> Packing and shipping instructions

Safe shipping is a very important, yet simple part of the recovery process.

Whenever possible, we ask that you remove the media from your computer. There is no need to incur a hefty shipping bill when we only need the drive or disk. Be sure to seek expert help if necessary.

ESD (Electro Static Discharge) can cause electronic circuitry failure in hard drives, but as long as you discharge your personal static electricity before handling the drive and put it in an anti-static bag, you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Removing and packing a hard drive for shipping
1) Make sure the computer is turned off completely (not just in sleep mode).

2) Next, remove the panel(s) of your computer’s case to gain access to the internal components.

3) Discharge any static electricity from yourself by touching the metal computer frame (while the computer is plugged in) or other grounded metal surface before handling your hard drive.

4) Unplug the data and power cables from the drive.

5) Unscrew and remove the hard drive from the case and put it in an anti-static bag to prevent ESD Damage. Hold the hard drive by its sides and avoid unnecessary shaking. Do not shake it to see if you can hear the rattle of something loose inside!

6) Use a box that will allow at least 1.5 inches of foam, bubble wrap or newspaper space on the top, bottom and sides of the drive. Pack the bagged drive in bubble wrap, foam, or newspaper so that it is suspended securely in the middle of the box and will not move around once the box is closed. Do not use peanuts, as the drive may shift inside the box toward one of the edges. Don’t forget to enclose your printed Free Evaluation Form when possible. Label the box as Fragile.

Computer stores and service centers have a surplus of these materials (usually for free) if you can’t find suitable materials yourself.

If shipping a laptop or complete computer system, make sure you use plenty of padding and that the item is securely suspended in the middle of box (especially with laptops). Always write Fragile prominently on the box. We very strongly recommend buying insurance with the shipping.

IT Data Recovery is one of the top data recovery companies, specializing in RAID Data Recovery Services and Hard Disk Data Recovery Services.