💾 Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

Hard drives are our bread and butter for data recovery. Here's the good news: if your HDD spins and isn't making clicking sounds, there's an excellent chance we can recover your data. A spinning drive with no clicking means the mechanical parts are working, which gives us the best odds.

Common HDD issues we recover from:

• Drive recognized but files are inaccessible
• Accidental formatting or deletion
• Corrupted file systems or partition tables
• Logical drive failure (software issue, not hardware)
• Files deleted from Recycle Bin

⚡ Solid State Drives (SSD)

SSDs are trickier. Because they have no moving parts, they fail differently than hard drives. Unlike an HDD that spins, an SSD can simply stop responding to the computer entirely—it won't register in the BIOS.

If your SSD doesn't register in BIOS: Software recovery tools can't help. This is a job for hardware specialists. We'll recommend sending it to SafeKeep Data Recovery, where their specialized equipment can sometimes extract data even from drives that appear completely dead.

If your SSD is recognized: We can often recover files using our software tools—same as with an HDD.

Step 1: Free Diagnostic

Bring your drive to us or we'll pick it up from you in Nanaimo. We'll run a diagnostic to assess what's happened and what we're working with. You get a clear explanation of the situation and your options—no pressure, no surprises.

Step 2: Recovery Plan

Based on the diagnostic, we'll tell you:

• Whether we can recover the data using our in-shop software tools
• How long the recovery will take (minutes to hours)
• Whether specialized hardware recovery might be needed
• What it will cost (or that there's no charge if we can't succeed)

Step 3: Recovery (In-Shop)

Our specialized software tools go to work, searching for recoverable files. We don't rush this—a thorough scan is the only way to get the best results. Depending on your drive, this could take minutes or hours. We'll keep you updated on progress.

Step 4: Verification & Delivery

Once recovered, we verify the files are intact and complete. We'll deliver your data on an external drive or USB stick of your choice. If we had to send your drive to SafeKeep Data Recovery for hardware recovery, we handle the arrangement. SafeKeep offers FREE shipping to their mainland facility and a FREE evaluation, plus a 5% discount when you mention Big Mike sent you. Their team will contact you directly with results and pricing.

Our in-shop software recovery: Most recoveries take 1–4 hours of labor. We'll give you a quote after the diagnostic and before we begin. If we can't recover your data, there's no charge.

For hardware recovery (SafeKeep): If we determine your drive needs specialized hardware recovery, SafeKeep charges by the time required to extract your data. Again, if they can't recover anything, you pay nothing.

Here's the reality: Data recovery is expensive because it requires specialized knowledge and equipment. You'll need to decide if the cost of recovery is worth the value of what you're trying to recover. As my dad used to say, "Something is only worth what you're willing to pay for it." We'll help you make that decision with honest information.

Budget Tip: If you have critical family photos or documents, it might be worth the investment to recover them now rather than risk losing them forever. But if the data is replaceable or low-value, it might not be worth the cost.

• Local Service: Bring your drive to us in Nanaimo or we'll pick it up—no shipping delays
• Specialized Tools: We have software specifically designed for photo recovery, document recovery, and file recovery
• No Charge if We Fail: You only pay if we successfully recover your data
• Honest Assessment: We'll tell you upfront if it's recoverable or if you need hardware specialists
• SafeKeep Partnership: Access to mainland hardware recovery with FREE shipping, FREE evaluation, and 5% discount (call 604-564-7233)
• Experience: Over 15 years helping Nanaimo residents recover their lost data
• Transparent Pricing: You know the cost before we start

Big Mike Computer Services provides professional data recovery services across Nanaimo, North Nanaimo, Lantzville, and surrounding areas. Whether you're in downtown Nanaimo, the Harbourfront district, North Nanaimo, or Lantzville—we provide the same quality data recovery service with free pickup and drop-off.

We understand how urgent data loss can be. That's why we work fast without cutting corners. Our North Nanaimo location puts us close to most neighborhoods, and we're happy to travel to your home or business.

Service areas include:

• Downtown Nanaimo
• North Nanaimo
• South Nanaimo
• Lantzville
• Surrounding Nanaimo neighborhoods

We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: Back up your important data today. Here's what we recommend:

For Family Photos & Irreplaceable Files

• Backup #1: External hard drive (1-2 TB is affordable and holds years of photos)
• Backup #2: USB stick or second external drive (stored somewhere safe, even at a family member's house)
• Alternatively: Cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox for documents; Amazon Photos for unlimited photo backup)

For Everything Else

• A single external hard drive is fine for documents, software, and non-critical files
• Consider cloud backup for automatic, hands-off protection

The lesson: Don't wait until disaster strikes. Back up now. And if your drive fails and you have a backup, you won't be paying for recovery—you'll just be restoring from your backup.