Dropped it or spilled something on it
After a drop or a spill, do not switch the laptop on to check. Unplug the charger, hold the power button until it is off and keep it off. Powering up a wet board or a knocked drive is what turns a repair into a recovery.
Inside a 2.5 inch hard drive, the read/write heads float a hair’s breadth above platters spinning thousands of times a minute. A knock while it is running can drive the heads into the surface and scratch data away. Liquid attacks from the other side, shorting the drive’s electronics and corroding the motherboard.
A dead laptop is not a dead drive
If the laptop will not power up after a surge or a motherboard failure, the drive inside is often untouched. We take it out and copy the files, and the machine itself can go through our laptop repair service. Thin modern laptops use M.2 or soldered SSDs, which fail in their own way, so see SSD data recovery. MacBooks are covered under Mac data recovery.
Why laptop drives lose data
- Files deleted or overwritten by accident
- Virus or spyware damage
- Operating system that will not load
- Bad sectors on the disk
- Overheated hard drive
- Read/write head failure
- Scratched platters
- Liquid damage to the drive
The first three are logical faults. The drive works, and the files are brought back with software. The rest are physical. Those drives go into an ISO Class 5 (Class 100) clean room and may need parts from a donor drive. Whichever it is, do not run a disk repair tool on a drive that is struggling.
What it costs
| Job | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Free |
| Logical recovery, up to two hours’ work | £99 + VAT |
| Logical recovery needing 24 to 48 hours of work | £150 + VAT (1TB) to £250 + VAT (4TB) |
| Clean-room diagnostic for a physically failed drive | £79 + VAT (you supply the donor drive) |
| Physical recovery on a single drive | £450 + VAT (labour, plus a donor drive if needed) |
| SSD recovery (firmware or electronic board repair) | £450 + VAT to £650 + VAT |
Quotes are firm, and if we cannot recover the data you do not pay. See data recovery prices for the full list.
Systems and drives we recover
We work with Windows from XP onwards, macOS, Linux and UNIX, and older systems such as DOS and Novell. Drive makes include Samsung, Fujitsu, Seagate, Hitachi GST, Toshiba and Western Digital. Bring the laptop to North End Road or book a free collection. Personal or business, your files are kept confidential.
Questions people ask
My laptop will not switch on. Can you still get my files?
In many cases, yes. A laptop that will not power up often has a motherboard or power fault, and the drive holding your files is a separate part. We remove it and copy the data, then quote separately if you want the laptop repaired.
I spilled a drink on my laptop. What should I do?
Unplug the charger, hold the power button until it turns off and do not try it again. Skip the hairdryer, which pushes liquid further in. Get it to us quickly, because corrosion carries on after the laptop looks dry.
Can I bring only the drive?
Yes, if you are comfortable removing it. Otherwise bring or send the whole laptop and we will take the drive out. Collection and return from your home or office is free.
What if the drive is too damaged to recover?
Then you do not pay for the recovery. The initial consultation is free, the quote is firm, and if the data cannot be recovered there is no charge.