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Digissential

Data Recovery (Simple / Logical)

Serving Stellenbosch & surrounds • Transparent pricing • POPIA-aligned

Technician cloning a failing drive for safe data recovery.

What’s included

  • Logical (software-level) recovery only
  • Readable drives that still power on
  • File-list preview when possible
  • Recovered data copied to your storage

Details

TL;DR: We try to get your files back from a drive that still powers on. No risky clean-room work here.
Local: Used by SU students, families in Welgevonden/Die Boord, and Technopark teams when files vanish at the worst time.

What’s included

  • Check that it’s a logical case (not physical failure)
  • Read-only recovery attempt with safe tools
  • File list preview when the tool allows it
  • Copy recovered data to your storage and open a few to confirm
  • Short report of what we could save

Problems we can help with

  • Files deleted by mistake (Recycle Bin emptied)
  • Light file-system errors; drive mounts but some folders won’t open
  • USB or external drive asks to be scanned, then shows nothing
  • SD cards that still show up but photos are “gone”

What we don’t do here

  • Clicking or dead drives, liquid damage, head crashes
  • Severe hardware faults — those need a clean-room lab

How we do it (at a glance)

  1. Quick check: health signs, SMART, and how the loss happened
  2. Stabilise: stop writes; if needed, make a safe clone first
  3. Recover: scan the clone or source in read-only mode
  4. Preview & copy: save found files to your USB drive
  5. Verify: open samples and give you a simple results list

Plain words, no jargon.

Time & cost in Stellenbosch

  • Labour: R500 for a standard logical recovery attempt
  • Extras: Very large scans or bad-sector cloning may cost more — we’ll confirm first
  • Turnaround: Same day for small cases; bigger jobs may run overnight

Do-nots (better odds)

  • Don’t install apps or write new files to the same drive
  • Don’t run “PC cleaners” or random recovery tools from the internet
  • Don’t format or run CHKDSK if you care about what’s on there
  • Don’t keep trying a drive that clicks — power down and talk to us

When to stop DIY & call us

  • Drive drops off mid-copy or shows I/O errors
  • Windows says “You need to format the disk”
  • SSD with recent deletes (time matters)
  • You need help choosing a lab for a clicking drive

Real stories around town

  • SU first-year (Huis Marais): Emptied the bin with a draft essay inside. We scanned fast and got the DOCX back the same afternoon.
  • Die Boord family: External drive “opened” but photos showed as 0 KB. We cloned, ran a safe scan, and recovered the album.
  • Technopark SME: Project folder vanished after a sync mess. We pulled prior versions and set a sane backup plan to stop repeats.

Simple care tips

  • Save work to one main folder tree (Docs/Pictures) so recovery scans have clear targets
  • Keep one offline or cloud backup — see /services/cloud-backup-setup/
  • After a big save or photo import, run a quick backup so the next mistake is painless

What to bring

  • The device or bare drive, plus a USB SSD/HDD with enough free space
  • Any passwords or BitLocker keys if the drive is encrypted

POPIA-aware handling • CPA-aligned warranties • Lawful e-waste routing on request (with data-wipe certificate)