A professional videographer from Newcastle Upon Tyne contacted Newcastle Data Recovery after their LaCie Rugged external hard drive stopped being recognised by their computer. The reported issues included:
- The hard drive was not detected in Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder.
- Disk Management (Windows) and Disk Utility (Mac) showed no mounted drive.
- The drive contained several years of high-value video projects and client footage.
- A local repair shop attempted a basic fix but was unable to access the data.
Since LaCie Rugged drives are often used for high-performance media storage, and their enclosures feature additional security layers, a specialised forensic recovery process was required.
Our Expertise in LaCie Rugged Hard Drive Recovery
With 25 years of experience, Newcastle Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Recovering data from undetected, corrupted, and physically damaged LaCie drives
✔ Handling encryption & proprietary firmware issues common in LaCie enclosures
✔ Using advanced data recovery tools like Acelabs PC3000, Atola Insight, and Deepspar Disk Imager
Diagnosis & Recovery Process
Upon receiving the LaCie Rugged hard drive, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic assessment. The key findings included:
- The drive’s USB-C/Thunderbolt port was functional, but the drive was not initializing.
- The internal hard disk (HDD) was still spinning, but had a degraded read/write head.
- Logical corruption in the file system prevented data access.
To successfully recover the videographer’s footage, we implemented a multi-step forensic recovery strategy:
Step 1: Secure Drive Imaging & Data Extraction
- Used DeepSpar Disk Imager to clone the entire hard drive sector-by-sector.
- Implemented adaptive reading techniques to bypass degraded sectors.
Step 2: Logical Repair & File Structure Recovery
- Used Acelabs PC3000 UDMA to rebuild the drive’s firmware for stable operation.
- Scanned for lost partitions and file system corruption using R-Studio.
Step 3: File Integrity Verification & Transfer
- Verified all recovered media files to ensure proper playback.
- Transferred fully restored data to a secure SSD drive for the client.
The Result
We successfully recovered 98.9% of the client’s video projects, including:
✅ 4K and HD video footage for ongoing client projects
✅ Raw and edited footage from past years
✅ Important personal and backup files
The videographer was able to resume their work without permanent data loss.
Why Choose Newcastle Data Recovery for LaCie Rugged Hard Drive Recovery?
✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in media industry data recovery.
✅ Advanced Forensic Techniques – Handling encryption, firmware issues, and bad sectors.
✅ Fast, Affordable, & Reliable Service – Offering the best value data recovery in the UK.
If your LaCie Rugged hard drive is not being recognized and contains critical data, contact Newcastle Data Recovery today for expert hard drive recovery services!