Malware can delete your files, corrupt them, hide them, or lock you out of the system entirely — but in most cases the data itself is still on the drive. The trick is recovering it safely, from a clean copy, rather than letting antivirus tools or a system “clean-up” overwrite what's left. That's what we do, in-house.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/sdb → Device: SanDisk USB (64 GB) → Status: MALWARE — shortcut virus, files hidden → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Isolated image: taken · malware contained → Hidden files: un-hidden + recovered → Scan: data cleaned · 0 threats remaining $ bdr verify → ✓ documents — 9,840 files → ✓ photos — 12,300 files → ✓ clean data returned — recovered
When a machine is infected, running antivirus, a system restore or a “PC cleaner” on the affected drive can delete or overwrite the very files you want back — and some malware does more damage when disturbed. Disconnect the drive, don't let it write anything new, and let us image it and recover your data from a safe copy first.
Malware attacks data in several ways — but deleting, corrupting or hiding files rarely destroys them outright. These are the situations we recover from most.
We recover data from infected drives and computers of every make — internal, external, and the drives inside laptops, PCs and Macs.
Spinning hard disks · solid-state drives · USB sticks · memory cards of every format (SD, microSD, CompactFlash) · portable and desktop externals · plus the internal drives from laptops, desktops and Macs.
We recover from infected drives the safe way: image first, work offline, and never let clean-up tools touch your data. From that copy we recover deleted, corrupted and hidden files, and rebuild whatever the infection broke.
We assess what the malware actually did — deleted, corrupted, hidden or encrypted files — and how much is recoverable, then quote in writing.
We take a read-only image of the drive and do all the work on that copy, isolated from any network, so nothing on your original changes.
We bring back files the malware deleted, and reveal those it hid, moved or renamed — from the copy, not the infected drive.
We repair or reconstruct corrupted files and file-system structures, and carve clean copies out of the raw data where they exist.
Before anything comes back to you, the recovered files are scanned so we return your data clean, not the infection with it.
Recovered files are checked to confirm they open and are intact before anything is returned.
Your clean data comes back on fresh media, or via our free download service for up to 75GB.
From files a virus deleted, corrupted or hid to a PC left unbootable by an infection, we recover your data — always from an isolated, read-only image, and always scanned clean before it comes back to you.
Describe what went wrong and an engineer will be in touch — normally before the next working day is out.
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. A logical recovery of infected data starts from £199 + VAT; where the drive has physically failed, that's quoted after the free diagnostic, with no fix, no fee on most jobs.
A representative selection of virus and malware recoveries across different devices — device types and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
The infection had removed a user's files, but they were still on the disk. We imaged the drive, recovered the deleted documents, and returned them scanned clean.
The malware had wrecked the operating system, but the personal data was untouched. We imaged the drive and recovered the user's files in full.
The malware had hidden the files rather than deleting them. We revealed and recovered the full contents from an image of the stick.
Verified reviews from Belfast malware and virus jobs will be listed here as clients provide them — genuine only.
No invented reviews here. We're collecting verified, named reviews from our Belfast customers and will publish them here as they come in. In the meantime you're welcome to call and talk an issue through with an engineer on 028 9002 0144.
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 recovering data after a virus or malware.
Usually, yes. Whether the malware deleted, corrupted or hid your files, the data itself is normally still on the drive. We recover it from a safe copy — and where files are corrupted, repair or carve out clean versions.
Not before the data is safe. Antivirus is essential for cleaning a system, but on the affected drive it can quarantine or delete files — sometimes the ones you want back. Recover your data first from an image, then clean or rebuild the machine.
Almost never. Malware that breaks the operating system leaves your personal files sitting safely behind it. We take the drive, image it, and recover your documents, photos and everything else, even though the PC itself won't start.
Related, but different. Ransomware specifically encrypts your files, which is a harder problem — if you've been hit by that, see our ransomware recovery page. General malware that deletes, corrupts or hides files is usually far more recoverable.
Yes. We scan the recovered data before returning it, so you get your files back without the infection coming with them. We'll also flag anything that looks compromised.
Logical recovery of infected data begins at £199 + VAT, diagnosed free, with no fix, no fee on most jobs. Where the drive has hardware faults on top, that side is quoted post-diagnostic — and the total is fixed in writing before work starts.
You can hand the device in at Cromac Square any weekday between 9am and 5:30pm, or send it by insured post. Box it securely with a note of your name, contact number, email and address inside — that’s everything we need to log it, run the free diagnostic and issue your quote.
Deleted, corrupted or hidden by a virus — the data is nearly always still on the drive. Disconnect it, don't run clean-up tools, and send it in. We'll recover it from a safe copy and return it clean. Free diagnostic, no fix no fee on most jobs.