Data Recovery Services in Edinburgh
Repeatedly powering a failed SSD lets its controller permanently erase blocks already marked deleted, so switch it off and leave it off. We collect from Edinburgh by courier for recovery in London: diagnostics are free, SSD recovery starts at £250 and hard drives at £150.
An SSD that won't mount shouldn't be power-cycled repeatedly while you decide what to do, because it can quietly erase blocks already marked deleted — worth knowing in a city like Edinburgh, where SSD-based work laptops are common in the finance and legal sector.
- Booking a collection
- Power the SSD down and leave it off from the moment you book the collection. Every extra power-on is another chance for the controller to erase blocks in the background before the drive ever reaches the lab.
- Getting to the lab
- As with Glasgow, the distance from London means transit takes a little longer than for closer collection cities; the 5–10 working day standard turnaround begins once the device is checked in at the lab.
An SSD needs different handling than a hard drive
If your drive is an SSD — increasingly the default in Edinburgh’s finance and legal sector, where work laptops are usually solid-state — the worst thing you can do while deciding what to try next is keep power-cycling it. Unlike a mechanical drive, an SSD can run background garbage collection every time it’s powered, which permanently erases blocks it has already marked as deleted. If it’s not mounting properly, power it off and leave it off until it’s collected — it will be opened and imaged in London, not locally.
Phones, cards and everything else
The stop-touching-it rule scales down, too. A memory card that stopped reading shouldn’t be reformatted or “repaired” in the camera, because both write to the card and can overwrite the very files you want back. A dead phone shouldn’t sit on charge for days in hope. Whatever the device, the journey from Edinburgh is the same: tracked, insured, and diagnosed for free once it’s on the bench.
How it works from Edinburgh
From Edinburgh to recovered data
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Collection from Edinburgh
We book an insured courier for you, or you send it with your own tracked carrier — your choice.
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Arrival at the lab
The device is photographed, a job ticket is raised against it, and you are notified that it has been received.
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Free diagnosis
An engineer assesses the fault and you receive a written price or agreed range before any recovery work.
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Recovery and return
You verify the recovered data first; it then returns on external media by tracked delivery.
Before you book: Power a failing SSD off and leave it off until it is collected. Packing guidance: how to pack and send your device.
What we recover from Edinburgh
Every device type below is collected from Edinburgh and worked on in the same London lab, at the same prices. Pick the device for its symptoms, process and price band, or check what data recovery costs first.
An encrypted drive can only be recovered if you supply the key or password: full-disk encryption is not something the lab can bypass.
Questions people ask
Why is SSD recovery priced differently from hard drives?
Flash storage fails differently: controller faults, firmware corruption and worn NAND call for chip-level work rather than mechanical repair, so SSD logical recovery starts at £250 where hard drives start at £150. Diagnosis is free either way, and the quote is written.
Can you recover photos from a memory card that stopped reading?
Often, if nothing has been written over them. Stop using the card, skip the camera's built-in repair option and do not reformat — the files usually remain until something overwrites them. Card recovery starts at £100, and you see the recovered structure before paying.
How does an Edinburgh device reach the lab?
By an insured courier we arrange, or any tracked carrier you choose — the cost of the journey sits with you and is agreed up front. Expect slightly longer in transit than from English cities; the recovery clock starts once the parcel is checked in at the lab.
Recovery priority
How fast do you need your data back?
The engineering process and level of care stay the same. A faster service moves your case forward in the lab queue.
Turnaround starts when the device reaches our laboratory.
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Standard
5–10 working days
Targets recovery and return within 5–10 working days of the device reaching our lab, subject to diagnosis, parts and media condition.
Recovery price Included -
Express
3–5 working days
Prioritises the case and targets 3–5 working days from arrival, subject to diagnosis, parts, media condition and data volume.
Priority surcharge +40% -
Emergency
24 hours
Gives the case highest queue priority and targets 24 hours from arrival when the fault, parts, media condition and data volume allow it.
Priority surcharge +70%
Get a quote
Tell us what happened
After diagnosis, we confirm a written price or agreed range before any recovery work begins.
Or call 020 3903 9920
Get a free diagnosis quote
Tell us what happened. We will come back with clear next steps and pricing before any recovery work begins.