Software or a lab? Honest advice before you start.
Recovery software is genuinely useful, and sometimes it is all you need. Used on the wrong problem, though, it can turn a recoverable drive into an unrecoverable one. Here is how to tell which situation you are in.
- Free initial assessment
- No data, no recovery fee
- Fixed price before any work
- Dead phones and MacBooks too
| What is happening | Software OK? | Lab? |
|---|---|---|
| Files deleted, drive works normally | Yes, onto a different drive | If software fails |
| Drive formatted by mistake | Usually yes | If software fails |
| Drive clicking, beeping or grinding | No, stop now | Yes |
| Drive not detected or very slow | No | Yes |
| Phone or MacBook won't turn on | Not possible | Yes |
| SSD with deleted files (TRIM) | Rarely works | Ask us first |
When software works
If the device is healthy and files were deleted or a partition formatted, tools such as Recuva, PhotoRec or Disk Drill can find them.
- Stop using the drive straight away; new data overwrites old.
- Install the software on a different drive, never on the one you are recovering.
- Save recovered files to another drive too.
When software makes it worse
Software reads the whole drive, hard and repeatedly. On a failing drive, with weak heads or bad sectors, that stress can finish it off. Clicking, beeping, grinding, very slow reads, or a drive that keeps disconnecting all mean: stop, and don't run anything.
Why phones and MacBooks are different
Modern phones and MacBooks encrypt their storage with keys held by their own processor. Software can't reach the data on a device that won't switch on, and the chip can't be read elsewhere. The device has to be repaired first, which is board-level work.
What it costs
Software ranges from free to around a hundred euro. A lab recovery at Trace Lab starts at €149 for logical problems, €299 when a dead device needs board repair and €995 when a drive must be opened in a cleanroom. The initial assessment is free, so if you are unsure, ask first: it costs nothing and may save the data.
Clear prices. No surprises.
The free assessment tells us which level applies. You get one fixed price by email before any work starts.
Logical
from €149inc VAT
The device still works, but files were deleted, formatted, corrupted or locked by ransomware.
- 2 to 5 working days
- Our lab, Mullingar
- No data, no recovery fee
- Return shipping included
Electronic
from €299inc VAT
The device is dead: won't power on, won't charge, liquid damage. We repair the board to reach the data.
- 5 to 10 working days
- Our lab, Mullingar
- No data, no recovery fee
- Return shipping included
Physical
from €995inc VAT
A hard drive is clicking, beeping or has been dropped. The drive has to be opened in a cleanroom.
- 5 to 14 working days
- Specialist cleanroom partner
- No data, no recovery fee
- Return shipping included
No data, no recovery fee
If we can't recover the files you need, you don't pay for the recovery.
The initial assessment is always free. If a separate in-depth diagnostic is needed, we quote it first and it is only payable if you approve it. If we then can't recover the files you told us matter, there is no recovery fee and we return your device; you pay only the return postage.
Questions
Is it worth paying for data recovery?
If the files can't be replaced, usually yes. You see a fixed price before any work and decide then.
Is Recuva free?
There is a free version for Windows that works for many simple deletions. It cannot help with physical faults or with devices that won't turn on.
Can software make recovery impossible?
Yes, on a physically failing drive. Every hour of scanning wears the heads further. If the drive makes noises or keeps disconnecting, don't run software.
I already tried software and it found nothing. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. Tell us what you ran and for how long, and stop using the drive.
Other devices we recover from
Hard drives
Clicking, beeping, not detected, or dropped. Desktop, laptop and external drives.
See how we recover it →Phones
Photos and messages from iPhones and Android phones that are dead, dropped or wet.
See how we recover it →Laptops & MacBooks
Dead laptops and MacBooks, including models with storage soldered to the board.
See how we recover it →SSDs, USB & cards
SSDs, NVMe drives, USB sticks and memory cards from cameras, drones and dashcams.
See how we recover it →RAID, NAS & servers
Business storage that has dropped a disk, won't mount or rebuilt the wrong way.
See how we recover it →Board-level repair
Told it's beyond repair, or quoted a new board? A second opinion costs nothing to ask for.
See how we recover it →Lost data? Talk to the lab today.
Free initial assessment. No data, no recovery fee. Fixed price before any work.