The best data recovery services in Canberra

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OPC, one of Canberra’s most recommended data recovery service providers. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

In the information laden world of today, data has become a commodity as precious as profit itself. As the lifeblood of many an organisation, it flows through the veins of businesses the region over. Be it growth projections or contracts, this data is used minute by minute by everyone from the executive to the frontline.

Without it, even the simplest of operations quickly falls over. Despite its critical nature, data does get lost. Whether it be due to accidental error, physical damage, failed systems, or a cyber hack, many businesses can be left hanging. While data loss is always regrettable, the key to maintaining business continuity is effective data recovery.

As specialists in the retrieval of inaccessible or damaged data, data recovery services really shine. Meticulously working through each issue, the aim to retrieve, repair, and restore data back to their clients. If you’ve found yourself in a data dilemma fear not, here is our pick of the best data recovery services in Canberra.

What makes a great data recovery service?

Great data recovery services sweep in swiftly, securely retrieve, and save the day. If you are seeking the services of data recovery team the following criteria may help:

  • Reputable. In many instances the best data recovery services are also the most reputable. Speak to colleagues and other businesses about whom they use and gather recommendations from members of your IT team. Once you have collated a shortlist, conduct a little research, taking note of referrals, testimonials, and reviews. Then, contact each to begin a little self-assessment.
  • Certified. When it comes to credentials, industry certifications are invaluable – and for two good reasons. Firstly, they indicate competency; that a given data recovery service is proficient, knowledgeable, and skilled in their craft. Secondly, they confirm that a service follows industry best practices and processes. Certifications of note include the likes of the ISO 27001 in Information Security and the ISO Cleanroom.
  • Experienced. When evaluating a data recovery service consider their experience. The informatics industry is wide as it is dynamic, with countess devices, systems, and software solutions in use. Experienced teams will be adept generalists, who are also likely to be specialists in an area or two, be it physical damage or viruses and hacks. Consider your scenario and seek a data recovery team that meets your need. The more experienced, the greater the access to resources and likelihood of addressing the issue before.
  • Private & secure. As is the case with all stored data, keeping it secure and privately held is key. From client PI data through to sensitive financial information and corporate intelligence there is much to protect from prying eyes. Therefore, before selecting a data recovery company, elect one that treats their client’s restored data carefully. Look for clear privacy protocols, storage on closed networks, along with dedicated controls and filesystem level encryption.
  • Transparent pricing. While affordability and value are indeed important, arguably of greater significance is the matter or pricing transparency. Given the price on application nature of data recovery services, seeking a provider that offers honest, transparent pricing is key. Look for inclusive price structures and clear inclusions whilst avoiding hidden fees and escalated pricing for ‘challenging’ cases.

The best data recovery services in Canberra

Riotact’s editorial team has combed through 20 years of on-site comments to compile a list of the most recommended businesses according to you.

To be listed in our Best of Canberra series, each business needs to have consistently received positive feedback on Riotact and maintain a minimum average of 4/5 stars on both Google and Facebook reviews.

OPC IT

OPC IT specialises in data recovery so valuable information is protected in a disaster such as network failure, attacks, fires or floods.

Committed to excellence in service delivery, OPC IT offers disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), designed around minimal disruption and data loss. Its vast experience safeguards clients from IT outages. It also builds resilient IT systems to maintain servers and network usage throughout recovery.

OPC IT – as a quality technology provider operating in Canberra since 1985 – adds measurable business value to clients through managed IT, web, Cloud and security services. Clients can perform efficiently and effectively and continue with a business-as-usual approach.

With data recovery services, OPC IT’s team of 28 specialists manages risk and mitigates the damage and financial costs that result from disruptions. The team is highly responsive and also available to help clients develop a plan for system failures.

With DRaaS, OPC IT backs up vital data and applications and provides system failover to a secondary infrastructure. Through DRaaS, it replicates production infrastructure and all processes onto recovery infrastructure. This enables clients to transition to a backup environment seamlessly.

Local and family owned, OPC IT works across multiple industries providing end-to-end services and building professional relationships grounded in mutual trust.

Michael Sassella wrote on Google, My workplace uses OPC for its IT and OPC does a great job. It is responsive and has the most obliging, technically competent staff who are always ready to help when I contact them for service.”

