MacMedics Frequently Asked Macintosh Service Questions: Time Capsule Data Recovery

Where do I go for data recovery service for a dead or failed Time Capsule?

Here at MacMedics we see a number of Time Capsules that have failed or have lost their ability to access the data stored on the internal hard drive. In most cases we can easily rescue the lost data and copy it onto another hard drive for you. You can also buy a hard drive from MacMedics that we can copy your recovered data on to.

Time Capsule data recoveries usually are performed for our Tier-1 Data Recovery fee of $150. This covers disassembly of your Time Capsule, the rescue of all of your data to a hard drive that provide, and we’ll put it all back together again so it can be sent back to Apple . No two data recovery cases are the same, so depending on your hard drive’s situation, pricing could be higher if we have to spend extra time with your data. Sometimes the the Time Capsule’s hard drive is so sick, we have to rescue and recover the data, then repair it to make it useable again.

If your Time Capsule’s hard drive has “failed” we can replace it for you with a new hard drive.

Don’t forget that data that is stored on a Time Capsule and not on your computer or elsewhere is NOT backed up. Having your data stored off your computer might reduce the risk to your data, but it does not mean that data is fully protected. Please ensure you data is always in two places. See our web site http://www.HardDrivesDie.com for more info.

Also, if your Time Capsule is still under Apple’s 1-year warranty or AppleCare, we can help recover the data and assist in getting your Time Capsule replaced under warranty.

Update 7/24/10 Apple has a Repair Extension Program in place for some failed Time Capsule units. See this MacMedics Blog post for more info.

Questions? Just give us a call at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or send us an e-mail.

Time Machine is an excellent way to back up your files! It's only cool and powerful if you actually turn it on and USE it!

Friday the 13th can be an un-lucky day, but you CAN take control of your back up and ensure your data is always protected by following a few simple steps.

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic (Use Time Machine and this point is covered)

2. Redundant (Double your back up with a clone of your data or use an off-site back up and this point is covered)

3. Off-Site (Take your double back up off-site or get Mozy or CrashPlan Pro and this point is covered)

If you’d like to sign up for Mozy or CrashPlan Pro, we have links to those services, including the hard to find free 2GB Mozy account. We also strongly recommend LoJack for Laptops.

http://www.macmedics.com/mozy (Use code “2012″ for 10% off paid service until 2/1/12)
http://www.macmedics.com/crashplan
http://www.macmedics.com/lojack

We’ve been over this before, but here on the front lines of data loss we see this just about everyday. It’s senseless the number of pictures, school papers, financial and business documents, and music get lost when a back up system can be had for as little as $99!

You need to make your back up system automatic, or use a program like Time Machine. That’s the first step. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY can keep up with a “manual” drag-n-drop back up! To boot, quite a bit of the data loss we see here at MacMedics happens when someone copies over important data during a drag-n-drop Finder copy. Sometime, folks think they have the data copied, but something goes wrong and they just end up with an alias, then they go and delete the original data, because they think they just copied it.

The second step is to regularly test that back up to ensure your files are there and you’re able to grab them anytime you need them. There’s no such thing as a “Set-It-And-Forget-It” back up system.

If you need help getting your back up set up, our advice is free, and we have external portable and desktop hard drives in stock!

If you have data you care about it needs to be backed up! Just because your computer is new or you just replaced the hard drive offers you very little protection. Hard drives can die at any time, and in fact there’s an increased risk of that occurring in the first 30 to 60 days of a hard drives’ life.

See our website http://www.HardDrivesDie.com for more info on “retiring” older drives and ensuring you have a safe back up.

The pictures we take at the holidays are the most cherished and valuable. Make sure the picture you take this holiday make it onto you back up system as soon as you import them onto your computer. Also, as an added tip: Don’t have iPhoto delete your pictures off you camera. Leave them in two places, in iPhoto AND on your camera until you have them BACKED UP. You ALWAYS want to have your valuable data in TWO PLACES at all times.