We've been working in IT professionally for over 25 years, since we were kids. We know everything there is to know across a wide range of IT services from hardware, software, wireless, smart home, security and anything you can think of. Your time is valuable, you could spend 5-6 hours trying to fix or setup your new piece of technology yourself, or you could book us and we'll get done within an hour or two.

Similar to calling a builder or a plumber, we carry all the tools, data recovery software and spare parts for common IT issues, to get you back up and running fast, or maybe you've got a big project or IT task you'd like us to help with, or complete for you. 

Further, we are totally upfront with you, if we are unlikely to be able to help, or the callout is going to take more than an hour or two, we will tell you before we visit, and can recommend local businesses that may be better to assist you instead. Remember, we come to you, so charge an hourly labour fee, not all jobs are suited to this. We'd much rather have you back for a future job, than for you to be hit with a high bill that you're not expecting and are unhappy. 

Any tech that says you don't need software to recover a faulty drive probably doesn't do many data recoveries for their clients. You can however start and buy a USB caddy or a USB-to-Sata cable from PB Tech and plug it in - this is a good option for around $40 and can help with some basic drive failures or faults and allow you to recover data yourself - most fail though as there is a fault on the drive. 

Software programs can connect to drives in other ways that your file explorer option can't. There are gazillions of software programs out there, most are down and out scams, others simply don't work, but there is a small number of professional tools IT companies use in their arsenal. Kapiti.IT has invested heavily in these areas. 

We do not play around or make changes to your actual drive - this is done by the data specialists that we use! If your drive is defective then this is your only option or start with a new drive and reinstalling the drive into your computer. 

We charge a minimum of $115 per hour for residential hard drive failures using our software recovery. If this fails or is unsuccessful then you can get a quote for a full recovery by a data specialist. If you opt to skip the software recovery or know the drive is faulty then a full recovery can be arranged for a $95 admin fee. This includes postage and quoting on the work. From there a quote is prepared, check our likely prices below so there's no surprises. You can then either accept the quote or we will return your drive to you. If no recovery is possible there is no further fees. 

Most data can be recovered using industry leading software. If the drive is completely stuffed then repair to the heads and internal components is required. We'll send your drive to our data specialist in Wellington who will examine and quote to repair. Most HDD and SSD drives are around $500 - $700 to fix. Often the cost puts a lot of people off so that is why regular backups is critical especially for important files and sentimental photos etc. 

A total job cost might be $115 + cost of repair (up to $700) or if you skip our on site callout (up to $700) for a repair. If you don't proceed with a repair then you only pay a $95 admin fee. If you do go ahead with the repair you get a discount of $95 off your cost of repair. The admin fee is to prevent free quotes as labour is spent inspecting the drive. 

HDD (Hard Disk Drive) heads are tiny, delicate components that read from and write data to the platters inside a hard drive. They hover just above the surface of the spinning platters, relying on precise alignment and proximity to perform their function without actually touching the platters. Each platter in a hard drive has its own set of read/write heads attached to an arm that moves across the disk's surface.

How HDD heads get damaged:

Physical shock or impact: A sudden jolt or drop of the hard drive, even when powered off, can cause the heads to crash into the platters. This is called a head crash, and it often leads to scratches or permanent damage to the platters, which can result in data loss.

Wear and tear: Over time, regular use can cause mechanical degradation of the heads, especially in older drives. If the heads start to wear down or malfunction, they may fail to read or write data correctly.

Power surges or outages: Power interruptions can cause the heads to land improperly on the platters or fail to return to a safe "parking" position when the drive powers off, potentially leading to damage.

Contamination: HDDs operate in a highly controlled internal environment, and any dust, debris, or moisture entering the drive can interfere with the heads, causing them to fail or damage the platters.

Manufacturing defects or faults: In rare cases, HDD heads can be flawed due to production issues, leading to premature failure.

Once an HDD head is damaged, it can cause severe data loss, and professional data recovery may be required to retrieve information from the drive.

Your data is secure at all times. We will drop off your drive to the specialist in Wellington and pick it up. Other companies courier your drive to Wellington but this is unsafe. There is an element of risk in providing data to another company however we have industry leading security and all staff are vetted. We will not access your data directly, only the specialist to confirm the drive is now working. 

You will pay Kapiti IT directly for all data recovery services. 

Yes we can support small business data recovery. Our business rates would apply.