Hard drive data recovery in Fulham and Central London
Hard drives fail mechanically, electronically and logically, and each calls for a different approach. We recover internal and external drives from every major manufacturer.
Signs your hard drive needs recovery
- Clicking, grinding or beeping
- Not spinning up at all
- Not detected by the computer or BIOS
- Asks to be formatted when plugged in
- Files or folders have vanished or won't open
- Very slow, with freezes when you open files
- Dropped, knocked or got wet
What to do right now
- Stop using the device. Every minute a failing drive runs can make the damage worse.
- Don't install recovery software on it, and don't save anything new to it.
- If the drive is clicking, grinding or beeping, switch it off and leave it off.
- Don't open the drive. Dust on the platters can turn a recoverable drive into a lost one.
Physical and logical faults
A logical fault means the drive works but the data on it is damaged or missing: deleted files, a formatted partition, a corrupted file system. A physical fault means the hardware itself has failed, such as worn read heads, a seized motor, a burnt circuit board or damaged firmware. We handle both, and physically damaged drives are opened only in cleanroom conditions.
Hard drive recovery prices
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Free |
| Deleted files on a standard hard drive, up to two hours of work | £99 + VAT£118.80 inc VAT |
| 24 to 48 hours of recovery work, from 1TB up to 4TB | £150 to £250 + VAT£180 to £300 inc VAT |
| Clean room diagnostic | £79 + VAT£94.80 inc VAT |
| Physical data recovery on a single drive, labour | £450 + VAT£540 inc VAT |
Drives we recover
- Types
- Desktop 3.5 inch, laptop 2.5 inch and external USB drives
- Interfaces
- SATA, PATA (IDE) and USB
- Makes
- Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Hitachi (HGST), Samsung, Fujitsu, Maxtor, LaCie, Verbatim, Dell, Lenovo and IBM
- Computers
- Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Alienware, Sony VAIO and Apple
Related services
Common questions
My hard drive is clicking. Can the data be saved?
Often, yes. Clicking usually means the read heads have failed. The drive needs to be opened in a cleanroom and the heads replaced before it can be read. Switch it off now, because damaged heads can scrape the platters and destroy the data.
My external drive asks to be formatted. Should I?
No. Formatting won't fix it and makes recovery harder. The message means the computer can't read the file system. In most cases the files are still there.
How much does data recovery cost?
The initial consultation is free. It tells you whether the fault is physical or logical and the best way to recover the data. Recovering deleted files from a standard hard drive is £99 + VAT. For a drive with a physical fault, the clean room diagnostic is £79 + VAT and recovery on a single drive is £450 + VAT for labour, plus the cost of a donor drive if one is needed. The full price list has every figure.
Is my data kept confidential?
Yes. Your files are handled in confidence from the moment the device arrives until it's returned to you.
Can you collect a drive from Fulham or Central London?
Collection can be arranged across Fulham and Central London. Call 020 7237 6805 and we'll confirm what's possible for your postcode. You can also bring the device to the workshop at Willow Walk, SE1, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.