When IBM / Hitachi TravelStar hard disk drives fail, failed disk heads are often the culprit. In this case, Engineers at ESS use specialized equipment to remove the platters from the drive. We then place the platters in a specialized device built to read them. The firmware micro-code is then copied from the original system board (when possible). This micro-code contains hardware specifics such as HHR (Head-to-Head Relation), spindle speed, temperature calibration, head amplification compensation, voice coil voltage, and many other factors often times critical in successfully recovering data. Once the micro-code is extracted, we then use this micro-code to access your valuable data. Our IBM TravelStar laptop data recovery service has a higher-than-average success rate.

Please keep in mind that hard drives are delicate instruments. Like any other delicate instrument, if they are not handled with care or properly cooled, you may experience a failure. Hard drives are sensitive to heat, rapid temperature changes, static electricity, power surges and physical shock. We estimate that most hard drive failures occur due to operating conditions, not manufacture defects.

At ESS, we have been impressed with the advances that IBM has implemented over the years. We are equally impressed with the success of these drives, even when they fail. Since almost every case is a successful recovery, it brings us closer to our goal of complete customer satisfaction. If you have a TravelStar drive and are faced with the need for data recovery, we are very confident we can help you.