When a laptop or PC won't turn on or won't boot into Windows, the machine and the data are two separate things — and very often the drive inside is perfectly healthy. Whether it's dead, dropped, liquid-damaged or stuck on a spinning circle, we recover the files from laptops and desktops of every make for Belfast and Northern Ireland, in-house.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/nvme0 → Device: Dell XPS 13 · 512 GB NVMe → Status: WILL NOT POWER ON — board fault → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Drive: removed · healthy → Imaging: 480 GB / 512 GB · 100% read → NTFS: rebuilt · files intact $ bdr verify → ✓ documents — 28,400 files → ✓ photos — 19,100 files → ✓ laptop recovered — data back
If the drive is failing, repeated reboots, Windows ‘startup repair’ and reinstalling all make things worse — each one can overwrite recoverable files or push a dying drive over the edge. If your files matter more than the machine, stop, take the pressure off the drive, and let us recover the data first.
A dead or misbehaving computer can mean a hardware fault, a software fault, or a failing drive. These are the situations we see most.
We recover laptops and desktops of every make, and the drives inside them — NVMe, M.2, SATA SSD and hard drive alike.
Every make of laptop and desktop, and every drive inside — NVMe and M.2 SSDs, SATA SSDs and 2.5″ and 3.5″ hard drives — including BitLocker-encrypted machines where you hold the recovery key.
Recovering a computer nearly always means recovering its drive. We separate the drive from the dead or unstable machine, repair or image it depending on the fault, and rebuild your files from that copy — the original drive is never leaned on.
We work out whether the fault is the machine, Windows or the drive — and whether it's a hardware or logical problem — then send a written quote.
We remove the drive from the laptop or PC and read it on our own equipment, so a dead machine no longer stands between you and your files.
A healthy drive is imaged straight away; a failing hard drive or SSD is repaired first — heads, board, controller or firmware — enough to read it.
For a BitLocker drive we use your recovery key to unlock the data during recovery, so your files come back readable.
We reconstruct the file and folder structure from the image, so your documents, photos and everything else come back organised and named.
Recovered files are checked to confirm they open and are intact, and we can show you what's come back before anything is returned.
Your files come back on fresh media, or via our free download service for up to 75GB — whichever suits you.
From a dead laptop with a healthy SSD to a dropped machine with a clicking drive or a PC that won't boot, we recover computers of every make — by taking the data off the drive, from a copy, never the original under strain.
Give us a few details about what went wrong and an engineer will come back to you, usually inside one working day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
A free diagnostic first, then a fixed written quote before any work begins. Recovering a single laptop or PC is £300 + VAT, with no fix, no fee on most jobs — and where the drive needs physical repair, a 50% deposit covers parts and bench time, with the balance only on success.
A representative selection of laptops and PCs we've recovered across different makes and faults — device types and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
The board had failed but the soldered-in NVMe drive was healthy. We read it on our own equipment and recovered all the user's files.
The hard drive's heads had failed. A matched donor head swap in clean-air conditions let us image it and recover the data.
Corrupt system files were blocking boot, but the SSD was fine. We imaged it and recovered the user's documents and data in full.
The machine had barely been used since. A deep scan of a read-only image brought the deleted files back cleanly.
The board was corroded but the M.2 SSD survived. We removed it, read it directly, and recovered everything on it.
A reinstall had overwritten part of the drive, but much survived. We imaged it and recovered the bulk of the user's files.
Post or drop in your device for a free diagnostic, with a note on what happened — an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
First step: get the device onto our Belfast bench. Wrap it well, tuck your contact details in the box, and post it over — the diagnostic costs nothing, and you’ll have a firm written price to approve before we touch a single sector.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is best. Dropping it off instead? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still pack the device as above.
Not ready to send anything yet? Use the form to describe the fault in your own words and one of the engineers will come back with a quote tailored to your situation.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
The questions we're asked most about laptop and PC recovery.
Almost always. A machine that won't power on usually has a dead board, screen or supply, while the drive inside is perfectly healthy. We remove the drive, read it on our own equipment, and recover your files — the dead laptop isn't the obstacle it looks like.
Usually not. A machine stuck on the logo, looping, or showing a recovery screen most often has corrupt system files or a failing drive — your documents and photos are still on the disk. We recover them from the drive itself, outside the broken Windows install.
Yes, if it has a hard drive and you stop using it. Clicking after a drop means head damage, which is recoverable with a donor head swap — but only while the platters are still clean. Switch it off and don't keep trying to boot it.
On a hard drive, usually not — deleted files sit on the disk until something overwrites them. On an SSD, TRIM often erases them quickly, so it's less certain. Either way, stop using the machine straight away to give the best chance of recovery.
One laptop or desktop costs £300 + VAT to recover, diagnosed free first, with no fix, no fee on most jobs. Drives needing physical repair carry a 50% deposit toward parts and bench hours; the remainder is only billed if your data comes back.
On most jobs, yes — no recovery, no fee. The exception is physical repair needing parts, where a deposit covers those parts and the bench time; the balance is still only charged on success. We're clear about which applies before any work begins.
All of them — Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, MSI, Microsoft Surface and the rest, plus custom-built desktops. And every drive inside, whether NVMe, M.2, SATA SSD or hard drive.
A Windows login password is no barrier — we read the drive directly, so it doesn't stop recovery. Full-disk BitLocker encryption is different: we can recover a BitLocker drive, but only if you can supply the recovery key. Without it, the encryption can't be broken.
Yes — we recover your files from the drive, whatever state Windows is in. The one honest exception is ransomware: we can recover unencrypted files, shadow copies and backups, but files the ransomware has encrypted generally can't be decrypted.
A logical recovery is often done in 1 to 3 working days; a physical drive repair typically takes 3 to 7. The diagnostic itself is usually finished within 48 hours, and urgent cases can normally be prioritised.
Bring the machine to Cromac Square on any weekday between 9am and 5:30pm, or courier it insured. The whole laptop or tower is fine, or just the bare drive if you’d rather remove it yourself. A note with your contact details lets us log it, diagnose it free and send a written quote.
A free diagnostic, a fixed £300 + VAT, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every make of laptop and PC recovered in-house, right here in Belfast. Stop reinstalling and send it in.