✓ What you should do
- Switch the device off immediately and leave it off
- Do not save or install anything else on the drive
- Write down what happened (a drop? noises? an error message?)
- Call me, you reach me directly: +49 711 3588558
✗ Never do this
- Open the hard drive, even the smallest dust particles destroy the data surface
- Freeze the drive, a stubborn myth that does more harm than good
- Repeatedly power on a clicking drive, every start attempt can cost data
- Run recovery software on the original drive
Your data back in your hands
Benjamin Riedel
You call, I answer.
Your data is gone? Don't panic, I'll help you. For 21 years I have been recovering my customers' data in my specialist workshop in Stuttgart-Sillenbuch: personally, locally and transparently. Your hard drive stays in Stuttgart, and you know at all times who is working on it and what it costs. No shipping to anonymous large labs, no call-center queue.
What I recover
- Hard drives (HDD)internal & external hard drives, also after a drop or head crash
- SSDsincluding controller defects and firmware problems
- RAID & NASDedicated page →
- USB flash driveseven with a broken-off connector
- SD cards & memory cardsphoto and video recovery, even when physically damaged
- Apple / MacMac systems and Time Machine media
Whether it is important business data, your thesis or the family photo collection: I have recovered cases like these many times, for companies just as much as for students and families.
Logical or physical damage?
The right diagnosis decides how to proceed. And whether a do-it-yourself attempt would put your data at risk:
Logical damage
The drive is mechanically intact, but the file system or the partitions are damaged, or data was deleted or formatted. Good prospects, as long as nothing more is written to the drive.
Physical damage
Mechanical or electronic defects: head crash, defective circuit board, motor damage, water damage. This is where the drive belongs in the specialist workshop. Every further attempt to run it makes the damage worse.
How a data recovery works
From the first phone call through the appointment in person to the handover of your data: everything from one person. I guide you through the whole process, without passing anything on to third parties.
- Free initial consultation by phone. I clarify the symptoms and how urgent it is.
- Diagnosis. The drive is examined and you receive an honest assessment.
- Cost estimate. You decide before any costs for the recovery arise.
- Recovery. The work is done on a sector-by-sector copy, never on the original.
- Handover. Your verified data on a new drive, with backup advice on request.
What does data recovery cost?
- Diagnosis and initial consultation free of charge
- Recovery at a fixed price after the diagnosis
- No job without your go-ahead
Trying it yourself: yes or no?
With purely logical damage, experienced users can risk an attempt with tools such as PhotoRec or TestDisk, but only ever on a copy of the drive, never on the original. As soon as the drive makes unusual noises, is no longer recognized or a recovery attempt has already failed: hands off and call me. A second "attempt" often costs you the last chance of recovery.
On site in Stuttgart, no shipping required
My specialist workshop for data recovery is in Stuttgart-Sillenbuch: Gosheimer Weg 11, 70619 Stuttgart – with free parking right outside, easy to reach by light rail (Sillenbuch stop) and quickly accessible via the A8 autobahn. You hand your drive to me personally, whether you come from any Stuttgart district such as Bad Cannstatt, Degerloch or Vaihingen, or from Esslingen, Fellbach, Ludwigsburg, Leonberg, Waiblingen or Sindelfingen. If you live further away, use the mail-in service: pack the drive with plenty of padding, give me a quick call beforehand, done. After the diagnosis you receive a transparent cost estimate before the recovery begins.
English spoken: many of my customers come from the international community in Stuttgart – the U.S. garrison, international companies and students. You are welcome to call me in English; the whole process, from the first call to the handover of your data, runs in English if you prefer.
Discreet and confidential: your drives stay in my Stuttgart specialist workshop and are not handed on to third parties. With a confidentiality agreement on request, especially for medical practices, law firms and companies.
"Very reliable, honest and straightforward. After a hard drive failure on my business laptop, Mr. Riedel was able to recover 100% of my data. In less than 24 hours I had an appointment in person, and after a few days my data was back. Riedel IT is my personal recommendation when it comes to data recovery in Stuttgart. Thank you." (translated from German)
Tobias Fox, customer after a hard drive failure
Frequently asked questions about data recovery
What does a data recovery cost?
That depends on the type of damage. Logical damage is considerably cheaper than a head crash that requires elaborate workshop work. That is why there is a diagnosis first and then a binding cost estimate. You decide before any costs for the recovery arise; the initial consultation by phone is free of charge.
What are the chances that my data can be recovered?
That can only be answered honestly after the diagnosis. As a rule: the less has been "tried out" on the drive after the data loss, the better the prospects. During the initial consultation I give you an honest first assessment, even when it turns out to be an unfavorable one.
How long does a data recovery take?
Logical recoveries often take a few days; physical damage requiring workshop work takes correspondingly longer, depending on the availability of spare parts. If it is urgent (business data, a deadline), I will discuss prioritized handling with you directly on the phone.
I deleted files by accident, is that bad?
Usually not, provided you stop using the drive immediately. Deleted files are often still physically present until they are overwritten. So: save nothing more, switch the device off, call me.
Does this apply to SSDs as well?
Only to a limited extent: SSDs clean up deleted areas on their own (TRIM), which means speed matters in deletion cases. With defects of the SSD electronics or firmware, on the other hand, the chances are often good. Here too: do not keep running it.
Does my data stay confidential?
Yes. Your drive stays in my Stuttgart specialist workshop and is not passed on to third parties. On request I sign a confidentiality agreement, a matter of course for medical practices, law firms and companies.