Larger Drives > 1TB

[lcoughey]

Okay, I'm sure that we are not the only lab finding ourselves wasting a lot of time with really large drives and having our quotes declined or finding that we are spending a lot longer on the project than expected. I'm curious to know what other labs are doing.

1. If the drive detects, are you doing a full clone before you check the file system to see if the data is accessible?
2. Do you charge more just because of the drive's size?
3. How do you deal with short term archiving of your client's data?

Using DDI, it can take 11 hours to clone a healthy 2TB drive. If the client's file system is corrupt, it could take a couple of days to do a full scan of the drive.

4. Do you just guess and quote in advance?
5. Do you take the time to recover the data, then quote?

[pclab]

Okay, I'm sure that we are not the only lab finding ourselves wasting a lot of time with really large drives and having our quotes declined or finding that we are spending a lot longer on the project than expected. I'm curious to know what other labs are doing.

1. If the drive detects, are you doing a full clone before you check the file system to see if the data is accessible?
If it's detected and I can see the files with R-Studio for instance, no clone. I get the files the client wanted right away
2. Do you charge more just because of the drive's size?
Normally No
3. How do you deal with short term archiving of your client's data?
I save them into my PC's and external drive until the job is accepted or not

Using DDI, it can take 11 hours to clone a healthy 2TB drive. If the client's file system is corrupt, it could take a couple of days to do a full scan of the drive.

4. Do you just guess and quote in advance?
First, I have to check if I really have the files, even if it takes 2 days..
5. Do you take the time to recover the data, then quote?
Yes

[craig6928]

1.no way going to the data straight away one chance recovery before drive goes bye bye

2.normally no set rate for any drives

3.save them onto external drives and allso burn onto dvdrs and then once the job is accepted its all done

4.first do the recovery then check that the files are the ones i need then test them out first

5.yes all the time can take up to two days or longer

[lcoughey]

1. If the drive detects, are you doing a full clone before you check the file system to see if the data is accessible?
If it's detected and I can see the files with R-Studio for instance, no clone. I get the files the client wanted right away

Isn't that risky and hard on the drive?

2. Do you charge more just because of the drive's size?
Normally No

So, a project that takes 1 day is the same price as one that takes 4 days?

3. How do you deal with short term archiving of your client's data?
I save them into my PC's and external drive until the job is accepted or not

How long do you store the data?

4. Do you just guess and quote in advance?
First, I have to check if I really have the files, even if it takes 2 days..

We check the files before we officially call the project recoverable. But, this happens after they accept the quote.

5. Do you take the time to recover the data, then quote?
Yes

So, you spend the money and time to do a $1000 recovery before you find out that it is only worth $50 to the client? Our goal is to quote the client ASAP, the sooner they are quoted, the more likely that they are to accept. The longer you wait, the more time they have to find their data in other places and decide that their data isn't as important to them as it was when they sent it in.

[lcoughey]

1.no way going to the data straight away one chance recovery before drive goes bye bye

This is a wise decision and why I find that DDI is invaluable to us.

2.normally no set rate for any drives

But, would you charge more because it is going to take you longer to recover the data?

3.save them onto external drives and allso burn onto dvdrs and then once the job is accepted its all done

You save the clones on external drives and DVDs or just the recovered data? We store the recovered data for the two week holding period, but our main priority is to hold the clone for that time frame. It is more likely that we have to go back to the clone and try to recover a file, using different methods, rather than go back to the recovered data, which the client already has.

4.first do the recovery then check that the files are the ones i need then test them out first
5.yes all the time can take up to two days or longer

Again, this makes no sense to me. You would spend $250 on a parts drive, get it in, change the heads, spends several days or weeks mirroring the drive, recover the data, test the data, then quote the client? Man it must really suck when you get the projects turned down...unless you are charging $100 for everything...either way, aren't you losing money doing it that way?

[CK]

Simplest way is to analyse the drive quickly, determine what fault is and quote accordingly. We provide a scale of recoverability from Very Low to Very High, based on experience. Spending days and days determining if a drive is recoverable is fine if this is not your sole income or if you are a small operation, but diagnosis should be quick and get the quote to your customer within hours and let them make the decision before you pour valuable time and labour and parts into it.

[CK]

btw.......it's ridiculous that some people are charging flat rate no matter what the capacity is. Clearly, a 2 TB HDD is going to take far longer than a 60GB HDD and if you have overheads, you gotta charge on a capacity basis..........again, assuming one is running a professional operation (by no means am I inferring you are not btw Luke.)

[lcoughey]

btw.......it's ridiculous that some people are charging flat rate no matter what the capacity is. Clearly, a 2 TB HDD is going to take far longer than a 60GB HDD and if you have overheads, you gotta charge on a capacity basis..........again, assuming one is running a professional operation (by no means am I inferring you are not btw Luke.)

