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Laptop hard drive data retrieval

  • 10-05-2011 10:46am
    #1
    Roccie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19 ✭


    Hey all,
    The hard drive on my Dell XPS 1530 has recently packed in. I took it to a laptop repair and retrieval company, who are charging in the region of 500-600 euro to retrieve data (apparently it is severely damaged) and about 190 euro to install a new 320GB hard drive.

    Do these rates sound reasonable?
    The laptop is out of warranty and just over 3 years old. Should I get on to Dell at all and could they sort me out for less?

    Thanks in advance


Comments

  • #2
    omen80
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 639 ✭✭✭omen80


    Roccie wrote: »
    Hey all,
    The hard drive on my Dell XPS 1530 has recently packed in. I took it to a laptop repair and retrieval company, who are charging in the region of 500-600 euro to retrieve data (apparently it is severely damaged) and about 190 euro to install a new 320GB hard drive.

    Do these rates sound reasonable?
    The laptop is out of warranty and just over 3 years old. Should I get on to Dell at all and could they sort me out for less?

    Thanks in advance

    I used to work for a computer company and we carried out such repairs. I always thought the prices we were charging were ridiculously high (although not as high as you got quoted). I would first try and do this yourself if you have access to another laptop / PC. You will need a particular cable for this though depending if the hard drive is IDE or SATA. Take the hard drive out of the laptop and connect it to the spare PC using this cable and see if the hard drive can be read. If it can then just copy all of the data you need to a folder for later.

    If the hard drive is badly damaged as the company say then you will need to send it somewhere for a high cost. If you can live without this data then don't do it! You would get a nice new laptop for the same price!


  • #3
    mp22
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭mp22


    320 GB hard drive is 50 notes online,5 mins to fit,a couple of hours to reinstall your os.DIY job to be honest.


  • #4
    Alanstrainor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,157 ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    mp22 wrote: »
    320 GB hard drive is 50 notes online,5 mins to fit,a couple of hours to reinstall your os.DIY job to be honest.

    +1 on this, it really is one of the simplest jobs you can do. Physically there's not much you need to do to replace the hard drive. And reinstalling the operating system is very straight forward these days. Windows will guide you through the steps. And if in doubt, post on here and ask questions!

    They are over charging by a staggering amount.


  • #5
    omen80
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 639 ✭✭✭omen80


    mp22 wrote: »
    320 GB hard drive is 50 notes online,5 mins to fit,a couple of hours to reinstall your os.DIY job to be honest.

    +2! I think the reason companies charge so much is because they know people are afraid to attempt these things themselves. There really is nothing to re-installing your Windows operating system. And as I said in a previous post, if you can live without the old files then do.....just make sure you have a backup of the important stuff in future!


  • #6
    scotty_irish
    Closed Accounts Posts: 427 ✭✭scotty_irish


    you can get a harddrive case on amazon for less than a tenner which you can put the laptop harddrive into and connect to another machine via usb. if the harddrive is working but showing no data, there's recovery software you can get which works really well (have done this a few times before). they're a crowd of chancers, don't give them a penny or ever go back there.


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  • #7
    Slunk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,556 ✭✭✭Slunk


    Where are you based. (Can't see, on mobile)There's a stand in the ilac centre, Dublin where i took my dell. Dropped it and hd was badly damaged. Got nearly all of my data and a new 160gb hd for 129 euro.


  • #8
    Razzuh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 184 ✭✭Razzuh


    Slunk wrote: »
    Where are you based. (Can't see, on mobile)There's a stand in the ilac centre, Dublin where i took my dell. Dropped it and hd was badly damaged. Got nearly all of my data and a new 160gb hd for 129 euro.
    If the HD was damaged at all then that's quite a bargain! Even if it wasn't, just for getting and having set up the new HD it's not too bad.


  • #9
    Slunk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,556 ✭✭✭Slunk


    Don't know how bad is considered really bad but it wouldn't start because when it tried to boot you could hear it kinda searching the hd then blue screen and restart. Other places were charging crazy money just to look at it. Think the highest was from computer place in drumcondra. Worth shopping around.


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