt to install a recovery tool on that same drive writes new data, and any of it can land exactly where your lost files are sitting.

Solid state drives (SSDs), found in most newer laptops, add a twist. They often clear deleted space automatically in the background, so deleted files on an SSD can become unrecoverable far faster than on an older hard drive. With a failing mechanical drive, the risk is physical damage getting worse every time it powers up. Either way the advice is the same: shut it down and call 0413 604 477.

What recovery looks like

It starts with a free diagnosis to work out whether the problem is the drive, the computer around it, or the way the files were lost. The safest approach is to copy whatever can be read off the drive first and work from that copy, so the original isn't put under more strain. You'll know the price before any work begins.

Results depend on the damage. Accidentally deleted files and laptops that simply won't start are often good news. A drive with serious internal mechanical damage can need a specialist clean-room lab, which is a different level of job and cost, and you'll be told plainly if that's where things are heading before anything else happens.

Once your files are back, back them up

Recovery is the expensive way to protect your files, and a backup is the cheap way. A sensible home setup is one copy on an external drive and another in the cloud, so a single failure, theft or house fire can't take everything. Steven can set up automatic backups so it happens without anyone having to remember.

How a job works

1. 1

   Get in touch

   Call or send an enquiry and describe the problem. Steven books a time that suits you.

2. 2

   Free diagnosis

   He looks at the device or system and explains what is wrong in plain English.

3. 3

   Clear price

   You get an upfront price before any work begins, so there are no surprises.

4. 4

   Fixed and tested

   The repair is done and tested before it goes back to you.

Data Recovery: common questions