data recovery services Archives - Memofix's Data Recovery Blog

Canada’s Astronaut Chooses Memofix!

May 22, 2026

Last month we received a crashed 2.5″ 2TB Western Digital hard drive for recovery. We see a lot of these drives but this one was special as it came from one of Canada’s most famous explorers of space .. Chris Hadfield … Canada’s Astronaut!

Chris has a team of support people who help him make decisions and complete his various obligations. When Chris’ hard drive died, his team began reviewing and researching where to send it for data recovery. They contacted a number of their top choices but ultimately chose Memofix Data Recovery Services.

We think they made a wise decision and considering the great 5 star review he gave us, he must have too.

Thanks Chris, your praise and recommendation are very much appreciated.

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

February 2, 2026

In my last blog I recounted how we managed to recover the data from a multiple hard drive RAID array AFTER two different European data recovery companies had failed. In that situation, we were the white knight, coming in to save the data where others had failed. But recently, we were painted as the villain for performing similar data recovery magic right here in Toronto. In fact, the title of this blog came from our 1^st ever negative Google review as a result of this recent case.

To summarize, we received a 2.5” Western Digital WD hard drive for data recovery. The particular model drive sent in, has a USB3 interface built onto its PCB (printed circuit board) and it does not have typical SATA connections. From experience, we have found that data recovery imaging utilities (both in-house written and commercial) work terribly with USB interfaced hard drives. As a result, we don’t attempt to access or image USB3 type WD drives using their native USB PCB. Instead, we have learned how to convert a particular standard WD SATA PCB to work with these native USB drives.

So when we received this case, we immediately converted one of SATA PCBs to work with this drive. The conversion process required us to remove one small 8 pin programmable chip from the client’s original USB3 PCB and transfer it onto our SATA PCB. Once we did this, we were able to evaluate the drive fully and concluded that the drive had bad heads and likely minor disk damage. We contacted the client and quoted them $1300, which they declined. We transferred the client’s 8 pin chip back to their original PCB and returned the drive to the client.

The client then took it to another data recovery company who claimed it was unrecoverable because we had damaged the PCB and furthermore we left solder paste around the 8 pin chip and were thus “VERY AMATEURISH”. Ok we forgot some totally inconsequential solder paste on the PCB. But we never once applied power to the PCB so the claim we damaged it seemed unfounded. Of course there was a chance we damaged the small 8 pin chip so we suggested the client bring it back to us. They did; we removed the chip and verified it’s functionality using a chip reader. While it was here, we re-established the fact that we could still recover the data, but again the client did not want to pay us anything and left with their drive intact but with no solder paste residue to complain about.

Apparently, the client then went to KROLL ONTRACK, “the industry leader and the largest data recovery provider in Canada and in the world”. The client claims they also declared the drive unrecoverable due to the same “damaged” PCB.

The client then came back to us, and we again re-iterated that we had not damaged anything, and we could still recover the data for him. In fact, just to keep our good guy image alive, we offered to reduce the cost by $300. At 1^st the client accepted thinking we offered the recovery at $300. But when he realized we weren’t giving it away and still required $1000 to complete the recovery he declined and created his mean spirited Google complaint.

Whether this client was trying to get a free recovery or not, I don’t know, or care, but in the end I am aghast that 2 other professional data recovery companies in Toronto cannot recover the data from a situation where we regularly do.

It helps to realize, that the world wide data recovery industry has no standards, no way of knowing a company’s competency, or a company’s integrity. There are lots of bad guys waiting to take your money for very little in return and many posers issuing inaccurate statements about what is recoverable and what is not. The damage they can cause is inexcusable. I have heard it said that something like 70% of small companies that lose their data permanently are out of business within 6 months. Don’t be one of them!

If your data is important, don’t believe the 1^st “It’s UNRECOVERABLE” that you hear. Data recovery companies and technicians are not created equal. Please seek a 2^nd or 3^rd or 4^th opinion, or maybe you should just come to Memofix Data Recovery Services first.

iTech2013 … How was the show?

May 31, 2026

Today’s blog features a guest post from Larry Shulman, our Business Development Manager.

Last week Memofix Hitech Services Inc. exhibited at the iTech show in Toronto.

Exhibitor products and services ranged from Infrastructure & Data Centre Operations, Storage Innovations & Big Data, Servers & OS, Communications & Connectivity, Security & Risk Management, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity, Cloud Services & Solutions, Virtualization, Mobile Apps & Hardware and managed IT Services.

