External drives fail in various ways, but more frequently than not their failure is hidden by their own case design. Sometimes it is only the enclosure (or the USB bridge) which has failed, leaving the actual hard drive intact. Regardless of whether your drive was damaged when dropped, does not appear on your computer, beeps when inserted, or requires formatting before use, we recover Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, LaCie and virtually every other brand of external hard drive for individuals and businesses based throughout Belfast and Northern Ireland, in-house.
Many people who type “external hard drive repair near me” do not actually want to repair the drive. They want what is on it.
There are plenty of external hard drive faults that truly require a repair as opposed to a full recovery. For example, a cracked USB port, a dead bridge board inside the enclosure itself, a broken power connector etc. These types of jobs are repaired routinely as the first part of every recovery process is to read the disk(s) in question. Therefore these jobs are generally faster if the internal drive is good.
When a drive fails mechanically there may be ways to repair it enough to read (head replacement, etc.) and extract files. However this will never make it “refurbished” as once the original file is copied to a new drive its purpose is fulfilled, i.e., a verified copy of your data on new media. As long as files are what you’re looking for, we call that process “recovery.” Either way, it begins with our complimentary diagnostic.
Any external drive that makes beeping or clicking noises has some form of mechanical failure: beeping is due to motor strain and/or the motor being unable to start. Clicking noise indicates heads have fallen off track. Trying to plug it in somewhere else doesn't help the situation; it could cause additional damage. Shut it down immediately (do not continue trying to use it) and allow us to access the device before the platters become damaged.
Another type of fault is found with an external drive itself: the enclosure/case. This encloses a number of things which can fail including the case itself along with other components contained within. These are the ones we see most often.
Our recovery team can successfully retrieve data from all makes/models of portable and desktop external hard drives. This includes USB, USB-C and Thunderbolt portable drives, as well as desktop models in virtually any size.
We can also recover portable and desktop external hard drives in every capacity (small, large, medium), including those with USB, USB-C and Thunderbolt connections. In cases where the outer housing of a portable/desktop drive has failed, our recovery engineers will still recover the internal drive regardless of brand/model.
When dealing with an external drive failure, the initial step our engineers take is to determine which component of the external drive system has failed: either the enclosure/case itself or the actual drive unit. Once determined, they bypass the original's "bridge." If necessary, they will repair any damaged parts of the drive and then create an image of what was stored on that drive. From this image, your files will be rebuilt.
The first step for us would be to identify which of two things failed (the drive or the enclosure), and if it was the drive, we need to know how much of it went bad, i.e., if necessary, open it in-house to see. Then we quote in writing.
Once determined that the failure was due to the enclosure rather than the drive, we bypass the bridge and simply connect the drive to a computer allowing us to read directly from it. If the drive fails, it can often be repaired; typically one or more parts on the drive fail: the heads, the motor, a circuit board or firmware. If repairable, we repair just enough of the drive to allow its contents to be read.
If there is any necessity to physically open the drive in order to access its components, this is performed by our in-house staff of engineers. Therefore, a head or platter is only ever handled by an engineer at our company who does this work every day, and these parts will never leave their hands.
Upon making the drive accessible again, the entire drive is then "imaged" in sectors. The imaging process is very gentle around any weakened areas, protecting both fragile heads and delicate surfaces.
For those hardware encrypted drives (such as WD My Passport), we go through the encryption so that when we restore your files, they'll be usable.
The recovery process starts by restoring the file and folder directory from the image that was created. Once restored, all of the recovered files are checked as functional before they are made available.
Files can be delivered to you via fresh media (e.g., a USB flash drive) or you can have them sent to you via our complimentary 75 GB download service, whichever is more convenient for you.
Our team has successfully recovered data from almost every type of external hard drive including, but certainly not limited to, My Passport models after bridge failure; portable external hard drives that were physically damaged (dropped); desktop units that experienced electrical surges while operating; etc. And no matter which type of external drive you need us to recover, it will always be done directly off of the drive itself and/or an un-writeable copy/image of the drive. Never do we operate off of your original drive under strain during this process.
Give us some information regarding what happened to cause this issue, and an engineer will contact you. Usually within a single business day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
You will get a no charge diagnosis followed by a fixed written quote before any work begins. The cost to recover one of your external drives will be £300 + VAT, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data from your damaged drive. And should your drive require mechanical repair (for example a donor part) we would need a 50% down payment for parts and bench time, with the remaining amount due only upon a successful recovery.
Here is an assortment of devices we have recovered from multiple manufacturers with various faults. The devices are categorised by type and outcome; all customers' information is protected.
When this client's hard drive failed, its bridge had failed and their data was encrypted via the bridge. We bypassed the bridge that allowed us to work through the encryption and were able to recover all of their data.
Although the fall damaged the heads on this client's hard drive it did not damage the platters. After performing a donor head swap (matched) we were able to successfully image the drive and recover all of their data.
