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Data recovery and backup

Getting files back from a failed or damaged drive, phone or card, and setting up backups that run on their own.
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Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

No licence required

Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer

Irelandwww.irishstatutebook.ieChecked

Data recovery and backup: what the job involves

Getting files back from a failed, deleted or damaged drive, phone or memory card, and setting up automatic backups so it does not happen again. Physically damaged drives need a specialist clean-room lab; deleted files and simple failures can often be handled locally.

Also asked for as: recover deleted files · hard drive recovery · recover photos from phone · SD card recovery · backup setup

How the job is usually done

  1. Stop using the device, and describe what happened: deleted, dropped, wet, clicking, not detected, or ransomware.
  2. Agree which files matter most and where the recovered data should go.
  3. Assess the device without writing to it, and say honestly whether it is a local recovery or needs a lab.
  4. Make an image of the failing drive first where possible, and recover from the copy.
  5. Check the recovered files with the customer and copy them to new storage.
  6. Set up backups: automatic cloud and local copies, with at least one kept separate from the computer.
  7. Delete the technician’s working copies and confirm it in writing.

Data recovery and backup: what is included

Usually included

  • Assessment and an honest view of the chances
  • Recovery attempt and a list of the files recovered
  • Copying recovered data to the customer’s new storage

Usually not included — agree it separately

  • Clean-room recovery of a mechanically failed drive, which is sent to a specialist lab
  • The new drive or cloud subscription for the backup
  • Paying ransoms or negotiating with criminals

Materials and who supplies them

  • New external drive or storage for the recovered data, bought by the customer or supplied at cost
  • Backup software or cloud storage subscription, usually in the customer’s own name

How long it takes

Recovering deleted files or a readable drive often takes a day or two; a failing drive imaged slowly or a lab recovery can take a week or more.

When to book

Act quickly with deleted files, before new data overwrites them, and stop using a failing drive at once.

Data recovery and backup: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

  • A technician who handles personal data on a business’s computers or accounts on its behalf is a processor under the GDPR. The business must have a written contract with them, which can be in electronic form, saying they act only on its instructions, keep the data confidential, keep it secure, and delete or return it when the work ends.

    Applies to: the technician and a business customer

    GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Article 28 · eur-lex.europa.eu · Checked 10 October 2026

  • Anyone processing personal data for a business, whether the business itself or its IT provider, must take technical and organisational measures to keep it secure, appropriate to the risk, such as encryption, the ability to restore data after an incident, and regular testing.

    Applies to: the business customer and its IT provider

    GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Article 32 · eur-lex.europa.eu · Checked 10 October 2026

  • A business that suffers a personal data breach, such as ransomware, a stolen unencrypted laptop or a hacked mailbox, must report it to the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, unless it is unlikely to result in a risk to people. A processor must tell the business without undue delay.

    Applies to: the business customer, and its IT provider as processor

    GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Articles 33 and 34 · eur-lex.europa.eu · Checked 10 October 2026

  • Old computers, laptops, phones and printers are WEEE and must not go in the household bin. They can be returned free to a shop on a like-for-like basis when buying a replacement, or left free at a local authority civic amenity site.

    Applies to: the householder, and a provider who takes old equipment away

    WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU as applied in Ireland; Citizens Information · citizensinformation.ie · Checked 10 October 2026

What data recovery and backup costs, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

  • The kind of failure: deleted files, logical corruption, or physical damage
  • The type of device: hard drive, SSD, RAID or NAS, phone, memory card
  • Amount of data and how urgent it is
  • Whether encryption keys or passwords are available
  • Setting up ongoing backups as well

What you should get at the end

  • A list of what was recovered and what could not be
  • The recovered data on storage you own
  • Written confirmation that the technician’s working copies have been deleted
  • A note of how the backup is set up, where it goes and how to restore from it
  • The failed device returned, or a record that it was securely destroyed

What the provider should hand over

  • Go through the recovered files with the customer
  • Delete working copies and confirm it in writing
  • Show the customer how to check the backup is running and how to restore a file

Safety

  • Stop using a drive that clicks, grinds or is not detected; every restart can make recovery harder.
  • Do not install recovery software onto the drive you are trying to recover from.
  • For ransomware, disconnect the machine from the network, do not pay, and report it; a business may have to notify the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours.
  • An old drive, even after deleting files, still holds data; have it securely wiped or destroyed before disposal.

Data recovery and backup: before you hire

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Do you do the recovery yourself, or send it to a lab, and where?
  • Is there a charge if nothing can be recovered?
  • How do you keep my data confidential, and when will you delete your copies?
  • How will my backup work, and how would I restore from it?

What you can do yourself

Checking the recycle bin, cloud account and previous versions is safe; running recovery software on a failing or physically damaged drive can destroy what is left.

What to put in your task

  • What do you need data recovered from?
  • What happened?
  • Roughly how much data do you need back?
  • Does the device hold customer or staff data for a business?
  • Do you want a backup set up afterwards?

Photos that help

  • The device label showing make, model and capacity
  • Screenshot of any error or ransom message, without clicking anything in it
  • Any visible damage to the device

Data recovery and backup by county

Done at your place or remotely. Choose your county for data recovery and backup close to home, or post the task for anywhere in Ireland.

IT support

Need data recovery and backup? Describe the job.

Post it once, free, for work at your place or done remotely. Professionals reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.

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Questions about data recovery and backup

Does data recovery and backup need a licence in Ireland?

No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.irishstatutebook.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.

Can deleted files be recovered?

Often, if the drive has not been used much since. SSDs and phones clear deleted space automatically, which makes recovery much less likely, so a backup matters more on those.

My drive is clicking. What now?

Switch it off and leave it off. Clicking usually means a mechanical fault, which needs a clean-room lab; repeated power-ups can scratch the platters and make the data unrecoverable.

What is a good backup?

At least two copies besides the original, on different kinds of storage, with one kept away from the computer or offline so ransomware or a fire cannot reach it. It should run automatically, and you should test restoring a file now and then.

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Data recovery and backup in Ireland — compare quotes | Talqero