A server crashes, a drive dies without a backup, a deadline looms: when losing data threatens your business, we see to you first. Same-day diagnostics as a rule, and a clear plan for the next steps, quickly formed and carried out in-house.
Emergency jobs go to the top of the list on the bench, and we update you on progress at every stage.
If every hour of downtime costs you money, or you have a deadline looming, we move your job to the front of the queue. Below are the cases that most often end up on our fast track.
Your server, NAS or RAID system has failed, and everything that depends on it has stopped: client and patient records, accounts and orders, none of it available.
The only remaining copy of something due today is on a drive that has failed, such as a submission or project that cannot be delayed.
A drive keeps dropping out, clicking or failing intermittently. A click usually means a head can no longer track, and each extra hour the drive runs risks the head grazing and scratching the platters, turning a recoverable drive into an unrecoverable one.
A rebuild was started but never completed, an array was re-seated, or recovery software was run, and now things are worse. You need specialists working on it before any more data is lost.
Fast-tracked jobs receive exactly the same careful handling as every other job, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data; they are simply moved to the front of the queue.
Call us during office hours, or send a message through our contact form outside them. We will talk you through getting the device here safely and warn you against anything that could put it at risk.
As soon as your device arrives, it goes straight onto the bench. Usually on the day it arrives, we determine why it failed, what can be recovered and what it will cost.
Once you have approved the fixed quote, we push the job forward: the disk goes onto our read-only imaging equipment, and we recover the most important areas first, steering around weak sectors and failing heads before they deteriorate further. If a server or business-critical RAID system is involved, we image every member disk at the same time and reconstruct the array offline, on the tightest schedule the case allows.
You receive an honest estimate of how long the recovery will take from day one and are kept updated throughout, so you can plan around it.
Those first moments count. A few simple steps keep your data safe, and a few common mistakes can put it out of reach for good.
Can you hear your hard drive clicking or grinding, or is it dropping out? Turn it off. Noises like these mean the motor or heads are failing, and each time you switch it back on, you risk a head striking the platter and destroying the data. Leaving a dying drive running is the usual route from recoverable to lost. Most drives that are switched off and imaged read-only can be recovered.
If a RAID array fails, write down the bay order before removing a single disk, and keep the set together; it is that order we use to rebuild the array.
Contact us before attempting anything yourself. Two minutes spent writing to us could save both your data and a good deal of expense.
We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Outside those hours you still have options: message us on live chat, send us an email or complete our contact form, and we will come straight back with guidance on what to do next.
Whatever the hour, write to us describing what went wrong. A prompt reply will follow with the next step and how to send the device in safely.
You can also submit a few basic details through our website’s contact form, and we will quickly respond with a clear plan.
Whichever route you choose, you will be answered by a real recovery engineer rather than an automated queue, with your job already marked as a priority.
There is no premium for going first. An emergency job uses the same fixed, written pricing as every other recovery, agreed before any chargeable work is done, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. What priority buys you is speed and dedicated focus: your device is worked on ahead of the others waiting on the bench, on a tight but realistic timeline. Every client gets the same free diagnostic as always, so you know exactly what can be recovered and how much it will cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the details, see our data recovery cost guide and pricing.
Post the device to us for a free diagnostic, with a brief note about how the problem occurred. One of our engineers will review it and put your exact quote in writing before any work starts.
Getting your files back starts with sending your device to us. Pack it securely, enclose your contact details and send it in. Once the free diagnostic is complete, your exact price is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
If you are sending it by post, please use a tracked and insured service. If you would rather drop it off in person, visit us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, with the device packed as described above.
Want a bit more detail before you start? Tell us more about the problem on the form and one of our engineers will review it and send you a tailored quote.
A reply will follow shortly. Anything urgent, call 01483 901310.
The questions raised most often when time is against you.
The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Outside these hours, simply enter your details on the website’s contact form and we will follow up promptly with a recovery plan, and once your device arrives, your emergency case moves straight to the front of the queue.
Business-critical failures go to the front of the line, and we aim to complete the diagnostic on the day your device arrives or the next working day. Before any chargeable work, you receive an assessment of the likely outcome, a plan and a timeline.
Typically a server, NAS or RAID array is down and the business cannot operate, a single failed drive holds the only copy of vital files, or there is a deadline that cannot be moved. If the downtime is costing you money, your case gets priority handling.
None. Emergency cases are charged at the same fixed, written price as any other recovery, agreed before any work starts. The price covers priority handling and the faster turnaround, not a premium or surcharge, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Stop the rebuild and shut the system down immediately. A rebuild forces a full read of a failing disk and writes new parity across the whole set, and if another disk drops out partway, it overwrites the very data needed to restore the array. That is the leading cause of permanent RAID loss. Remove the disks, label each with its bay position and bring them to us. We image every member disk read-only and rebuild the array offline. Get in touch and we will guide you through the process.
Tell us what has happened and we will get your emergency job onto the bench as a priority, with a clear plan and a written quote before any work starts.