I'm looking for a referrals to a San Francisco / Bay Area data recovery firm that doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

I've got a drive with power surge damage (visibly fried PCB).

I do not know of one that is in the SF area but if you are willing to ship your drive a little bit down the cost there is a good one in the LA area. You can contact thatdellguy here on the forum by PM and talk to him on this one. He is a outstanding member here on the forum and has a lot of experience behind him in this work. Give him a PM and talk to him.

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

You should be looking for someone to handle a Drive Repair, not a Data Recovery ... unless the damage extends to the HDA.

A typical cost for a replacement PCB plus firmware transfer is around US$50.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Some people prefer professional help over non-professional help.

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

I do not agree that a local IT shop could handle this one and do a little PCB work on this. He has damage to the PCB as stated yes but that if electric more than than not is not a simple PCB swap on this one. This damage leads to internal damage to the preamp and can not be handle by an average Joe for 50 dollars. He asked for a referral and the one that is close to him that I referred him to is thatdellguy. He can handle all the internal premap problems and get the guys data back safely for him. I do not believe a local repair shop can do this one for him. He is better to send it to thatdellguy.

_________________
Iorana Haraharaini

Alhough there is some partial truth in your statement, it's interesting how you can make things sound so easy

The OP did not specify what for a drive it is, therefore how do you know if there is a rom chip or if the adaptive data is stored in the MCU. Additionally how is the OP going to determine if this is a pure PCB issue or if it damaged the preamp? You might have tools and ability to measure the preamp (or not) but the average visitor does not. Also, since you do not actually work in the data recovery field, you might mislead potential victims of data loss since they will take your advice at face value. Everytime someone monkeys with the drive it can drastically reduce the chances for recovery, depending on the issue. Therefore I think first we should know what for a drive it is and how important the data is for the OP.


P.S. for the OP. As a general rule, if you want the data back but can live without it, then DYI is OK. If you absolutely need the data, then most definitely send it to a pro.

P.S.S. "TheDellGuy" would be in your area.

Unlike the OP and the others, I have not jumped to the conclusion that the damage is anything more than a burnt board. In a great many cases the damage is confined to a shorted diode, which can simply be removed. That's a simple DIY job which will cost nothing. In the absence of any detailed information from the OP, it is completely inappropriate to jump to the worst case diagnosis, namely that the preamp is dead. There is no need for the OP to panic just yet.

If the OP needs more detailed help, then I invite him/her to upload a photo of the component side of the board. In the event that the board is beyond DIY repair, then there are suppliers who will include a firmware transfer with the replacement board, usually for US$50 - $70.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Sofar i have not had 1 single drive this year with a damaged TVS, on the other hand I just recovered a WD5000BEVT this week, where the client used the incorrect power source and it damaged, several caps, motor controller and preamp. (granted I don't see that many of them, but then again I don't se many TVS issues either. If this is the case, then yes the OP will be lucky and it will be a quick fix.


Yes, there is no need to panic, panic is never a recommendable emotion, however McGyver time can often cause much damage, so therefore it's not always recommendable. IMO, the try "A" and see if it works, then try "B" and see if it works and then try "C" and if all else fails send it to a pro, is not a good approch. At least not if the data is important. In some cases a damaged preamp can kill some servo info, and there are other nice and fun things that can occur and render the drive useless, but ofcourse your average PC Tech is not going to know this.

Good idea

I see some bad TVSes, but nowhere near the quantity that this forum might imply are at fault. Maybe my sample is skewed, or else maybe the "kind" of people who plug in wrong power supplies and / or can identify that there is a PCB problem are the same "kind" of people who would solicit advice?

_________________
http://www.datasaversllc.com

You jumped to the conclusion that the OP needed your help when they clearly wanted information on a good DR place.

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

I don't doubt you at all. Identifying and removing shorted TVS diodes is a straightforward DIY task that should be well within the capabilites of every individual, given just a modicum of instruction and a little encouragement. In fact, over the past year I, too, have been seeing a steep decline in the number of messages related to TVS diodes, both in public forums and in my private correspondence. Even so, I still see about 3 per week. That's why I asked to see the OP's board. Furthermore, the OP did say that there was a power surge, and TVS diodes are usually the first line of defence against such surges ...

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.