A laptop or PC that is dead, won’t boot, has been dropped or has missing files? Nearly always, the fault comes from either the drive inside or some component surrounding it. We recover Windows laptops and desktops of every make by first removing the drive, then imaging it read-only, and repairing it where the drive itself has physically failed.
The moment a machine won’t start, keeps showing blue screens or drops out before Windows loads, stop attempting to restart it. Each additional startup wears a failing hard drive down further, and Windows repair tools could overwrite the very files we need for recovery. Don’t reset it, reinstall Windows or run chkdsk: turn it off, take the drive out and send that to us. Many newer computers use BitLocker encryption, so find your recovery key too; it is often stored in your Microsoft account.
From a laptop that’s dead on arrival to a PC stuck on a blue screen, these are the failures we see most on laptops and PCs: dead motherboards, failed or dropped drives, corrupted Windows installations, files locked by BitLocker and simply deleted files.
Whoever manufactured the computer (HP, Dell, ASUS, Lenovo or the rest), we remove the drive, repair it if necessary and create a read-only image of it.
HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, MSI and Microsoft Surface · gaming rigs, ultrabooks, all-in-ones and custom towers · SATA and NVMe SSDs plus 2.5-inch hard drives · NTFS and BitLocker. Most machines have a removable drive we work on directly — if yours uses soldered storage, we’ll say so.
With laptop and PC recovery, everything depends on the drive inside. Once it is removed, we create a read-only copy of its contents and recover your files off that copy, repairing the drive first if it has actually failed.
Simply let us know about your laptop or computer and what happened (won’t power on, won’t boot, dropped, deleted files), and we’ll have an engineer evaluate it and provide a written quote, generally within 48 hours.
Remove the drive (SATA or NVMe) yourself and post it on its own: we do not need the laptop or the tower, and any local computer shop can take the drive out in minutes.
Where the drive itself has failed (clicking heads, a dead PCB or firmware issues), we repair it using matched donor parts before reading it. This donor-part work requires a 50% deposit.
A strictly read-only image of the drive is made on specialist equipment designed to read weak and damaged sectors carefully, re-reading them to get as much data as possible off a failing drive.
If the drive is BitLocker-encrypted and you provide us with the recovery key, we apply it first, then reconstruct the NTFS file system from the image to bring your files and folders back.
All of your documents, photos and files are recovered, then checked to make sure they actually open and are complete before anything is returned to you.
Your data comes back verified, on a new drive or by secure download for jobs up to 75GB.
Whether it’s Lenovo, Dell, HP, ASUS or the rest, we can recover a drive from any make of laptop or PC. We simply pull the drive, fix it if necessary, and then create a read-only image of it to get your files back to you.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
We charge one fixed price for recovering one laptop or PC, after a free diagnostic and a written quote, before any work begins.
Below are some examples of recent laptop and PC jobs covering board, mechanical, Windows and deleted-file faults. Details identifying clients have been removed, and every result was checked. Full write-ups: a vintage Compaq IDE drive, a head-crashed Dell desktop and a dead laptop with a perfectly good drive.
Although the board had failed, the NVMe drive was still fine. We extracted the drive, created an image of its contents and returned the recovered data.
The fall had damaged the hard drive’s heads. We replaced them with heads from a matching donor drive, then created an image of the drive.
Because of a corrupt Windows installation, the files were not lost but buried. We pulled the SSD from the computer, imaged it and recovered them.
The drive was healthy, and all of the data was there. After we imaged the drive, we quickly restored the deleted folders.
The mainboard was corroded, but the SSD remained intact, so we pulled the SSD, made an image of it and then recovered everything.
Not much at all had been written over the original files. After making an image of the drive, we carved those original files back out.
You can send the drive to us for its free diagnostic, along with a short note on your computer and the fault, and one of our engineers will evaluate it and confirm the exact quote in writing before any work is done.
To start getting your data back, send us just the drive: remove the hard drive or SSD and send it on its own, as we are not able to accept full laptops or desktop systems. Pack the drive safely and include your contact details, and once we have run the free diagnostic, we will provide you with an exact quote in writing before starting any work.
Sending it by post? We’d recommend a tracked, insured service. Dropping it in? No problem: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Please package the device as described above first.
Do you want a scoped quote first? Describe both the machine and the problem using the form, and an engineer will assess it and provide you with a customised quote based on what you provided.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
The most common technical questions we receive about recovering data from a laptop or PC.
Generally, yes. When a laptop is completely dead to the power button, it is most often due to a faulty board or power supply, and the drive inside is usually left intact. We pull the drive out, make an image of it and recover your files, repairing the drive itself if it has failed.
Rarely. A PC that will not start up into Windows typically has a corrupt installation or a failing drive, not lost data. We remove the drive and make a read-only image of it, then rebuild the file system to recover your files.
Often, but do not use it again. Clicking after a drop usually indicates that the hard drive’s heads have failed, and every time you turn on the power you risk damaging the platters. We fit donor heads and then make an image of the drive.
Usually, you can recover them if you act quickly enough. Emptying the Recycle Bin removes the file-system entries, but it does not delete the data itself, so stop using the computer and we can create an image of the drive and rebuild the deleted files.
Each laptop or PC is a flat £300 + VAT. There is no cost for the initial diagnostic, and we provide a written quote before proceeding. If the drive has a mechanical fault that means opening it, we take a 50% deposit and charge the balance when successful, so in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
On most jobs, yes. Mechanical work requires a 50% deposit, and we don’t charge the remaining amount until the recovery has succeeded. So if nothing can be recovered from the drive, you won’t have paid the full price for the job.
All makes: HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, MSI, Microsoft Surface and custom builds, laptop or desktop. Recovery is about getting the data off the drive inside, so the brand of your computer rarely matters.
Usually, yes. A Windows login password by itself encrypts nothing, as we pull the drive out and access it directly. Only BitLocker actually encrypts your data, and for that we will require your recovery key.
Usually, yes. Generally speaking, a virus or a botched update damages the operating system but does not affect your underlying files. We’ll pull the drive out and create a read-only image of it, then recover your documents and photos from this copy.
Most laptop and PC recoveries are typically completed within three to five working days. If the drive has a mechanical fault, recovery takes a little longer, depending on the availability of parts and the condition of the drive.
Remove the drive from your device (SATA or NVMe) and post just the drive to us at our Guildford address, fully insured. Alternatively, you are welcome to drop it off Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm. If you prefer, a local shop can remove the drive for you in minutes.
Our diagnostic service is free, and each recovery is a fixed price of £300 + VAT per machine. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data, and we recover every make of Windows laptop and desktop PC. Begin your recovery today.