Micron21

Charging forward as Australia’s first tier IV data centre, Australian owned and operated Micron21 is a total solutions data and cloud provider. With a comprehensive range of premium services, Micron21 can assist with everything from high-speed internet and solutions architecture through to disaster recovery and PC support.

Having worked with thousands of small to medium businesses, enterprise, and government agencies Micron21 service all industry verticals with a range of pinpoint solutions. With numerous ISO certifications and equally as many industry qualifications, Micron21 is well positioned to assist with an organisations most precious asset – data.

Their data recovery service is multi-layered, from securing, prevention and restoring, offering scalable solutions to suit business need. Moreover, their Australian-based client services team makes navigating recovery that little bit easier. With a range of configurable data transfer options and flexible recovery options they are a great choice.

Check out their Facebook page.

Jacob Negri shared the following on Google, “I have really enjoyed working with Micron21 for the last 2 years, they have genuine advice, fast response times and great systems in place for support tickets. This allows me to run my business with confidence knowing that my web hosting needs are in safe hands!”

ASA Computer Repairs

Canberra-based ASA Computer Repairs have built a reputation for quality work and efficient IT solutions. With a no-fix, no-fee policy, their CompTIA A+ce and Microsoft certified technicians they are a one-stop shop for all computer needs.

As experts in data recovery, they are experienced in all manner of devices from the worlds leading brands. From internal or external Windows or MAC formatted hard drives, SSDs, RAID arrays, NAS drives, USBs and more, they are trained to handle each with absolute dexterity and care.

As Kate shared on Google, “Friendly, efficient service - retrieved my data from a bricked laptop and kept me informed along the way. Would return for any future needs.”

CBIT Data Recovery

Positioned as one of the region’s leading data recovery services, CBIT Data Recovery have a reputation amongst law enforcement, government, and enterprise clients. With a team of specialists that boast over two decades of experience, they take pride in their high service standards.

Having recovered data for thousands of clients nationwide, they are adept at recovering from almost any digital device that stores data. From the individual or family who have lost family photos to a corporate team who have lost their files they are here to help.

School of Sport ACT had this to say on Google, “Kane and the CBIT Data Recovery team were extremely helpful and professional, sharing progress at each stage of the process. We were delighted that they were able to recover 100% of the previously thought lost data in a very short time frame.”

Canberra Computer Doctors

Known for their fast and convenient computer solutions, Canberra Computer Doctor’s team of highly qualified technicians specialise in the repair and maintenance of computers. As an award-winning mobile service, they conveniently come to you, covering Canberra, Queanbeyan and beyond.

Amongst their extensive range of services includes basic through to advanced data recovery. With numerous data recovery options available they take pride in providing customers with the best possible change of retrieving their files.

As Paul Willemsen stated on Google, “Had a hard drive failure and Canberra Computer Doctors replaced the hard drive without any lost data…. Very highly recommended for speed, repair, and professionalism.”

For more, see our articles on the best computer repair shops, the best laptop screen replacement, and the best IT support services that Canberra has to offer.

Your experience with data recovery services in Canberra

Thanks to our commenters who have provided insightful feedback. If you believe we have got it wrong, please let us know.

Have you had experience with any of the data recovery services listed above? If so, share your feedback in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is data recovery?

Data recovery is the process of restoring lost, deleted, corrupted or inaccessible data. In enterprise IT, it typically refers to the restoration of data to a desktop, laptop, server, or external storage system from a backup.

Backup versus recovery - what’s the difference?

Backup refers to the process of duplicating and saving original data for use in the event of database failure; while recovery refers to the process of restoring a database to its original state when such failure occurs.

What storage systems can data be recovered from?

Data can be recovered from many things including internal or external hard drives, solid-state drives, USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and other electronic devices. For more, contact your local data recovery specialist.

How far back can deleted files be restored?

Outside of recycle bin windows, pinpointing a timeframe is tricky. Generally, a deleted file can be restored provided the space it occupied is not overwritten is newly stored data. However as overwritten data space selection is random, there is no set time frame. Hence you may find that files deleted years ago are recoverable, however those recently deleted are not. For help restoring your lost data contact a recovery service.

What does data recovery cost?

As each instance of data loss is unique, so too is pricing for data recovery services. Actual costs are dependent on things like the device type, reason for failure, degree of corruption, amount of data needing to be retrieved, file type, service speed and more. For a quote applicable to your need contact your local data recovery service.

