NOTE : This record is included as a cautionary tale . 
 I do not think the recovery company involved was particularly
 better or worse than others might have been . However the lesson
 is that you should never bet on your data being recoverable .
 
! BACK UP !
 

From: *** ********** <****@A_data_recovery_company.com>
To: <CoSyBob@hotmail.com>
Subject: Drive Recovery
Date: Monday, June 25, 2001 5:33 PM

Dear Bob,

We regret to inform you that, despite our best efforts, we are unable to
fully recover any useful data from your hard disk. During the recovery
process, it became apparent that a high percentage of the physical data
tracks were damaged beyond recoverability. This was not anticipated.  We
now believe that the drive operated in a failed state for an extended
period of time after the initial crash, causing the damage. Unfortunately,
the physical data that we were able to recover did not contain enough file
data to complete a successful data recovery. Although we were able to
recover roughly 40% of the physical data from your damaged drive, we were
not able to reconstruct any files. Given the complex nature of the disk
format, a high percentage of the physical sectors must be retrieved to
complete a successful data recovery. Because of high file fragmentation,
which means that the files are spread over different areas of the disk, no
file can be recovered in its entirety.
We appreciate the opportunity to attempt this recovery, and hope that in
the future we may be of better assistance.  As requested, your hard disk
drives will be returned according to the sheet that you filled out entitled
"Notice." Please contact us if you have any questions. Thank you.

Sincerely,

*********** **********
Data Recovery Engineer
A_data_recovery_company