Services / Data recovery
Getting your work back
We recover data from almost any computer hard drive, solid-state drive, memory card or other media, on Mac and Windows. The initial diagnostic is free, so you find out whether your files are recoverable before you spend anything.
01First
Stop using the device
The single most useful thing you can do, right now, is turn the device off and leave it alone.
Deleted files usually remain physically present until something writes over them. Every minute a machine stays powered, it writes — updates, caches, indexing, temporary files — and each write reduces what can be recovered. A failing mechanical drive also degrades further on every spin-up.
So: do not run recovery software found online, do not reinstall the operating system, and do not let anyone power the machine up repeatedly to take a look. Switch it off and bring it to us.
If some of that has already happened, it is not necessarily fatal. Tell us exactly what has been done — it changes how we approach the job.
02What we recover from
Most media, most failures
- Mechanical hard drives — clicking, grinding, not spinning, not recognised
- Solid-state drives and Mac internal storage — including drives soldered to the board, where the machine is dead but the data is not
- External and portable drives — dropped, unplugged mid-write, or simply old
- Memory cards and USB sticks — cameras, drones, phones, dashcams
- RAID arrays and NAS boxes — where more than one disk has gone and the box has given up
- Deleted and overwritten files — accidental erase, emptied trash, reformatted volumes
- Corrupted volumes — drives that mount as unreadable, or ask to be initialised
We work on Mac and Windows equally. Bring the whole machine if that is easier than removing the drive — often it is.
03The process
How a recovery job runs
- 01
Free initial diagnostic
We establish what has actually failed and whether the data is recoverable. This part costs you nothing, and it is genuinely free, not a fee folded into the quote.
- 02
An honest assessment
You are told what we think we can get back, what it will cost, and how confident we are. If we think the odds are poor, we say so rather than taking your money to find out.
- 03
The recovery
We work from a copy wherever possible, so the original media is not put at further risk while we work.
- 04
Return and check
You get the recovered data on media you can read, and a chance to check it is the right material before we close the job.
04Afterwards
After the recovery
Almost every client who has been through a recovery says the same thing afterwards: they believed they had a backup and they did not, or the backup sat next to the machine, or it stopped working eighteen months earlier and nothing reported it.
So when the job is complete we will put an arrangement in place that prevents a recurrence. Usually that is one local copy and one off-site copy, configured to maintain itself and to report loudly when it stops. That is the point of the exercise, not an additional sale.
Clients who would rather it were somebody else's responsibility entirely take the Technology Concierge.
05Questions
Common questions about data recovery
Is the diagnostic really free?
Yes. We look at the media, work out what has failed, and tell you whether the data is recoverable and what recovery would cost. You then decide. No obligation and no charge for that stage.
Can you recover data from a Mac that will not turn on?
Usually. A Mac failing to start is often a power, board or display fault rather than a storage fault, in which case the data is intact and simply needs to be reached. Bring in the whole machine.
My drive is clicking. Is that bad?
It indicates a mechanical fault, and it means stop. Every further power-up risks additional damage to the surfaces holding your data. Disconnect it and bring it in.
Can you recover files I deleted by accident?
Often, if you act quickly and stop using the device. Deleted files usually remain on the disk until something writes over them, so the enemy is time and continued use, not the deletion itself.
What about a drive that was encrypted with FileVault?
Recovery is possible with the password or the recovery key. Without either, the encryption is doing exactly what it was designed to do, and no legitimate firm can circumvent it. Locate the key before anything else.
How much does data recovery cost?
It depends on what has failed and how hard the data is to reach — a deleted-file job and a physically damaged drive are very different pieces of work. The free diagnostic exists so that you get a real number for your specific case rather than a guess.
Is my data private while you have it?
Yes. We do not browse your files, we access only what the job requires, and we do not retain copies once the work is finished and you have confirmed you have everything.
Start with the free diagnostic
The initial diagnostic establishes where you stand before you have committed to anything. Call 020 7477 2151 or send us the details.