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Sohail Afzal12:09 am 21 Feb 23

We would like to introduce our data recovery service here in Canberra.
ASA Computer Repairs specializes in recovering lost, deleted, corrupted, or inaccessible data from various devices such as hard drives, solid-state drives, flash drives, memory cards, and other storage media. We use specialized software and hardware tools to retrieve data that is lost due to various reasons such as accidental deletion, virus attacks, software malfunction, hardware failure, physical damage, and natural disasters.

It seems that ours must have been hidden but not lost as the software seems to be finding heaps of files- not the baby pics yet , but it is a long slow process that will keep Mr Igglepiggle occupied for days yet.
Thanks heaps everyone for your suggestions and descriptions (clearly some of you work in IT as having read some of these responses several times I still don’t get it!)
I will let you know if and when the baby pics reappear (I am hopeful!)

Igglepiggle said :

Jivrashia said :

Formatted hard drive?? As in, formatted properly (takes several minutes to complete) during a fresh install of Windows XP?

I think the odds are against you, but good luck…

And if you do find a professional who can do it, it will probably be not cheap (around the $1000 mark I think).

Yep that kind of formatted- Mr Igglepiggle is in big trouble!

thanks for the suggestions- will look into them

I’ve recovered data from a drive that someone did a factory system restore on 7 times (as in format, overwrite), then decided to call me. I got most of it back quite easily with EasyRecovery Pro.

Depends on a number of factors as mentioned above. Basically try the software recovery route, if that doesn’t work you are looking at specialist data recovery. Best price I’ve seen is about $10/mb recovered. So its about a $200 problem* or a $2500+ problem.

Alternatively if you still have the SD card or media from the camera you could try the recovery from there.

*Or a case of beer and a mate’s time problem.

Data is always able to be recovered, it just depends on the time and money you want to spend. For most people this is prohibitively expensive. Most commercial software should recover files for people providing they haven’t be doing a lot of writing to the sectors that they want to receover from.

My understanding is that no one has ever successfully recovered data from a modern hard drive which has been overwritten, whether through reuse of the sectors or complete formatting. It has been speculated that recovery is possible using the method Jivrashia and taco mentioned, but I am not aware of any researchers managing to do this.

If it was only a quick format then you may be able to use a file carving application (I would also recommend Easy Recovery Professional, but only after trying a free application like photorec), but these will only be able to recover files with known signatures such as photos, mp3s, word documents etc..

Jivrashia said :

Now, I understand that, theoretically, data can be recovered even after a format, due to the slight variance in the magnetic field that may exist between a recent write and a write that occurred some time ago. But you need very special equipment to read that slight variance (e.g. CSI stuff) and need to dismantle the harddrive.

That’s how I understand it too. Data may be digital, but the method of storing it on a magnetic platter isn’t as simple as 1 and 0, on and off, it’s more high and low.
A “0” could mean anything between a reading of 0.0 to 0.4 and a “1” would read from 0.6 to 1 (where 0 means no charge and 1 means maximum charge)
If you had a byte of “10101010” and formatted every bit to “0”, which to the hard drive controller looks like “00000000” which is what it tells the operating system, but to a CSI style recovery the data might look something like .2, 0, .2, 0, .2, 0, .2, 0 – which you could reconstruct as “10101010”

Modern hard drives apparently have much lower charges on the individual bits, so it’s supposedly much harder to do now days (plus drives are bigger and denser, so more costly try), and it’s also harder if the data has been overwritten (e.g. writing 11001100 over 10101010 may actually result in 1, .8, .2, 0, 1, .8, .2, 0 which you can reconstruct back to 10101010 again, but gets more complicated the more times it’s been written to)

Hells_Bells741:26 pm 26 Aug 09

Oh total sympathy for you and baby pics are so precious. I too lost all my pictures a couple of years back which were the last thing to be burned onto a DVD before I formatted, and I forgot them and took no copy.

I thought it was hopeless nothing I could do, so I am so pleased for you there may be something to get them back.

Best of luck.

amelie said :

Buy a copy of Easy Recovery Professional. It can recover just about anything – deleted files, formatted files, even files that have been subsequently over-written.

amelie, I hate to say this but I believe you have been misinformed.
‘Deleted’ and ‘over-written’ files are not deleted as we understand it. They are removed from a table that tells the operating system (e.g. Windows XP) where to find the file on the harddrive, so the OS can no longer ‘see’ it under normal operation.

