Pittsburgh, PA · Data Recovery & Media Preservation
Recovering what
matters.
I'm Josh. I specialize in data recovery and media preservation out of Pittsburgh: logical failures, degraded drives, VHS digitization. I can't do cleanroom surgery on your platters, but I can probably get your data back. I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing, and I won't charge you if I can't.
What I do
Data Recovery
Hard Drive & Storage Recovery
Deleted files, corrupted drives, clicking hard drives, external drives that stopped responding. Logical recovery and light physical cases. Flat quote, no hourly surprises.
Failure types: clicking noise, not detected, deleted files, water damage, corrupted partition
Devices: external HDDs, laptop drives, desktop drives, SSDs, USB flash drives
Starting at: $150
Media Preservation
VHS & Tape Digitization
Those tapes won't last forever. Magnetic media degrades whether you use it or not. I'll convert your VHS, Hi-8, and 8mm tapes to MP4 files you can actually watch and share.
Formats: VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, 8mm
Output: MP4 files, delivered via USB or download
Starting at: $25/tape
How it works
01
Describe the problem
Fill out the intake form: what happened, what device, how urgent. Takes two minutes. I'll respond within 24 hours with questions or a preliminary assessment.
02
Ship or drop off
I'll send you a packaging guide. Proper packaging matters. A drive that survives shipping intact has better odds. Pittsburgh locals can drop off in person.
03
Evaluation & quote
I diagnose the failure and send you a firm, flat quote before any work begins. If I can't recover your data, you pay nothing. No diagnostic fees.
04
Recovery & return
If you approve the quote, I get to work. Recovered data is delivered on a USB drive or via secure download link, along with your original device.
In scope
What I can do
- ✓ Logical failures: deleted files, formatted drives, corrupted file systems
- ✓ Mechanically degraded drives: bad sectors, weak motor, struggling to spin
- ✓ PCB and USB controller failures on external drives
- ✓ Water-damaged drives (some cases, depending on platter condition)
- ✓ VHS, VHS-C, Hi-8, and 8mm tape digitization
- ✓ RAID array recovery (0, 1, 5; discussed case by case)
Out of scope
Where I refer out
- — Cleanroom head swaps and platter transplants. That work requires a Class 100 environment I don't operate.
- — Firmware-level failures on specific drive families (some Seagate and WD models)
- — Fire-damaged drives with warped or contaminated platters
- — Encrypted drives where the key is unknown
If your situation falls into this category, I'll tell you and point you toward a reputable cleanroom lab. DriveSavers and Gillware handle that work well. A clear referral is more useful to you than a recovery attempt that was never going to succeed.
Pricing
Flat quotes. No hourly rates. No surprises.
Data recovery starts at $150 for logical cases and goes up to $500 for complex physical failures. VHS digitization is $25–$45 per tape. Every quote is firm and given before any work begins.
No data, no charge.
If I can't recover your data, you don't pay for the attempt. No diagnostic fees, no "well we tried" invoices. I get paid when I deliver results.
Pittsburgh, PA
The Attic Lab
Logical Recovery · Degraded Drives · Tape Digitization
"Recovering what matters."
About
Built around a specific kind of problem.
I got into data recovery the same way I get into most things: curiosity. It started with VHS tapes, figuring out how they worked, why they degraded, what it actually took to pull a signal off aging magnetic oxide. That rabbit hole led pretty naturally into hard drives, and from there into just how fragile the things we store our memories on really are.
I focus on logical and degraded-drive recovery because that's where I can genuinely help. Cases that need a cleanroom get referred to the right lab, not attempted anyway.
More about the lab →From the bench.
All posts →VHS & Tape
How to Convert VHS Tapes to Digital: Your Options Explained
DIY capture cards, local digitization services, mail-in services: an honest breakdown of your options, what they actually cost, and what matters most when choosing.
Data Recovery
WD My Passport Not Showing Up on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide
Your WD My Passport isn't showing up on your Mac. Before you panic, work through this checklist. Some causes are trivial. Others mean the drive needs professional help.
Data Recovery
My Hard Drive Is Making a Clicking Noise: What Does It Mean?
A clicking hard drive is a physical failure in progress. Here's what's actually happening inside your drive, why every power cycle makes it worse, and exactly what to do right now.
Ready to get started?
Describe what happened.
I'll tell you what I can do, and what I can't. No charge to find out.