Being an “independent” show (not sponsored by a particular manufacturer or distributor) it seemed to attract a nice balance of small to medium business (SMB), and smaller solution / service providers (VAR’s, consultants, resellers). As an exhibitor that provides solutions to both SMB’s and resellers what I found interesting was that those in attendance have the same challenges, obstacles and goals as their larger counterparts (corporations, government etc.) and that both are looking for solutions to support what is becoming a very complex landscape of demands and requirements.

The solutions that Memofix presented: data recovery services, tape and hard disk repair, data destruction services, storage ITAD solutions and cloud back were well received by both SMB and solution providers in attendance. SMB’s seemed to be relieved knowing there is a company that offers these types of recovery solutions when and if needed and solution providers were excited that through Memofix they can add additional “value added services” to their customers.

As a grizzled veteran of the IT industry (over 25 years) as I walked the show floor I am still amazed and in awe at the technology solutions being developed by IT companies including Memofix to support the requirements of both large and small. I have to appreciate our industry for the good work they continue do in support of clients, and trying to stay one step ahead of what the customer needs.

Keep up the good work……

Need a Data Recovery Expert?

March 22, 2026

Please allow me to introduce you to MemofixMan, the creation of our own Rob Armstrong. Not only is Rob a talented artist, he also has an incredible flare for recovering data. Rob can be found most days recovering data in the Memofix data recovery lab. We hope you enjoy his drawings and we hope to publish more of his creations soon.

Toronto Data Recovery

January 30, 2026

As the morning sun peeks through the skyscrapers of downtown Toronto and the warmth of its rays tickle your face, your world seems so safe, so tranquil, so at peace. You press the power on your laptop computer and are mildly surprised when the familiar beeps fail to materialize. Looking at your screen you see nothing but a flashing cursor. So with minimal concern you reset the power, gaze out over a waking Toronto and diligently wait for the familiar beeps before heading for your coffee. But unbeknownst to you, today will be a little different than the last 934 days. Today your computer won’t boot! Today you lost your data! Today you need data recovery!

Panic sets in as your brain begins to assess the gravity of the situation. You remember the 37 page proposal you’ve been working on non-stop for 3 weeks. Usually you would have copies of your data stashed on your desktop at work or even on your computer at home. But again, this time is different, there is no backup! GULP! The most important client you’ve had in years is expecting it tomorrow. If you get the contract, your worries will evaporate for months to come, maybe even years. If you don’t, well things could get really tough around here. ..

data recovery Toronto — Toronto Data Recovery

Every day in thousands of businesses and homes across the Toronto GTA, across Canada and across the world, a similar scenario is unfolding. Data is being lost!

What would you do? Where would you seek help? Are you located in the Toronto area or close by in the golden horseshoe, perhaps Hamilton, Oakville, Kitchener, Waterloo, or even Markham?

If you’re like our Toronto friend above, Thomas McAllister, you called your IT manager for help. Once the IT manager determined that the hard drive had an operational problem, he recommended Memofix Data Recovery Services, Toronto’s oldest data recovery service provider.

Thomas called us just after 9 am Toronto time and the severity of his situation was not hidden in his voice. It was apparent he needed his data recovered by tomorrow’s sunrise or he would need to start working on his resume. To Thomas the situation was that critical. After discussing his case with him, we were able to assure him we had the parts in stock at our Toronto facility and we’re ready to attempt his data recovery within the hour of it being received.

By 11am we received his Toshiba laptop for hard drive data recovery. A quick analysis determined that one of the 4 heads was no longer functional. Within an hour we had replaced the complete defective head assembly and had the hard drive imaging, albeit with some read errors. Thankfully the disk drive was only 160GB and by 3pm our imaging of the used areas was complete. Although the data recovery had some damaged files as a result of the read errors, the most critical file was in pristine shape and was tested with no errors. Due to the small size of the file we were able to email it to Thomas at his office in downtown Toronto. By 3:30pm, Thomas was breathing a little easier and our mission was complete.

Now, not all our data recovery cases can be completed this fast, but if you’re in the Toronto area, be aware that our data recovery service lab, located in Vaughan, has the most extensive inventory of hard disk drive parts in Canada. While other Toronto data recovery service providers must wait days for parts and likely even charge more, we are often able to complete a data recovery in the same day. If time is not your friend … call on Toronto’s Memofix Data Recovery Services.