The software you mention ‘recover’ these files by scanning the whole harddrive and seeking out what looks like legitimate files , but which are not registered on the said table.

One doesn’t format a file, but format a partition. And when formatting (not a quick format, which just wiping out the said table so a file recovery is still possible) null data is written to all parts of the partition, thus effectively erasing everything that could have been recovered.

Now, I understand that, theoretically, data can be recovered even after a format, due to the slight variance in the magnetic field that may exist between a recent write and a write that occurred some time ago. But you need very special equipment to read that slight variance (e.g. CSI stuff) and need to dismantle the harddrive.

Thanks everyone- trunking symbols suggestion of PC inspector seems to be doing the job nicely- its found over 900 file so far and is retrieving them for me -yay! Hopefully most of the baby pics willbe amoongst that lot.

DLWM- Backups are great for everything up until about 3 months ago- seeing as i have an 8 week old baby, our sleep is still in survival mode so the backups haven’t been done. Good reminder for everyone though to make a set!

johnny_the_knife1:03 pm 26 Aug 09

To maximise you chances of recovering the data, first, STOP USING THE COMPUTER. That means turn it off and disconnect it from the power to help prevent someone else from accidentally using it. I would then contact a data recovery specialist, this does not mean the computer shop down the road who have some software they use to recover files. In some cases, this will only make things worse.

I reccomend Payam data recovery (http://www.payam.com.au/), they are based in Sydney and will accept your drive by mail or courier. Costs vary from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand, but given what you have told us, I expect it would be at the lower end of that spectrum. I have used them before, their success rate and response timesare nothing short of excellent.

Be careful with who you choose – make sure they copy the drive first, before attempting any recovery.

I tried this with one mob (not at Phillip) who did no more than I could have with the free software. What a waste of money. In the end, a friend helped me out. Don’t knock the friends who can be bought for a case of beer, provdied they know what they are doing.

Call John Phillips from ocean computing solutions, their number is 1300 558 121.

I know John has had experience with data recovery before. Sadly your going to have to spend money on it (sorry cmdwedge, but I don’t think I’d trust a restore from someone who has offered it for a case of beer and has stated they have had some success in the past).

What ever you do don’t use the computer again until you have had someone to look over it for you, as the files are probably still there intact, and using the computer will simply risk overwriting the data.

If you’re in the Woden area (near my work) or Gungahlin (near my home), I could have a go at it for you. Case of beer + about 2 days for you to be without the drive. I’ve been quite successful in the past when having to recover data.

Let me know if you’re keen.

DarkLadyWolfMother11:11 am 26 Aug 09

Restore from backups?

(Sorry, someone had to say it)

Bummer.

But, considering that to properly erase data usually takes a lot of re-writes it should be recoverable, but, may cost a bit. There is software you can use yourself to try and recover data, but, being pictures of your child, maybe safer to get a professional to do it if you are not computer savvy.

First step though is to not use that drive, remove it from the PC and buy a new one and install XP onto the new one. Guessing you’ve already stopped using it eh.

Jivrashia said :

Formatted hard drive?? As in, formatted properly (takes several minutes to complete) during a fresh install of Windows XP?

I think the odds are against you, but good luck…

And if you do find a professional who can do it, it will probably be not cheap (around the $1000 mark I think).

Yep that kind of formatted- Mr Igglepiggle is in big trouble!

thanks for the suggestions- will look into them

if it was a quick format the information should still be there, just not visible and as long as you haven’t overwritten the data, it should be retrievable with minimal effort. There are a number of FREE data recovery tools avaialble for download from sites like tucows or the pcauthority website.

Buy a copy of Easy Recovery Professional. It can recover just about anything – deleted files, formatted files, even files that have been subsequently over-written.

There’s a place in Phillip you could try. I think it’s called Office Essentials. They are located in the court that is just behind Magnet Mart. Altree Court I think.

Formatted hard drive?? As in, formatted properly (takes several minutes to complete) during a fresh install of Windows XP?

I think the odds are against you, but good luck…

And if you do find a professional who can do it, it will probably be not cheap (around the $1000 mark I think).

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