I don't charge a flat rate...and certainly do charge more for larger drives, most of the time. I started the discussion because we were having the discussion here amongst my staff and I was curious to see what others were doing.

It is my guess that those who are spending days doing the assessment are low price one man shows. I cannot afford to pay my staff to waste time on a project that might not be worth the time spent on it. So, our goal is to quote within a few hours of the drive arriving...no later than the next business day.

[drc]

Agree with CK

[pclab]

1. If the drive detects, are you doing a full clone before you check the file system to see if the data is accessible?
If it's detected and I can see the files with R-Studio for instance, no clone. I get the files the client wanted right away

Isn't that risky and hard on the drive?

It depends on the problem that the drive has. If it's only a logical problem and few files to recover, why not? If it click

2. Do you charge more just because of the drive's size?
Normally No

So, a project that takes 1 day is the same price as one that takes 4 days?
Of course, times is money. If a job takes 4 ou 5 days, it's because the drive is alot bad, right? So the price will be other too

3. How do you deal with short term archiving of your client's data?
I save them into my PC's and external drive until the job is accepted or not

How long do you store the data?
I can save it for 2-3 weeks, at least, after the client got his files, and I don't need the space

4. Do you just guess and quote in advance?
First, I have to check if I really have the files, even if it takes 2 days..

We check the files before we officially call the project recoverable. But, this happens after they accept the quote.

5. Do you take the time to recover the data, then quote?
Yes

So, you spend the money and time to do a $1000 recovery before you find out that it is only worth $50 to the client? Our goal is to quote the client ASAP, the sooner they are quoted, the more likely that they are to accept. The longer you wait, the more time they have to find their data in other places and decide that their data isn't as important to them as it was when they sent it in.

Yeah that could happen. But when a disk cames in, we can make a quick diagnostic and tell the client right away if it's a $50 or $1000 job. If he's not interested, we don't even start

About what CK said, he's also very right, but 2TB drives, are not very usual yet. When they start to come, we can adjust then.

[craig6928]

Again, this makes no sense to me. You would spend $250 on a parts drive, get it in, change the heads, spends several days or weeks mirroring the drive, recover the data, test the data, then quote the client? Man it must really suck when you get the projects turned down...unless you are charging $100 for everything...either way, aren't you losing money doing it that way?


we dont have any turn down we do recovery work for a lot of undisclosed clients

allso we spend a average of about $400 on parts

no recovery no fees to pay

we use hardware industry machine which cost A LOT OF MONEY

where no one on this forum will ever have or know what it is

[pclab]

I don't think you got it Craig...

When such cases came in, for instance a clicking drive, we say to client to expect a high quote, not to expect $50. If the guy says it's too much, then we don't even start.
But if we say it may cost $700-$1000, of course, the process of buying the parts, imaging whatever, starts. And we know that only if we can't get the data, there's no charge.

If you get a client willing to pay only 50-100$, for a logical error for instance, you don't do it?

[lcoughey]

we dont have any turn down we do recovery work for a lot of undisclosed clients

allso we spend a average of about $400 on parts

no recovery no fees to pay

we use hardware industry machine which cost A LOT OF MONEY

where no one on this forum will ever have or know what it is

Last year, you were just a computer repair shop that dabbles with data recovery. Now you have a machine that nobody on this forum even knows exists and never have a quote turned down? Something is not making sense here...you are starting to sound like CSSI. What company are you working for? I'd love to stop by and say hello the next time I'm in Toronto.

[CK]

we use hardware industry machine which cost A LOT OF MONEY

I always get a good laugh from these comments.

Are you talking about the hard drive spray machine?

[craig6928]

hard drive spray im going to sell it two for one offer $150

[BlackST]

It depends on how much 'A LOT OF MONEY' is...

[dick]

Maybe the recovery industry has to change the way it operates bringing in a more realistic pricing structure. At least charge a minimum fee for evaluation of large drives which might even include the cost of imaging, which can later be deducted from the clients final bill if the recovery is accepted.

If I go to my solicitor or lawyer he will quite happily take on my case. If we win he will charge me accordingly and if we lose he will charge me just the same!

[guru]

@Dick

Respect for the quote

"If I go to my solicitor or lawyer he will quite happily take on my case. If we win he will charge me accordingly and if we lose he will charge me just the same!"

[guru]

Reading the same alternative forum as me :O)

we dont have any turn down we do recovery work for a lot of undisclosed clients

allso we spend a average of about $400 on parts

no recovery no fees to pay

we use hardware industry machine which cost A LOT OF MONEY

where no one on this forum will ever have or know what it is

Last year, you were just a computer repair shop that dabbles with data recovery. Now you have a machine that nobody on this forum even knows exists and never have a quote turned down? Something is not making sense here...you are starting to sound like CSSI. What company are you working for? I'd love to stop by and say hello the next time I'm in Toronto.

[RIZWAN]

CK, CK, hiiiii