Early SATA hard drive recovery

The first decade of SATA, from 2003 to about 2012, when capacities went from 80GB to 3TB.

Ask about data recovery Call 020 7237 6805

About these devices

These drives look modern and plug into a current computer, which is exactly why so many are made worse at home. They are now ten to twenty years old, and several popular model lines from the period had firmware faults that lock the drive completely.

A locked drive with a firmware fault is often fully recoverable, because nothing is wrong with the platters or heads. It needs the firmware repaired with the proper tool, not repeated attempts to make Windows see it.

Typical faults

Firmware lock

The drive is suddenly not detected, or shows a capacity of zero. Certain Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 drives are the best-known example.

Slow responding

The drive becomes so slow that the computer gives up. Often a firmware issue, repairable before copying.

Worn heads

Years of use show as growing numbers of unreadable sectors.

Advanced Format confusion

Early 4K-sector drives used in old enclosures or systems can appear empty or the wrong size.

Drives over 2TB from this period sometimes show as 746GB or 801GB in an old dock or computer. The data has not gone; the equipment cannot address the full drive. Do not initialise it.

Sending older storage

Do not power it up "to see if it still works". Old drives often have one start left in them.
Send any cables, power supplies, enclosures or cartridges that belong with it.
Tell us what computer and system it was used with: Windows 98, Mac OS 9, a server, a camera.
If there are several disks or drives, number them and keep them in order.

Recovery starts with a professional evaluation, charged at £94.80. It tells you what has failed and what can be recovered, and you then receive a fixed price for the recovery itself.

We collect drives and devices by insured courier from anywhere in the UK, or you can post yours tracked and insured, or bring it to the workshop in London SE1. See how to send a drive safely.

Common questions

My old Seagate is not detected at all, with no noise. Is it dead?

Possibly not. That is the classic sign of a firmware fault, which is repairable with the drive's data intact.

I have found an old drive and do not know what is on it. Can you tell me before I pay for recovery?

The evaluation establishes whether the drive is readable and what it holds, before you commit to anything further.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm