Home / Data recovery / Hard drives
Hard drive data recovery. From €149.
Whether it is an external drive that stopped showing up or a laptop drive that started clicking, the files are usually still on the platters. What matters most now is that you stop powering it on.
- Free initial assessment
- No data, no recovery fee
- Fixed price before any work
- Dead phones and MacBooks too
What you are seeing, and what it usually means
- Not detected, no noise
- Often the drive's controller board or a power fault. Usually recoverable on our bench.
- Detected but very slow, or freezes
- Failing sectors. It needs to be imaged carefully before it gets worse, not copied file by file.
- Clicking, beeping or grinding
- A mechanical failure inside the drive. It must be opened in a cleanroom. Every power-on risks scratching the platters.
- Dropped while running
- Treat it as physical damage. Don't try it again "just to check".
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.
How we recover it
We start by reading the drive's condition safely on the bench. Logical and electronic faults are recovered here. Drives that need to be opened go to our specialist cleanroom partner, and we tell you that, with the price, before anything is opened.
- 01
Tell us what happened
Use the short form, call or WhatsApp. We reply with how to send it, or when to bring it in.
- 02
Free initial assessment
When it reaches the bench we find out what has failed and what is likely recoverable. No charge.
- 03
Fixed written quote
One price by email, with return shipping included. Nothing is opened or recovered until you approve it.
- 04
Your data back
Copied to a new drive and sent back tracked with your original device, or ready to collect.
What our customers say
Top quality service, would highly recommend. Recovered USB files that were lost.Excellent service! They replaced the swollen battery and repaired the damaged charging board and cable in just 2 hours. Fast, professional and reliable.They kept my half dead machine alive for well over six months past its 'this should really be left to die' point... give sound advice that you can trust.Trace Lab is run by the workshop team at Creative IT, rated Excellent on Trustpilot from over 3,600 reviews since 2009.
Questions
How much does hard drive recovery cost?
From €149 if the drive still spins and reads, and from €995 if it has to be opened in a cleanroom. Inc VAT. After the free initial assessment you get one fixed price by email.
Can I try recovery software first?
If the drive is healthy and you only deleted files, yes, onto a different drive. If it clicks, is slow or keeps disconnecting, no: software stresses a failing drive and can make recovery impossible.
Do you need my computer too?
Just the drive, unless it's inside a laptop where the storage is soldered to the board. If you're not sure, send the whole laptop.
Where are drives opened?
Physical recoveries are carried out by our specialist cleanroom partner. We manage the job, the shipping and the communication end to end.
Other devices we recover from
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.