Hard disk not detected, files deleted, laptop dead, NAS volume crashed? Before you try anything else — stop using the drive. Bring it to A-FIRST in Skudai. We check it first, tell you honestly what can and cannot be recovered, and quote you before we touch your only copy.
Initial check is free · Walk-in Mon–Fri 9:30am–6:30pm, Sat 9am–1pm · Serving Johor Bahru since 2003
Most data we fail to recover was recoverable when the customer first noticed the problem. It was lost in the hours afterwards, while someone kept trying things. Deleted files physically stay on the disk until something writes over them — so the most valuable thing you can do right now is nothing.
Do not keep working on it, and do not keep restarting it to see if it fixed itself.
Downloading a recovery tool onto the same disk can overwrite the very files you are trying to save.
CHKDSK and automatic repair can rewrite the file table on a failing drive and make a recoverable case unrecoverable.
That is a mechanical fault. Every minute it spins can scratch the platters and take data with it.
A wrong rebuild is the most common way business data is destroyed for good. Bring the unit with every disk, in order.
Not sure whether something you already tried made it worse? Tell us exactly what you did — it changes how we approach the job.
Students losing a final-year project, shops losing their accounts file, factories losing a shared folder. Most of it comes down to a handful of causes.
The drive is not recognised, shows as unallocated, asks to be formatted, or clicks and beeps. We image the drive first and work from the copy, never from your original.
Files deleted, a partition gone, or the wrong drive formatted during a Windows reinstall. Very often recoverable if you stopped writing to it in time.
A dead laptop usually means a board or charging fault, not a dead disk. We take the storage out and copy your data off before we discuss repairing the laptop.
SSDs fail differently from hard disks — often suddenly and without warning noises. We tell you honestly whether a failed controller has put your data out of reach.
Degraded or failed arrays, volumes that will not mount, a NAS that beeps after a disk swap. We supply and support Synology NAS, so we know these units properly.
Encrypted or scrambled files after an attack. We look for intact shadow copies, backups and untouched volumes, and we are straight with you about what encryption cannot be undone.
Spilled drinks and dropped laptops. The sooner it is powered down and brought in, the better the odds — corrosion keeps spreading while it sits.
Photos from a camera card, documents from a USB stick, a phone card that asks to be formatted. Small jobs, often same-day.
SQL Accounting data, Excel files and shared folders. We also set the backup up properly afterwards so the next failure is a non-event — see SQL Accounting support.
Walk in to our Skudai shop with the drive, laptop or NAS. Tell us what happened and what you already tried — both matter.
We assess why it failed and how much is readable. No charge for this, and no work starts yet.
We tell you what is recoverable, what it costs and how long it takes. If the answer is that it cannot be saved, you hear that for free.
We recover to a new drive, and you see your own files before you settle the bill. Then we help you set up a backup so it does not happen twice.
Data recovery is the one repair where a bad first attempt can destroy the thing you came to save. So we would rather lose the job than gamble with your only copy.
The initial check is free. If your data is gone, you find out at no cost.
Physically scored platters, a failed SSD controller with encryption still on, or data already overwritten. We will not pretend otherwise.
Severe mechanical damage needs specialist facilities. We tell you that instead of opening your drive on a workbench.
Our own technicians, in Skudai. Nothing is sent elsewhere without telling you first.
Including whether you told us there are important files on the drive — so nothing gets wiped by mistake.
We would rather set your backup up today than recover your data next year — ask us about automatic backup.
Our shop is at No.21, Jalan Nakhoda 1, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, 81300 Skudai — about 20 minutes from Johor Bahru city centre, and on the way in from Iskandar Puteri and Senai.
Walk in with the laptop or the drive. Skudai, Taman Universiti, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Mutiara Rini, Sutera Utama, Taman Perling and Bukit Indah are all minutes away.
Accounts files, shared folders and server volumes across Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Gelang Patah, Tebrau and Taman Mount Austin. We can collect from your office.
Production PCs, NAS units and servers around Senai, Kulai, Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Pelepas — plus ongoing cover under managed IT.
It depends entirely on why the drive failed, so we do not quote over the phone. Bring the drive or laptop to our shop in Skudai and the initial check is free. Deleted or formatted files on a healthy drive are the cheapest case. A drive with bad sectors costs more because it has to be imaged slowly. A drive with a mechanical fault inside costs the most. After the check we tell you what is recoverable and the exact price, and you decide before we start.
Often yes, but stop powering it on immediately. A clicking or beeping drive usually has a mechanical fault, and every extra minute it runs can scratch the platters and destroy data that was still readable. Unplug it, bring it in, and let us check it on our equipment instead of retrying it at home.
Stop using the computer and shut it down. Do not install recovery software onto the same drive, do not save anything new to it, and do not run CHKDSK or let Windows repair the disk. Deleted data still physically sits on the drive until something writes over it, so the single most useful thing you can do is stop writing to it.
Usually yes. A normal quick format only clears the index, not the files themselves, so the data is still there until new files overwrite it. The chance drops sharply once you have reinstalled Windows or copied a lot of new data onto that drive, which is why it is worth bringing it in early.
Yes. The work is done in our own shop in Skudai by our own technicians, and your drive is not sent overseas or to a third party without telling you. Every job is logged against your ticket, including whether you told us there are important files on it, so nothing gets wiped by mistake. If a job genuinely needs a specialist clean room we tell you first and let you decide.
Yes. We supply and support Synology NAS, so we handle failed volumes, degraded RAID sets and NAS units that will not mount. Bring the whole unit with all the disks and do not rebuild or re-initialise the array first, because a wrong rebuild is the most common way NAS data is permanently lost.
Usually not. A laptop that will not power on most often has a board, charging or screen fault while the storage inside is perfectly fine. We take the drive out, copy your data off it first, and then talk about whether the laptop itself is worth repairing.
We tell you straight after the check, before you have committed to anything. Some cases cannot be recovered by anyone: platters that are physically scored, an SSD whose controller has failed with encryption still on, or data that has already been overwritten. We would rather tell you that than take your money and experiment with your only copy.
Tell us on WhatsApp what happened and what you already tried. We will tell you straight away whether it is worth bringing in, free.
