Data recovery tips & expert guides
Knowledge HubTechnical articles written by Takhir — data recovery engineer since 2012 in Brussels.
Can you recover data from a formatted SSD or after reinstalling Windows?
A formatted SSD, or one with a fresh Windows install, is not necessarily empty: the old data often stays in the chips. Why recovery software sees nothing, what decides your chances, and what to do right away. Based on a workshop at ACE Lab TechWeek 2026.
Read article →Data recovery in 2026: fake drives, refurbished drives and risky AI advice
Storage prices have doubled or tripled, and the market is filling up with second-hand, refurbished and fake drives. What labs reported at ACE Lab TechWeek 2026, why AI advice can be risky with a failed drive, and what to check before you buy.
Read article →ACE Lab TechWeek 2026 recap: our takeaways from Alicante
Our recap of the annual conference run by the maker of the PC-3000 range: new techniques for SSDs, hard drives, RAID and memory cards and, for the first time, artificial intelligence, its role in our work and its impact on storage prices.
Read article →Apple won't back up your data before a repair? Here's what to do.
The Apple Store does not back up your data before a repair — that is on you. Yet on a T2 or Apple Silicon Mac, replacing the logic board permanently destroys access to the internal SSD. While your Mac still boots, even with a broken screen, the backup is simple. From €270 excl. VAT.
Read article →Data Recovery Belgium: How to Recognize a Real Data Recovery Lab
Not every Belgian 'lab' works on site: some are drop-off points and your drive ships abroad. The 6 checks that identify a working laboratory, the 3 business models on the market, and why it matters for GDPR.
Read article →Why we don't repair hard drives — we recover data
No spare parts, no schematics, heads factory-calibrated to each individual unit: why 'hard drive repair' doesn't exist as a service — what a lab actually does, and why the drive stays out of service after recovery.
Read article →How much does external hard drive data recovery cost in Belgium?
From €270 to €870 excl. VAT depending on the failure: logical, electronic or mechanical. Our Brussels lab's real price grid, what makes a quote vary, and why sending your drive abroad makes no sense.
Read article →Counterfeit memory card: how to spot a fake SD card
A counterfeit SD or microSD card reports a capacity it doesn't have — and your photos vanish past a certain point. How to spot one, test it without losing data, and why that data is usually unrecoverable. A real wedding-photographer case.
Read article →Hard drive in the freezer: does it really work? A recovery lab's view
Putting your hard drive in the freezer to recover data: where the myth comes from, why it sometimes worked in the past, and why it's dangerous today.
Read article →External USB hard drive not recognized: why recovery is more complex
Soldered USB connector, hardware encryption, no more SATA port: why recovering a modern external USB hard drive (WD, Seagate, Toshiba) requires a real lab — and what you must never do.
Read article →Recovered data as evidence: the role of the technician in court
Can recovered data actually be used as evidence in court? It depends almost entirely on the method. The difference between recovering files and recovering them with evidentiary value — and the role of the technical advisor.
Read article →Hard drive clicking noise: what to do?
A repetitive metallic clicking from your computer is almost always a sign of serious mechanical failure. Here's what you must never do — and how to act fast.
Read article →Is your situation urgent?
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