Recovering Data After a Format

December 13, 2025

For many years it’s been common knowledge among the more technically savvy computer enthusiasts, that even if you format your hard drive, the data can be recovered. Any simple data recovery software program and even most computer stores with a service department should be able to quickly restore your hard disk drive data after a format. And while this rule has been true for many years, there’s now a new sheriff in town, and he plays by different rules. With the advent of Vista and Windows 7, formatting your disc drive may now permanently destroy your computer data. Read on for the details …

In Windows, there are two types of formats that can be implemented; a quick format and a regular format. In the picture below, a quick format is selected, while un-checking the box would perform a regular format.

Data Recovery Services — Windows Format Screen

On older versions of Windows, up to and including Windows XP, a quick format overwrites the beginning of the MFT or Master File Table. The MFT is an index of all the files stored on a volume. Formatting re-initializes the MFT to appear to contain no data files by truncating the length of the known MFT. However, the orphaned index entries from before the quick format are still intact and can be used to recover all the previously existing files. With older versions of Windows, a regular format does exactly the same but it also tests for bad sectors across the entire drive. This test is non-destructive and does not overwrite any other data areas, so again all data files should be recoverable.

On newer versions of Windows, from Vista on and including Windows 7 and 8, a quick format does the same as with older versions and the data should be recoverable. BUT the regular format has changed substantially. It now overwrites “every” sector on the hard drive and as a result no data will be recoverable once this command is executed.

So why would Microsoft change the regular format to now erase every trace of data? Personally I believe it is in response to the increased awareness over data security and in particular the news coverage of personal data being discovered on tossed computers (see this interesting story on one couples adventure with leftover data files). Now, with just a simple regular format, Microsoft allows an end user to effectively do a complete and secure erase of all your hard drive’s personal content.

With new power comes new responsiblity, so be sure you know what you’re doing before formatting any hard disk drive, because even your friends at Memofix Data Recovery Services may not be able to help you.

Data Recovery & Encryption, foe or friend ?

September 26, 2026

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

To most of us, the word “encryption” conjures up images of spies and secret disks containing information that must be guarded at all costs. Few of us realize that we all rely on and use encryption almost every day in our normal lives. Whether making a cell call, sending an email, buying something with your debit card, or accessing the web wirelessly, we are using and being protected by this not so simple process.

What is encryption? Encryption is the process used to transform and disguise data so that it is unreadable or undecipherable to anyone without a pre-determined secret code or password. Basically, the data to be encrypted is sent through an elaborate algorithm using the secret code or password to scramble the data into indistinguishable rubbish.

Please note, that password protection is NOT encryption. Password protection “may” prevent access to the data, but it does not alter the actual data. Password protection can be easily bypassed.

Encryption has also become common place for protecting data on computer based storage device like hard drives and USB flash sticks. Encryption can be used to protect an entire volume, a folder or even a single file. There are several distinct implementations available:

SOFTWARE, Users can buy or use free encryption programs that make it possible to encrypt files, folders or even their entire hard drive or flash device using software routines to intercept and modify the data on the fly. The entire encrypting and decrypting process is handled by your computer’s CPU or processor. Popular examples include SafeGuard, SecureDoc, PGP, TrueCrypt and Safeboot. Starting with XP Professional, Microsoft includes a built in folder and file encryption feature called Encrypting File System or EFS for short. Software encryption methods are popular as they are inexpensive and can be implemented on any existing storage device. However, they are generally much slower, typically 20% slower than hardware based methods.
HARDWARE, There are external hard drive devices that use a standard hard drive connected through a “hardware based” encryption interface board. In many cases this encryption process is performed without the user even being aware. Many Western Digital external boxes use this method allowing 100% data protection if the drive is ever removed from the enclosure and its encrypting interface board. Hardware techniques are considerably faster than software methods.
SELF ENCRYPTING, Users can now buy hard drives and SSDs that utilize on-board hardware to encrypt and decrypt the data on the fly. These devices encrypt the entire contents of a storage device and are referred to as SEDs or self-encrypting devices or drives. These drives carry a premium price tag but are the ultimate in safety and speed. Some hard drive manufactures such as Seagate may also refer to this self-encrypting as FDE or Fixed Disk Encryption.

Why use encryption? Most of us have heard a story or two about personal financial data falling into the wrong hands due to a corporate laptop being stolen or lost. Or the often recreated news story about reporters picking computers out of the trash and finding “valuable” info left abandoned. Yes it does happen, as someone who regularly buys previously used hard drives can attest. But just how many of us actually have super sensitive data on our computers in the first place? If you are one of the few that must keep your data from prying eyes, then by all means encrypt away. But if you don’t need to … DON’T!

