Has your hard drive been dropped or stopped working? Are you experiencing problems with your hard drive that are causing it to click, go dead or fail to show on your computer? We provide data recovery services for all types of hard disk drives regardless of the manufacturer including Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba and many others. If your hard disk drive has been damaged or physically compromised and requires disassembly then we will source identical replacement components to include the heads and motor for your hard disk and recover your files. Whether you have been searching for a data recovery specialist using search terms such as “data recovery hard drive”, “data retrieval hard drive” or simply “hard drive recovery”, it’s the exact same service we offer which includes recovery from internal, external, laptop and desktop drives of every make. When evaluating whether to opt for another attempt at recovering your data by trying alternative recovery software or opting for a professional data recovery expert, our services are the better option.
If you have a noisy hard disk (i.e., it clicks, grinds, or makes other beeps), turn it off immediately and do not use it again. The noise indicates the read/write heads are contacting the platter surfaces; with each passing moment the more damage occurs as additional areas of the surface are scraped. Do NOT run a file recovery program (repair tool) on this drive. In addition, DO NOT attempt to disassemble the drive or place it into a freezer. None of those options will help and most will cause further damage. The sooner an unsuccessful hard drive is discontinued from operation, the greater amount of information we can recover.
Mechanical failure, electronic failure, firmware failure, and logical failure are the four types of hard drive failures we see most frequently. Examples include a dropped computer/laptop resulting in failure of the internal hard drive and/or an internal hard drive that fails to operate due to mechanical/electronic issues.
We recover every type/model of hard drive (from modern units to those from decades ago), both internal and external. Brand rarely determines whether your data can be recovered.
Including Barracuda, IronWolf, Exos, SkyHawk and FireCuda (Seagate) · Blue, Black, Red, Purple, Gold and Ultrastar (WD) · X300, N300, MG and Canvio (Toshiba) · internal and external · SATA, SAS and IDE.
Hard drive recovery: we restore a failing (or failed) hard drive into a state where it can be read by making it stable and creating an exact replica image of it (without altering the original), this process will allow us to rebuild all of your lost files from this new image. In cases of mechanical failure of the drive itself, we do necessary repairs to the mechanical components prior to attempting recovery.
Tell us about what happened: was there a drop? Did you hear clicks? Is it dead? Do you get no detection at all? We’ll determine the fault and provide you with a detailed written quote typically within 48 hours.
If the drive’s heads have failed or if the motor is “seized” we physically disassemble the drive and replace those failed parts with matching donor parts. The cost for this type of work requires a deposit equal to 50% of the total price prior to beginning the project.
A dead circuit board will require either repairing/rebuilding the PC board and transferring the drive’s unique ROM. For faulty firmware, we need to repair/replace the Service Area Modules so the drive can function properly.
Using specialist software/hardware we create a sector-by-sector read-only image of the entire drive. This ensures the original drive remains unaltered as well as protects against damaging a weak drive while reading it.
From this image, we rebuild the file system(s) contained within it, and recover your files/folders, even recovering data from difficult to read/bad sectors on the drive.
Before returning any files or data back to you, we verify each file opens properly and that all folder structures are correct.
We will either ship your recovered data back to you via a new external hard drive, or provide you with access to download your recovered data free of charge via an internet connection for up to 75 GB.
We support and successfully recover data from all makes/models of hard drives, including but not limited to; Western Digital, Toshiba, Seagate, etc. and all other brands using read-only images and also perform head, motor and circuit board repair/replacement in house.
Tell us what happened and we will get back to you, usually within one working day.
We will be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0117 332 1137.
One flat rate for recovering an individual hard disk, including a complimentary diagnostic and a written quote prior to commencing work on your unit.
An example list of our recent recoveries from various types of failures (mechanical, electronic, logical, etc.) on many different types of hard drives. All names have been removed, and all of these examples have been confirmed as true.
The heads in this drive had collapsed onto the disks. We installed matched replacement heads, rebuilt the firmware, and then completed the imaging process.
In this recovery job, the impact caused the heads in the drive to crash. We opened the drive, swapped out the entire head assembly and successfully recovered every file intact.
The circuit board in this recovery job failed. We repaired the faulty printed circuit board, transferred its read-only memory and then fully read the hard drive.
The error in this recovery job occurred due to bad firmware in the service area. We corrected the problem modules and successfully recovered all of your files.
Water had entered into the internal components of this hard drive. We thoroughly cleaned and dried the drive, replaced any damaged components, and managed to recover most of the data that could be salvaged.
The file system was corrupt, however, all of your files were there. We made an image of the drive in read-only mode, then rebuilt the file system and recovered all of your files.
True client testimonials from our two-decade archive.
I had a nightmare with a failed Dell Precision PC which would not boot up. I took it to my local PC World who could not recover data, but luckily I had a look on Google and found you guys, great quick reliable service. Restored nearly all of the HDD data so could not be happier.
