My documents contain confidential information. How can I be sure they will remain confidential?

Tunstall and Tunstall Inc. offers our clients a secure environment so that you can rest easy knowing that your information is kept private. Every member of our team is under non-disclosure. The evaluation & recovery process is conducted in secure labs with controlled access to ensure the confidentiality of your data.

We have unwritten non-disclosure agreements with all of our customers, but if your legal department requires a written agreement it should be faxed to our office for processing.

Can I just recover my data using Norton or other disk utilities?

While most disk utilities provide excellent preventative maintenance by fixing minor problems, they can render data unrecoverable in the event of extreme corruption.

Save an "undo" file (a record of the changes the utility has made to your drive), in the event it does not correct your problem. By sending this file along with your drive to us, you help ensure recovery of your data.

DO NOT use a utility program if it does not allow you to save an "undo" file of the repairs it makes. If your drive makes any unusual noises, DO NOT attempt to use any type of utility software. Damaging sounds include clicking, buzzing or scraping. Unusual sounds are indicative of a damaged head mechanism or a head crash. Shut down the computer to avoid further damage to the drive and its data. Send your drive to us for professional recovery in our Cleanroom environment.

Are there instances where lost data cannot be recovered?

Yes.

There are instances where the damage to the hard drive is so severe that data recovery is not possible. This usually occurs when the read/write heads actually "crash" and gouge the magnetic storage media to the point where the data is destroyed.

However, in a number of cases data recovery was possible at the time the damage first occurred, but became non-recoverable through the use of commercial recovery software. This software is designed to recover data from working drives. If your drive has experienced a mechanical or electrical failure, the use of recovery software can cause permanent loss of your data.

What is a Cleanroom?

A cleanroom is an environment where airborn particulates are controlled through an exchange of highly filtered air using a high effeciency particulate air (HEPA) filtering system, and through minimization of activities that generate particles.

In addition to particle control, the cleanroom is temperature and humidity controlled to 70F, 45% RH .

I can't access my data and/or my computer is making noises and/or I smell burning. What should I do?

SHUT YOUR COMPUTER DOWN IMMEDIATELY and consult with your computer technician/service center or call us for Data Recovery Service.

I turn on my computer and all I see on the screen is 'Boot failure please insert boot disk'. What should I do?

A boot disk is a floppy with system files on it.   To create a boot disk, go to a machine that is functioning, put a floppy disk in the A: drive(1.44meg)  and at the C: prompt("C:\") type   " format A: /s "  this will make a Boot disk.  Place the boot disk in the defective system and turn on your computer. The system will boot on the floppy and you will see A:\ prompt.  type C: and press enter.

If the response is " Drive not found " you may need our help. If you see a " C:\ "prompt on your screen and you can do DIR. on the drive you may be able to copy all important files from that drive to an another storage media. 

I turn on my computer and all I see on the screen is " Hard Disk Controller Failure " and the system stops!

When you start your computer Press the " DEL" ( on some machines other key's consult your manual ) key on your keyboard to enter the computers CMOS area, typically there is a section heading " Auto detect hard disk " select this heading and see if your computer detects all hard disks connected to your computer.

If the computer detects a hard disk(s) on your system you may need a  new battery on the motherboard. Consult your technician or service center.  If the computer does not detect a hard disk, your hard disk may be defective. If you have important data on this drive(s) with no backup, contact us for Data Recovery Service.

I erased a very important file/or folder. How do I get the data back?

If you are using Win95/Win98 you can look in the recycle bin (on your desktop) and restore the files recently erased. If you deleted the files in DOS or emptied the Recycle Bin,  immediately shutdown your computer and DO NOT use this computer until you call us for Data Recovery Service.

Turning on your computer and still accessing the drive can overwrite your data that you recently erased!

I formatted my Floppy/Hard disk by mistake. How and can the Data be retrieved?

Call us for Data Recovery Services and your data can be retrieved*.

When a drive is formatted (High Level format) the data area is left intact. Important areas of the drive are erased (Partition, Fat, Root Directory's) but can be rebuilt with expertise, equipment and time.

*Sometimes a drive maybe severely fragmented, very large, or use another OS that will impede Data Recovery attempts.

My computer stopped responding while I was in a very important document/file and I could not save it. When the computer was restarted it is now missing. Can this file be recovered?

*Possibly!  There are a lot of factors for a successful recovery. But a majority of the time the file can be recovered in whole or impart because most systems cache(store in temporary space) the program's and files opened on the hard disk.  Call us for Data Recovery Services. 

*Please shut your computer off to ensure a possibility of a successful recovery, operating the computer will decrease the chances for a recovery.

I dropped my Hard Disk or Laptop and now I can't access my data. Can the data be recovered?

Possibly.  When a hard disk is dropped the Read/Write heads slap (scratch, indent) the platters inside the disk. Platters move from their original position causing mis-alignment, the electronics may be damaged, etc.

This kind of damage may cause permanent damage to the drive in question and may be extremely difficult to recover.

The cost for this type of recovery service can be high and may take time.  If your data is important and it is valuable to YOU call us for Data Recovery Services.

I think I have a virus and I cannot access my drive, floppy or file. Can my data be recovered?

The majority of viruses are just here to annoy us and don't cause damage to the important data areas.

However, some viruses are not viruses. These are Trojans and are simple commands hidden in files that may delete other files from your drive or even destroy your computers CMOS, rendering your computer useless.

These Trojans can make recovery sometimes very difficult or impossible.

After an electrical storm my hard disk no longer is detected. Can the data be recovered?

*Yes. The drive in question has probably received an electrical charge that has caused damage to the electronics and is in need of repair. Contact us for Data Recovery Service.

*Sometimes the drive may have been functioning when the surge occurred. This can write signals to the media of the drive and erase important alignment info(Servo's).

My drive was sent through a shredder and is in a thousand pieces. Can the data be recovered?

Don't call us, call our competitors. Some claim they can!