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Michael Angelo Consulting Co. (609) 641-6392 | NJ Computer Networking and Repair

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Michael Angelo Consulting Co. (609) 641-6392 | NJ Computer Networking and Repair > LooseLeaves > DriveRepairCost  

Computer Networking & Repair | Network Design, Installation, & Support | Data Recovery | Sharepoint Hosting | Backup Solutions

Here is a question for you, "what is the difference between a new computer and a 5 year old computer?"

I take in a computer for repair; the hard drive is going bad and needs to be replaced.  If I am lucky, I can recover data from the failing drive, so I call the customer and ask them what data is on the drive, telling them I can recover it before replacing the old drive with a new one.  The customer says, "oh I don't have anything other than my internet short-cuts and favorites."; but I ask, don't you have any Word processing files or photographs, and I'm told "No", we only use the computer for browsing the internet and reading email.

Well of course I never take anyone’s word for what data is on a drive, and I always search drives for files to recover.  Well on the drive In this story, I found over 3.5 Gigabytes of data in 6 User profiles.   There is one user profile for each of the 6 user accounts on the computer; (A user profile consist directories sush as My Documents & My Music.); and each users profile is hidden from the other users on the computer.  If I took the customers word for what data needed to be salvaged from the drive and went ahead and replaced the drive, over 4 Gigabytes of data consisting of several thousands of files would have been lost.

Here's a good one for you; a new computer cost between 5 and 9 hundred dollars.  When I say to customers that replacing a hard drive will cost about $320 dollare, guess what the first thing they say to me is:  "Why, I can almost replace the whole computer for that much money.".  And I say; your right; and my $60 fire proof security box that’s holding all my most valuable papers, bonds, and photographs can be replaced for $60; but the new box will be empty, and so will your new computer if I don't recover your data and programs from the old drive; the labor to do that is what your paying me for.

A roll of film cost about $3 bucks.  What is that roll of film worth after you record your Wedding on it?