Hard drive storage capacities have changed dramatically since their creation in 1954 when IBM introduced the 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) hard disk this would store about 8 MB. Although the basic components have not changed dramatically. There are seven basic components to a hard drives HDA (hard drive disk assembly), platters, the spindle and spindle motor, read/write heads, actuator, voice coil, and PCB.

The platters themselves come in several mediums. Traditionally platters are made up of an aluminum alloy that is coated with a magnetic material like ferrite compound in the form of a liquid that is applied to the platter as it is spun to allow an even coat. This compound is applied through an electroplating process. More recently with newer technologies manufactures have begun to use more heat resistant materials such as glass or ceramic platters. With theses materials drive manufactures have been able to place more platters within the hard drive cases allowing for lager storage capacities. Platters are coated on both the top and bottom a drive with 4 platters yields 8 sides in which it can store data.

Losing data is a stressful time for anyone. Restoring your data quickly and cheaply is most likely the only thing on your mind. Northwest Data Recovery™ has been a leader in the data recovery industry for many years now, and, unfortunately, we have seen far too many good people fall victim to an ever-growing number of unscrupulous ‘fly-by-night’ or ‘self-proclaimed’ data recovery businesses.

These businesses promise you fast service and cheap prices to lure you in, and then claim your data is unrecoverable as they hand you an outrageous bill. Since there is no governing body or association that administers or licenses data recovery firms, how do you know whom to trust with your data? The key is to educate yourself about your data recovery options so that you can make informed choices.

When choosing a recovery company, be wary of data recovery firms that:

• Promise to recover your data without looking at the media.
• Demand payment before rendering services.
• Promise a low price even if they haven’t seen your media. If your data isn’t recovered, a low price is just lost money.
• Charge a fee even if recovery attempts are unsuccessful. Once payment is received, there is no incentive to get your data back for you.

Conversely, there are several things to look for when choosing a data recovery professional. Reputable companies will all have these things in common:

• A no data – no fee policy. Only a very small percentage of recoveries are unsuccessful for a knowledgeable specialist.
• No promise of recovery without first seeing the media. A reputable specialist will not provide assurances of a successful recovery over the phone.
• Will not give a firm quote without first seeing the media.
• Will cost a little more, but you will receive your data back. A reputable recovery specialist won’t accept payment for an unsuccessful recovery.

Unscrupulous recovery companies may occasionally get lucky and recover your data with commercially available over-the-counter software, but do you want to take the chance on losing your data forever? A true recovery specialist has special equipment along with an extensive knowledge of how a hard drive stores and retrieves data—knowledge that takes many years to learn and is not gained by just repairing computers. In the end, while a reputable data recovery firm may cost a little more, you can rest assured that your data is in good hands.