Corrupt files are generally broken containers with good stuff in them. A corrupted Word document can’t open, a corrupted image will show up as half grey, a corrupted video will play for about one minute and die, a corrupted archive may fail at 90%: all are examples of files that have been put into containers that cannot display their (largely) undamaged contents. In each case, we repair the container (the "box"), and try to salvage what remains within it.
Files become corrupted at three distinct times. They may become corrupted during mid-write; this could happen if the power cut out or the system crashed just prior to finishing its write operation, or when you pulled out your USB stick after saving but before the save was done. This causes the file's internal structure to partially update and therefore become unparsable. They also may become corrupted due to failing media; weak sections of the disk storage medium begin returning nonsense data for the centre of a file that would otherwise be perfect. At this point the drive itself has become the primary problem and needs to be imaged first, so that no other problems arise from attempting to fix the file(s). Files may also be corrupted by a bad communication channel (such as a flaky cable), or interrupted transfers causing a file to be copied incompletely. In these cases the original file may still be fully correct at the source.
Identifying the time frame in which a file became corrupted is important, since in many cases attempting to repair a file without first imaging the failing drive where the file resides is analogous to treating a disease while ignoring the fact that the cause of the disease continues to spread.
Repair work for container files such as DOCX and XLSX is specific to each file type; i.e., repairing a DOCX/XLSX's internal zip allows the office software to read the file; rewriting the header information in a JPEG will allow all the intact image data to display; reindexing an MP4 file (whose "moov atom" failed when the camera battery went dead) will restore the usable portion of the video; coaxing out a partial archive to produce everything prior to where it tore. In addition to this is the practice of version archaeology: autosave files, temp files, shadow copies, and application cache are very common places where a good sibling (usually the last version of the file) exists of a bad file. And sometimes the quickest way to solve a problem is to find a previous version of the file that nobody knew existed.
All of it on copies. A corrupted file can always become further corrupted; ours never do, because the original is never touched.
No nonsense: Repair rebuilds the structural framework based upon whatever survives. It cannot create content that was never written or physically destroyed. If there is a section missing from your video, it will be restored missing that same section but playable around the area. If a database returns zeros for every single byte of a page then those are zeros that will be returned. We provide you with the best possible recovery from what remains of the surviving bytes plus an honest account of what did not survive, before you spend any money and not after.
If one single drive is affected it costs a fixed £300 + VAT regardless of the type or extent of failure. The rare chip-level exception is quoted in writing first. We offer a free diagnostic before any work begins and quote all costs in writing before proceeding. Most jobs will cost nothing if your files don't come back. There are no hourly rates, evaluation fees, or percentages of file value charged.
Rarely. Most modern Office file formats are simply zip archives of parts and most of the time it takes only one bad part to keep the rest from working. Typically, nearly all of the text in an Office file can be recovered almost completely intact while formatting is mainly recovered and the recovery of embedded objects varies by object. Often, autosave and temp copies can skip the need for repair altogether. Just send us the bad file along with its drive and we'll go with the fastest honest course.
Typically. When a playback stops dead at an exact position (as opposed to skipping), it usually indicates either damaged indexing or a truncated video stream, and therefore the video after the stop will likely remain intact. As such, we build the correct index for the actual stream video and deliver it so it plays through. In the case where frames truly disappear from the video, you will receive all of the surrounding area around the "gap" and a clear description of what happened.
The above pattern would typically indicate a problem with the drive (either due to growing weak sectors on the disk or premature failure of the controller reading/writing the drive), which has corrupted anything being read or written. It is recommended to treat this as an emergency situation to prevent further corruption of data. Do not run any scans or attempt any repairs, and stop using this drive. First, we create a gentle image of the entire drive. Once the images are created, the files can then be repaired/recovered from the images.
Generally, in both mid-write and bad copy cases, a single file can most often be restored on its own. However, if there is any possibility of media failure or that a healthy version of these files exists in temporary files/shadow copies, the drive gives you multiple options. The rule of thumb here is one odd file, send us just that file; but many files, or a questionable drive, send us the drive itself.
Before you drop your device off or post it, please get a quote from us by phone or using the form first. Then there are two honest routes for dropping off and delivery. No vans. Hand in the device at Tay House, 300 Bath Street (right at Charing Cross, two minutes off the M8) Monday to Friday, 9am–5:30pm, without need of an appointment. Or wrap the device well and send by insured, tracked post from anywhere in the UK. All work is done in-house by our own engineers. We have documentation of the complete chain of custody and your data never leaves the UK.
An explanation of exactly what Windows means by that error message and how running chkdsk may make it permanent. Read it →
Each time you re-save/repair-in-place, you risk losing some or all of your remaining good content. Corrupted file recovery for Glasgow: a full surgical repair of the container and archaeological dig through versions based upon safe copies. Honest limitations stated upfront. Free assessment available. Drop off your media in Charing Cross, or simply post it directly to us.