Data Recovery FAQ · Since 1999 · Worldwide Mail-In

Frequently Asked Questions About eProvided Data Recovery

Losing important files, photos, or documents can feel like a nightmare — whether it’s from a dropped phone, a water-damaged drive, or a device that simply stopped working. At eProvided, we’ve helped thousands of customers recover their data. Since 1999, that has included a high-stakes case for NASA’s Helios mission after saltwater submersion. Our Las Vegas-based lab specializes in everything from NAND flash memory to SSDs, USB drives, and smartphones — and this data recovery FAQ covers the questions we hear most. If your situation isn’t covered here, our full list of recovery services covers every device we handle, or join the discussion on our Reddit community.

Can Data Be Recovered from Water-Damaged or Submerged Devices?

Yes — in most cases, absolutely. We’ve successfully recovered data from devices submerged in saltwater for weeks, including CompactFlash cards from NASA’s Helios prototype after its Pacific Ocean crash. Fresh water, washing machines, flooded basements — none of it rules out recovery on its own.

The key is acting quickly and avoiding DIY fixes like rice, which often introduces more corrosion than it prevents. Water-damage recovery success depends heavily on the condition of the NAND flash chips inside the device: in most cases, corrosion attacks the circuit board rather than the storage chips themselves, which lets us bypass damaged components and extract the raw data directly. This is especially common with iPhones, Android phones, USB drives, and memory cards exposed to liquid. Industry data shows professional labs achieve 90%+ success on liquid damage when the NAND chips remain intact — which they usually do. See our guide to water-damaged phone recovery for more on what to do in the first few minutes.

What If My Device Is Physically Broken or Snapped in Half?

Yes, recovery is often still possible. We’ve handled drives run over by cars, chewed by pets, and literally broken into pieces. As long as the NAND flash memory chips aren’t destroyed — which happens in fewer than 1% of cases — we can extract and rebuild your files using chip-off techniques in our lab.

Chip-off recovery for physically broken NAND flash devices is one of our most requested services. Whether it’s a snapped USB thumb drive, a cracked microSD card, or a shattered SSD, our engineers carefully remove the memory chips under a microscope, read them with specialized adapters, and reconstruct the file system. This method works even when the controller or connector is completely destroyed, making it the right call for severe physical damage that standard connection methods can’t handle. Learn more about chip-off NAND recovery or our broken SD card recovery process.

Do You Recover Video from Camcorders and Handheld Cameras?

Yes. We recover HD video, photos, and audio from all types of camcorders, professional cameras, and action cams — whether the cause is a corrupted file system or physical damage. We’ve helped photographers and videographers get irreplaceable footage back more times than we can count.

How Much Does Professional Data Recovery Cost?

Costs vary by damage type: many logical recoveries (deleted files, formatting errors) start under $250, while complex physical cases run higher based on the level of damage and technique required. You’ll receive a firm quote after our free evaluation, and we never charge if we don’t recover the files you need.

Simple file carving from a formatted device is the most affordable end of the range; advanced NAND chip-off recovery or lab platter work falls into the higher range. We always provide a transparent quote upfront and let you decide whether to proceed — no surprise charges after the fact. For full details, visit our pricing page.

How Long Does the Recovery Process Take?

Most cases are completed in 1–3 days once we receive your device. Advanced physical recoveries can take longer — sometimes weeks — but we keep you updated at every stage, and rush options are available when time is critical.

What Types of Devices Do You Recover Data From?

We recover from virtually every storage device on the market, including hard drives (HDD & SSD), USB flash drives and thumb drives, microSD/SD/CompactFlash and all memory card formats, smartphones (iPhone and Android), RAID arrays and NAS devices, and camcorders, voice recorders, and tablets.

• Hard drives (HDD & SSD)
• USB flash drives and thumb drives
• microSD, SD, CompactFlash, and all memory cards
• Smartphones (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Android)
• RAID arrays and NAS devices
• Camcorders, voice recorders, tablets, and more

Our expertise covers the full spectrum of modern storage technology, from traditional spinning hard drives to the latest PCIe NVMe SSDs and monolithic flash devices. NAND-based storage — found in nearly all flash drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives — makes up the majority of our cases, and we have specialized tools for each format. See our specialized services: SSD recovery, microSD recovery, and USB recovery.

Can You Recover Overwritten or Previously Used Data?

Yes — in many cases. Advanced forensic techniques allow us to retrieve older file versions or fragments even after new data has been written to the device. Success depends on how much overwriting occurred, but as always, we only charge when we deliver files you actually need.

Will I Be Charged If No Data Is Recovered?

No. Our policy is simple: no data recovered that you need means no recovery fee. You only pay for successful results, and you approve a full file list before paying anything.

Can You Repair the Damaged Device Itself?

In many cases, yes. We often replace controllers, repair PCB boards, or perform chip transplants to access the data, and the repaired device is sometimes returned functional. That said, we recommend backing up and replacing failing media rather than relying on a repaired drive long-term.

What Is Your Success Rate?

Our data recovery success rate is 98% or higher on the cases we accept. Industry-wide, professional labs report 85–95% success for logical failures and 70–90% for physical damage.

Our high success rate comes from decades of experience with NAND flash recovery across thousands of devices. Whether it’s a simple deleted-file case or complex chip-off work on a physically damaged SSD, our lab processes and tools are continually updated to handle the latest storage technologies and failure modes. Read more in our SSD and NAND chip recovery guide.

What Should I Do (or Avoid) Before Sending My Device?

Stop using the device immediately — don’t power it on, format it, or attempt software fixes, since any of these can overwrite data permanently. Package it carefully in anti-static material and ship it to our Las Vegas lab — local customers are also welcome to drop off in person by calling ahead to confirm a scheduled arrival time.

Use a rigid box rather than a padded envelope, and cushion the device on all sides with bubble wrap or foam so it cannot shift in transit. For water-damaged devices, do not dry, heat, or disassemble anything — seal the device in a zip-top bag and ship it as-is; our engineers handle corrosion safely at the lab. Remove the device from computers, card readers, or enclosures only if it disconnects without force. Include a note with your name, phone number, email, and a short description of what happened, plus your case number if you have one. Choose a shipping service with tracking, and keep the receipt until your recovery is complete.

Can I Reuse the Device After Recovery?

It depends on the failure type. If the failure was logical, often yes. If the hardware is degrading, we recommend transferring your recovered files to new media and retiring the old device to prevent a repeat failure.

Common Data Recovery Myths Debunked

What Our Customers Say

eProvided reviews from past customers consistently highlight the same things: data recovered after other shops gave up, and clear communication from start to finish. Read more about who we are and how we work, or see for yourself below.

Rated 4.9 / 5 from 67 verified reviews on Trustpilot

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