Apple Data Recovery

Apple Data Recovery Challenges

Due to the prevalence of PC’s on the world market, the vast majority of data recovery software and tool focus on Windows based FAT and NTFS files systems.  Although both Apple and PC use a lot of the same file types, they store their data on the hard drives in very different ways.  This means that not just any data recovery program will work on a Macintosh based system.  Although many programs advertise that they work on all operating systems, their performance leaves a lot to be desired.  We often get customers who’ve already tried having their data recovered somewhere else, just to end up getting back a mess of nameless, folder-less, mis-matched files.

Fortunately there are professionals who’ve already done the research to know how to properly recover data from HFS and HFS+ filesystems used by Apple.  In the vast majority of cases we can recover your files while maintaining file and folder names in tact.  Even if there is no current software able to find a specific file type, we have professionals who can write custom search algorithms to find nearly any lost file.

Macintosh Computer Stuck at Blinking Folder With Question Mark

This is usually a sign that the computer is unable to read the boot media (usually the hard drive).  In some cases this may be a simple loose connection or bad cable from the drive to the mainboard.  However more often than not, this is the result of a failed, or failing hard drive.  The number one thing to remember in a case like this is not to panic and try something crazy like re-installing your operating system.  If you do this it may inadvertently overwrite your data, or worse yet cause a struggling hard drive to completely fail.The first thing you should do is remove the hard drive and test it using a write block (this prevents accidental writes to the drive) connected via USB to an Apple computer.  If the drive begins clicking or isn’t spinning, you’ll need professional recovery.  If it is recognized by another computer, you might want to try mounting it to see if you can copy the data out of the drive.  If it won’t mount, there is likely filesystem corruption which is preventing it from being accessible.  Although MacOS has some features to repair the disk, be careful.  Sometimes it will inadvertently remove files and folders it can’t recognize due to corruption.

If you’re going to attempt data recovery yourself, make sure to first clone the drive onto another just to be safe.  This isn’t just to protect against accidents while recovering data, but it’s actually a protection against failing hardware.  Often times file system corruption on Apple and other computer systems is the result of bad sectors, or degraded media inside of the hard drive.  By first cloning you can monitor how well the drive is reading data.  If it starts returning CRC errors, other errors, or is going to take days to months to complete something is wrong.  In cases like this you will need to seek professional recovery as it takes special hardware to read hard drives in this condition safely.

Looking for Professional Apple/Mac Data Recovery

Data Medics | Data Recovery will be glad to help you.  We offer free evaluation, free return shipping, and a guarantee that if we can’t get your data back, we don’t get paid.  Give us a chance to show you how affordable Apple data recovery can be.  Contact us by clicking the button below or the “Contact Us” tab at the top of this page.

Even if you’re attempting DIY recovery, feel free to call us.  We’re always willing to give professional advice to anyone who asks.  We can walk you through how software such as Data Rescue 4 might be able to help in some cases, as well as help you not make amateur mistakes that could jeopardize your data.

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