Laptops/PCs which cannot turn on or cannot start into Windows have two parts to them (the laptop/PC and its internal hard drive), and many times the internal hard drive is completely fine. Irrespective of being dead, dropped, water damaged or spinning endlessly, we recover data from any brand of laptop/desktop for both Belfast & Northern Ireland in house.
If you’re experiencing a drive failure, repeated attempts to reboot, using the “startup repair” in Windows and installing everything again will likely only continue to write to a damaged area of the failing drive and may even cause further damage. Therefore if the value of your information is greater than that of the machine itself, stop immediately to relieve the pressure on the failing drive and allow us to recover your data first.
A malfunctioning computer could be due to either hardware faults or software faults or simply a failing drive. This is where most of our experience lies.
We also recover all brands of laptops and desktops, as well as all types of drives within those computers (NVMe, M.2, SATA SSD, and hard drives).
All brands of laptops and desktops, as well as all types of drives found within those devices (NVMe/M.2 SSDs and SATA SSDs, along with 2.5" & 3.5" hard drives). This includes BitLocker-encrypted machines when you possess the recovery key.
Almost all recoveries involve retrieving a device's drive. Once this has been completed, if the drive was faulty or damaged, we will either fix/repair or create an exact image of it. From there we will build your file(s) back up using this copied version of your drive; the actual drive will never be put under strain during recovery.
First we determine what type of failure occurred (computer/machine failure vs. Windows failure vs. drive failure), and if the issue is related to hardware or logically-based. Then, once determined, we send you a written quote.
We take out the drive and read it ourselves, so if your laptop or PC has died there's now nothing to stop you getting access to your files. See more on this: can you recover data from a dead or non-booting laptop?
When a good drive comes in we get an immediate image; when a bad drive arrives, we fix it enough to be able to read it before making an image. This includes heads, boards, controllers, firmware, etc. for a hard drive or SSD.
If your BitLocker-protected drive needs unlocking to allow us to recover the data we will use your recovery key and ensure the recovered files are readable.
We rebuild your file & folder structures from the image so when you receive your data your documents, images and other items have their names restored and they're organised as before.
We check the files that were recovered to ensure that they can be opened successfully and that they are complete. Before returning any files to you, we also give you the opportunity to review them to ensure their accuracy.
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.
Whether it was a good drive in a laptop that stopped working, whether your laptop fell off the table and made a "click" (or two), or if your PC simply won't boot...we can recover all types of computers, because the way we go about recovering data is to pull it off the drive itself, from a copy, and always without putting pressure on the original drive.
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.
The first step would be a free diagnostic followed by a fixed written quote prior to commencement of any work. The cost for recovering one laptop or PC is £300 + VAT; however, in most cases you will only pay if we successfully recover your data, and where the drive needs physical repair, a 50% deposit will cover parts & bench time (with the balance only paid on success).
An assortment of laptops & PCs that we have recovered, with various makes, models and fault types; all customer information is anonymised.
The motherboard had failed and the NVMe was good (soldered into the laptop), and we successfully accessed and recovered the user's files using our own recovery hardware.
The hard disk drive (HDD) heads had failed, so we did a matched donor head swap to allow us to image the HDD and recover the user's data.
System files were corrupt and preventing boot-up, but the SSD was fine. We were able to image the SSD and recover all the user's documents and data.
Since this machine had barely been used there were no issues with a deep scan of a read-only image to recover the deleted files.
The board was corroded, however the M.2 SSD remained intact. Once we removed the M.2 SSD from the board, we were able to use our own equipment to connect to the SSD and retrieve all of the data that existed on it.
Although a reinstall had overwritten part of the drive as well, much of what the user wanted still survived. We created an image of the remaining good sectors and then successfully recovered the majority of the user's files.
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.
The questions we get asked most often regarding laptop and PC file recovery.
Yes almost all machines that will not turn on are nothing more than a dead motherboard/screen/power supply. But inside these units is a perfectly functional hard disk that contains your files. We simply take the hard disk out of the unit and connect it to one of our units and are able to read/recover your lost files. In other words, we can bypass whatever failed in your laptop to get at your lost files.
Not usually. When a machine loops on its logo or boots into the recovery environment (or simply shows that), there will likely be corrupted file(s) within the operating system, or perhaps even a failing drive. Your pictures, music, etc. are usually safe as they have been stored elsewhere than the failing operating system. We can get them back from the drive directly, without having to use the OS that failed.
If it has a hard disk drive (HDD), then yes, for now. But if you continue to run it after the drop, the damaged heads could cause serious damage to the platters. It would be better to turn it off at this point and do nothing else. This way, when we carry out a donor head swap we'll have a much cleaner platter, and therefore a better chance of recovering your lost files.
For hard disks, probably not. Deleted files are kept on the disk unit until they are overwritten by new data. With solid state drives (SSDs), the likelihood of being overwritten is higher due to TRIM, which is designed to erase unused space. Regardless, do not continue to use your computer until we confirm whether or not your files were recovered successfully.
One desktop/laptop recovery costs £300 + VAT. We diagnose your problem for free, and in most cases you only pay if we ultimately recover your files. However, on drives that require us to physically repair them, we require a 50% deposit towards parts and bench time. In these instances, the remaining amount is only charged once we've verified that your files were successfully recovered.
In most cases, yes, you only pay if we recover your data; however, there is one potential exception. Physical repairs requiring parts for replacement will require a deposit covering both the cost of those parts and our labour (bench time). Only in successful recovery scenarios will the remainder of the total bill be invoiced. We make clear which applies before any work begins.
We support all types of computers (Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, MSI, Microsoft Surface and other PC/laptop brands), and we also accept custom built towers/desktops. All drives that are inside any of these computers, including M.2/NVMe/SATA SSD/hard disk etc.
Passwords for Windows logins do not matter: we can read the drive regardless of the password. There's an exception to this: full-disk BitLocker Encryption. While we can help you recover a BitLocked (full-disk) encrypted drive, there will need to be a way to obtain the recovery key before we can begin the process. If you don't have the recovery key for a full-disk BitLockered drive, then we won't be able to break the encryption.
Yes, we will recover your files from the drive, regardless of what condition Windows is in. The only thing we generally cannot recover is files that have been encrypted by ransomware: however, we may still recover some un-encrypted versions of your files as well as shadow copies and/or previous backups.
Logical recovery is usually completed in 1–3 working days; Physical Drive Recovery/Repair typically takes 3–7 working days. Usually, our diagnostics are complete within 48 hours of receiving your device. If you require priority treatment please let us know when submitting your case.
Please bring your computer to Cromac Square, Belfast at anytime during weekdays between 9am and 5:30pm. Alternatively you can courier your computer insured. It is okay to bring either the entire laptop/tower or simply the bare drive, whichever is easier for you to provide. When dropping off your device, please include a note with your contact information. This allows us to record the details of your case, perform a complimentary diagnosis and then issue you with a formal written quotation.
Free diagnostic, a fixed £300 + VAT charge, plus in most cases you don't have to pay until we have successfully recovered your data. Laptops & PCs of all makes recovered in house at our base in Belfast. Stop reinstalling and send it in.