Besides the potential loss in performance, there are several other reasons not to use encryption.

LOSS OF PASSWORD OR KEYFILE: If you can’t remember the password or can’t find the keyfile you made 3 years ago, you will NOT get your data back, period. While there are numerous recovery techniques for decrypting or accessing encrypted volumes, they all require some form of a username/password combo or a special key file created by the encryption software.
OPERATING SYSTEM FAILURE: If an encrypted drive’s operating system becomes corrupted, perhaps due to a simple virus and the drive is no longer bootable or accessible, there is no easy way to repair the file system and regain access. To resolve the issue you must first decrypt the entire volume. Again you will need a user/password or keyfile (and specialized programs) to perform such an operation. Once the volume is decrypted, the file system damage can then be repaired using the file system’s own repair utilities, i.e. chkdsk.exe
READ ERRORS: Over time storage device can easily develop read errors and if these read errors affect the operating system files or an area used to store pertinent encryption parameters, it can become impossible to access your data. As above, complicated procedures will be required to decrypt the volume and access the data. A single read error can stop everything.

Is encryption breakable? Theoretically, with enough computing power and enough time, any encryption scheme can be broken. But if the process takes a thousand years, the value of the data may be very limited. And fortunately the increase in computing power to break the key is easily outstripped by the exponential increase in difficulty by adding an additional bit to the encryption key. Presently, most credit card companies recommend transactions using 128 bit encryption keys. 128 bits keys are considered by the experts to be safe until about 2030 although some recommend 256 bit keys due to the advent of the “quantum computer” where theoretically the difficulty may be halved.

There are 2 basic ways of breaking encryption. The hacker either breaks the password by guessing the password or the hacker uses crypto analysis to guess the message based on the natural frequency and composition of the characters in a given language. To guess a password is often very easy as people tend to use real words and they are often chosen from an individual’s personal life or interests. Even brute force using a pre-created word list is often successful. To be sure your password can’t be compromised in your lifetime it has been recommended that your password should be at least 20 random characters. Of course few of us can remember such a long sequence.

In the real world, getting around the encryption is often much easier than either of these methods. Keyboard recorders are simple to install devices that can be used to record all the keystrokes of a user including their passwords. Or perhaps a hidden camera could provide the same results. Another technique can be utilized if a user leaves their computer unattended, as the contents of RAM memory are not encrypted and there are ways to dump the RAM contents and retrieve a password. Additionally, a group of researchers/hackers recently discovered that the contents of RAM memory do not disappear as soon as the power is removed. In fact if the RAM chips can be kept cool, the data may be retained for 10 minutes or longer. Theoretically reading the RAM contents could be possible even if the power is turned off. But this isn’t really so much about breaking the password as it is about stealing the password.

Can Memofix recover your encrypted data? Usually YES, but we need your keyfile or username/password combo … PERIOD. If we could recover your encrypted data without these credentials then what would be the point of using encryption in the first place.

We regularly recover data encrypted with PPG, Safeboot, SafeGuard, SecureDoc, EFS and most other software encryption programs. We are also very successful recovering hardware encrypted hard drives where the encryption is performed by an interface board separate from the storage device. i.e. the popular Western Digital My Book.

However, SEDs or Self Encrypting Devices present a real problem. It is estimated that by 2017 over 80% of all hard drives and all SSD or Solid State Drives will be SED or self-encrypting devices. There are NO decryption methods available for these SEDs and if consumers and businesses are to adopt these new SEDs, this concern must be addressed by the manufacturers.

Encryption is here to stay whether you need it or not. If you do choose to encrypt your data, we suggest you always create a key file and store it in a secure location. Additionally, record all usernames and passwords in a secure location and until the SED manufactures create a solution for authorized decrypting, we suggest you steer clear of their products or be sure to regularly backup.

As always, when things don’t quite go as planned remember your friends at Memofix https://www.memofixdatarecovery.com/ are always willing to help!

Laptop Hard Drive Crash

April 6, 2026

Many of the 2.5″ hard drives designed for laptop, notebook and netbook applications use glass platters. The glass platters can be manufactured with smoother and flatter surfaces which allow the heads to be flown closer to the disk surface. This in turn allows the manufactures to increase the density and store more data in the same space.

However, glass isn’t exactly known for its indestructibility and this picture illustrates the problems. This Western Digital laptop drive originally had two disks but the top disk has shattered into a hundred pieces. No useful data will be recoverable in this situation.