This client's drive had suffered what is called a "RAW" partition. However, the data that existed prior to the failure remained intact. We performed a read only image of the drive, then completely restored the original file structure.
Stiction occurs when the heads become stuck to the platter. In this instance, we were able to free the heads allowing for a clean image of the drive.
The circuit board had been damaged but the drive itself was okay. So we fixed the circuit board, moved the ROM over and it worked perfectly the first time.
It has not been used since, therefore, all of the data was still in place. A deep scan on a read-only image recovered the files just fine.
Send or drop off your item for a free diagnostic check with a description of the issue. One of our engineers will review the item, then provide you a written quote prior to doing any repairs.
Prior to sending or dropping off your device for a diagnostic test (free), obtain a quotation from us via telephone or using the provided form. Step one: get the device to our Belfast bench. Carefully wrap the device and include your contact information inside the parcel. Then send it over. There is no charge for this diagnostic service. Once we receive it, you will be given a firm written price to confirm whether you wish to go ahead, before any work is done.
Sending it? The use of a tracked, insured delivery method would be recommended. Alternatively, dropping it off can also be done Monday to Friday, 9am–5:30pm; no prior booking required but do ensure that all items are packed accordingly.
Still waiting to send something? Please complete the form describing the failure/fault in your own words and one of our engineers will get back to you with a quotation based upon your individual circumstances.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
These are some of our most commonly asked questions regarding external hard drive recovery.
Maybe not always. One of the main causes is failure of the USB interface located in the case (i.e., the connection from the USB ports) while the internal drive remains intact. First try using a different cable and/or a different USB port; if it continues to be unresponsive, do not continue trying. We will determine whether the problem lies with the external housing or the internal drive and we can recover your data regardless.
Usually, yes. When it clicks after you drop the unit this indicates that the heads have suffered damage. As long as the unit has not continued to operate for an extended period with damaged heads, we can recover the data by swapping in a new donor head. That being said, please turn off the unit immediately and stop testing it; protecting the platters is critical.
Yes. Since many My Passport and Elements drives use hardware-based encryption via the enclosure's bridge, a failed or dead bridge will render the data locked behind it unreadable. After recovering the physical drive, our engineers will work with your hardware-based encrypted data to retrieve your lost data.
Not if you have something on this device you wish to retrieve. This error message indicates that the file system has become corrupted (it now reads RAW) however your original data remains intact. Formatting will begin to overwrite the data, so only format the drive once we successfully recover your data.
A diagnostic inspection of your external drive is complimentary prior to a diagnosis of its failure. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data, and we expect an amount of £300 + VAT. The cost of repair of a damaged internal/external drive can be split into two costs: a 50% deposit payment required up front. This deposit is used as a down payment towards replacement parts and lab/bench labour to replace defective components of the failing unit. If successful, you would owe the remaining 50% balance upon completion of the recovery process. As per standard procedure, a written quote outlining both costs (parts & service) will be provided prior to commencing any repair or recovery services.
For most work, yes: no recovered data = no recovery fee. The one exception to this rule would be jobs requiring replacement donor hardware; a deposit covering the parts and related bench hours will apply. However, in such instances the remaining balance owed will only be invoiced based on a successful recovery.
All manufacturers of external storage devices (WD, Seagate, Toshiba, LaCie, Samsung, Buffalo, G-Technology, etc.), regardless of their model, capacity or configuration. Whether it be a single hard disk drive or multiple SSDs, we recover data from all brands and types of external storage units.
We would prefer this did not happen. Many drives have their case bridge connected to hardware based encryption therefore once the drive has been removed from the case it may make it difficult to access the data. Additionally if you force the case open there is a risk of causing damage to the disk. Please send the drive as it is (case included) and we will ensure it is opened safely.
A single beep upon powering on is generally indicative of the motor attempting to apply sufficient torque to overcome seized bearings or "stuck" heads, consuming power but unable to convert said power into rotation. This is a mechanically related issue requiring opening of the drive in our laboratory. However, provided the drive is not forced to continue spinning, then the issue is recoverable.
Logical recovery for an individual drive is generally completed within 1-3 business days. Physical repairs and imaging of a drive will typically take longer at 3-7 days depending on the overall health of the drive. Diagnostic testing for each drive should be able to be completed within 48 hours. Urgent cases will normally be given priority treatment.
To facilitate a diagnosis, please bring the device to Cromac Square any weekday during office hours (9am–5:30pm). Alternatively, please post the complete case assembly insured, with the included cable and padding to prevent any movement during shipping. Include a note with your contact details (name, address, phone number & email address) and we will process the shipment accordingly, perform the free diagnostic test and then provide you with your written quotation.
Regardless of manufacturer, all models of external / portable drives are recovered here at our premises in Belfast. Each drive costs £300 + VAT. All diagnostics are performed free of charge. In most cases, you only pay if we recover your data. If your drive is beeping or clicking, pull the plug and get it to us!