I would highly recommend Bristol Data Recovery to anyone needing a Professional Data Recovery Service. My Toshiba Laptop failed while on the train one afternoon. There was no warning and it did not get dropped. Bristol Data Recovery recovered everything from Toshiba Laptop within 48 hours. I was relieved as I am a self employed graphic designer and I had an Illustrator project on the hard drive.
Send us your device for a no-obligation free diagnostic and let us know what went wrong. One of our engineers will inspect it and confirm your exact quote in writing prior to doing any work.
To get started with recovering your data, first get your device to us. Wrap it securely, write your contact details on a slip of paper inside the package, include a brief description of what happened and post it to us. After running a complimentary diagnostic we will write to you confirming the exact price prior to starting work.
Do you want to post the device to us? We highly recommend using a trackable postal service with insurance. Would you prefer to deliver it yourself? That’s fine too. Our office hours for accepting deliveries are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Please make sure to wrap the device as described previously.
Need some additional information regarding our data recovery services? Fill out the form and provide further detail about your problem and one of our engineers will review it and offer you a personalised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0117 332 1137.
The bench uses a platform-based model in place of using brand-specific utilities for its work. This is why you will rarely see a “make” listed on your label that affects how we do our job: Seagate (Barracuda, IronWolf, Expansion, and drives being sold as part of the Seagate Rescue line), Western Digital (Blue, Black, Elements, My Passport), Toshiba, Hitachi/HGST, Samsung, and older Maxtor units come in each week, from current helium-filled drives back to early IDE-era equipment. Although firmware families are different, the discipline involved with first creating an image remains the same.
The questions we get asked most frequently when trying to recover a bad hard drive.
Usually, yes, but shut it down immediately. Most times clicking or grinding indicates that one of the read/write heads has failed and is contacting the platter(s). We remove these defective heads and install matching replacement heads. Each time you use the drive the damage to the head/platter contact areas increases; please do not use it until we can retrieve your data for you.
Not necessarily. Typically, if a drive fails to spin at all, and makes absolutely no noise, it generally has a damaged PCB (circuit board), often due to some type of electrical surges; the data on your disk(s) remains untouched. We either repair or rebuild the PCB, copy over the ROM and then run the drive.
Often, yes. Generally speaking, a disk that spins properly but does not appear in Windows Explorer or shows up incorrectly sized is experiencing corrupted firmware within the Service Area (S.A.) rather than lost data. We repair these firmware modules, and you will be able to access your data again.
Yes. If a disk has failed heads, or has failed internally (e.g., motor seizure), we take apart the disk and replace the failing components with corresponding working ones from another donor disk. Opening a disk is part of what we do when necessary; prior to opening the disk, we always confirm the price with you.
A fixed price £300 + VAT for one hard drive recovery; includes FREE diagnostic & written quote. For mechanical failures we get 50% of our fee at the start of a job, therefore in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. If the drive needs opening, we get 50% of parts & labour at the start.
Yes, in the majority of cases. When a customer has a failed mechanical part, we will ask for 50% of the total cost at the beginning of the job, and we will only charge the remaining balance when we successfully recover their data. Customers who require their hard drive to be physically opened to access their data, will be asked to contribute 50% of all parts and labour charges from the outset.
All makes: Seagate, WD, Toshiba, Hitachi, HGST, Samsung, Maxtor, Fujitsu etc., internal and external, SATA, SAS and IDE. In general the ‘make’ of the hard drive does NOT affect how recoverable the data may be.
NO, not while the drive continues to produce some form of audible noise or fails to detect properly. Software recovery programs keep the hard drive spinning and the heads moving which can cause damage to the platters and result in permanent loss of data. Additionally if there is a physical fault present then no software program will be able to ‘see’ it either. Please stop and call us before attempting any type of recovery.
NO. This was an old myth that caused many customers to destroy their drives. Condensation on the platters results in corrosion once they begin to warm up. We have seen this happen. Please ensure your drive remains powered OFF and DRY until you ship it to us.
The majority of logical recoveries will typically take 2 to 3 working days to complete. Mechanical recoveries which require donor parts will generally take a little longer (typically 3 to 4 working days) depending on the availability of required parts and the overall condition of the hard drive. Typically the free diagnostic will be completed within 48 hours. If urgent please let us know and we will attempt to prioritise your case.
You can take the drive to our office in Bristol Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, or post it to us (fully insured). The drive should be wrapped well, sealed and have your name, address, phone number & email included inside the parcel so we can arrange for it to be booked-in. Once received we will carry out a complimentary diagnostic check and send a written quotation prior to commencing any work.
Seagate’s “Seagate Rescue” is Seagate’s own data recovery service that comes bundled with some retail drives; if your drive is one of these then this would be worth using first. If your drive does not come with the “Seagate Rescue” service, has expired or been declined by Seagate then we will still undertake the recovery. Our data recovery services are completely separate from the manufacturer’s warranty: we will retrieve your data and the replacement warranty will remain solely between yourself and the manufacturer.
A complimentary diagnostic test, a fixed price of £300 + VAT per unit and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data; we recover ALL makes of hard disk drives in-house. Start your recovery today.