Motherwell knows a thing or two about making steel, but when hardware goes down under load, it doesn’t get a second chance like girders do. Fortunately, you don't have to travel far to recover your data; the run from Motherwell is a quick one and as for a diagnosis after your run there will be no charge.
It's just the A723 onto the M74 north then join the M8 to get to Charing Cross. The journey will take you approximately 25–30 minutes during most of the day. There are also regular trains that run from Motherwell directly to Glasgow Central Station throughout the day; this would be perfect for a padded drive in your work bag. The post office service available here has no less advantage than other locations; it is insured, trackable, and arrives next morning.
Casework from Motherwell is split equally between industry and home: workshop PCs used to store work data for 10 years; RAID boxes from units based around the Strathclyde Business Park; and home-based family laptops holding photos taken since their wedding. All drives are imaged once, gently, using the same method on the bench, before anything else happens.
No matter what device arrives, the prices do not change based upon your postcode. There is always a free diagnostic first. The fixed price of the recovery will be agreed to in writing prior to any work. The price is £250 + VAT for cards and sticks. Single drives cost £300 + VAT. RAID systems, NAS devices, and server hardware cost from £500 + VAT. In addition, in most cases you only pay if we have recovered your lost data. All data recovery jobs are completed in-house by our own employees (engineers), and your data never leaves the UK.
The hard disk itself is what we need, so pull it out for us before sending (it takes minutes at any local computer shop if you'd rather not open the tower), label it, then, once you have a quote, post it to us or drop it in; your PC can stay in Motherwell.
Absolutely. A turned off drive is safer in its box on the train into Central than in use on your computer. Put it in a padded case, put it in hand baggage so that you do not crush it, and when it arrives it will be as good as the bench expects.
Before sending us your device or dropping it off, please contact us for a quote either by phone or through our quotation form. After you've received an estimate from us, simply turn your unit off, pad it up really well and select how you wish to send it to us: either via our counter at Tay House, 300 Bath Street (Monday to Friday 9am–5:30pm, no appointment required), or by insured, trackable postal service from Motherwell. Regardless of which method you prefer, your device will always be diagnosed absolutely free, and you'll receive a written quote for any work to be carried out on your device prior to proceeding.
In every instance, all data recovery services, both diagnosis and imaging/data recovery, are performed at our Glasgow laboratory regardless of which city/region the client resides in.
Do not use your drive again. Each additional time you use your drive increases the risk that the remaining recoverable data may be overwritten. A faulty drive's head(s) are also at greater risk of coming into contact with its platter(s). If the system remains active, turn it off safely and then leave it turned off.
Do not run any data recovery software on the original hard disk. Most consumer data recovery programs create their own file indexes on the hard disk being scanned. While this typically does not harm a functioning hard disk containing deleted files, once the hard disk contains bad sector(s) or is mechanically failed, it will limit what was possible through data recovery efforts.
Do not open your drive. Even a small amount of dust entering a drive can damage the surface of the drive after only a few revolutions. If it has already been opened, tell us: it changes our approach, not our willingness to help.
Remove the drive where you can. Please send just the hard drive or SSD. We are not able to accept full computers (laptops/desktops). All computer shops can remove the internal drive from a system within minutes. External drives are the exception and need to be sent complete. Please include the external case/enclosure when sending the drive. This is because many external enclosures contain the bridge board which contains the encryption key. If the drive is sent without the case, then the drive will appear blank/unformatted.
Our diagnostic is free and is a real diagnostic. Our process involves putting your drive on the bench, not through a script, and identifying the type of fault. At this time, we determine if the media on your drive is stable enough to be imaged, and what information may actually be recovered before we discuss cost.
You get a fixed price in writing before work begins. Not a price range or estimate that changes once the job has started. Once you see the fixed price, you decide based upon the price you see. In most cases, no payment is due if we cannot recover your data.
We image first then repair from that copy. Your original drive is read only once using the least invasive method possible with the equipment. Every single repair operation is performed on the image of your original drive. Using this method ensures that your original drive is never damaged further than necessary.
Every step of recovery is done in-house. Your drive will never leave our facility while being worked on. Your data will always remain within the United Kingdom. Once your recovery is complete, you will receive a list of files found on your drive so that you may review them prior to receiving your completed recovery. 30 days after you acknowledge receipt of your completed recovery, all copies of your data stored on our servers will be deleted securely.