Emergency data recovery
Our Emergency service puts your device at the front of the lab queue: diagnosis the same day it arrives, then a 24-hour recovery target where the fault allows. Diagnosis is still free, you approve a written price first, and Emergency adds 70% to the recovery price.
Before you do anything else
What you do in the next few minutes often decides how much can be recovered. Find your situation below.
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A hard drive clicking or grinding
Switch it off and do not power it again. Every start can scratch the platters further.
Hard drive recovery -
An SSD or laptop that is not detected
Shut it down. Do not initialise the drive, reinstall the system or run repair tools.
SSD recovery -
A phone that got wet or will not start
Switch it off and leave it off. Do not charge it, put it in rice or try a reset.
Phone recovery -
Files deleted or a drive formatted by mistake
Stop using the device straight away, so nothing new is written over the lost files.
Deleted files on an SSD -
A RAID or NAS showing degraded or failed
Do not start a rebuild. Power it down and label each drive with its bay number.
RAID and NAS recovery -
An encrypted laptop or drive
Find the BitLocker or FileVault recovery key before you send it. The files cannot be read without it.
Finding a BitLocker key
How the Emergency service works
- 1
Same-day diagnosis
Once the device arrives, an engineer diagnoses it the same day and you get a written price before any work starts.
- 2
Front of the queue
Gives the case highest queue priority and targets 24 hours from arrival when the fault, parts, media condition and data volume allow it.
- 3
When 24 hours is not realistic
Some faults need a matching donor part or longer imaging. If yours does, we tell you at diagnosis, before you decide.
Bringing it in
The lab is at 136 Kingston Road, Wimbledon, SW19 1LY, near South Wimbledon station on the Northern line. It is open Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-4pm. Call first so an engineer is ready to start the diagnosis when you arrive.
Sending it from elsewhere in the UK
An insured courier we book usually reaches the lab the next working day, and the 24-hour target starts when the device is signed for. If a day matters, a same-day courier you book yourself, or a train to London, can be quicker. Routes from UK cities and how to pack the device .
What Emergency costs
Diagnosis is free on every service. If you go ahead, Emergency adds 70% to the quoted recovery price, and Express (3-5 working days) adds 40%. You see the full price in writing before any work starts, and if we cannot recover useful data, there is no recovery fee. Courier delivery usually costs £20-30 each way, depending on the courier and the size of the device.
Questions about Emergency recovery
Can you recover data in 24 hours?
The Emergency service targets 24 hours from the moment the device arrives, when the fault, parts, media condition and data volume allow it. Severe mechanical damage, a donor part that has to be sourced or a very large amount of data can take longer, and we tell you at diagnosis, before you decide.
Does the 24 hours include delivery?
No. The clock starts when the device reaches the lab and is logged. In London you can bring it in yourself; from elsewhere in the UK an insured courier usually takes one working day.
What does emergency data recovery cost?
Diagnosis is free. If you go ahead, Emergency adds 70% to the quoted recovery price, which you see in writing before any work starts. If we cannot recover useful data, you pay no recovery fee.
Can I bring the device in today?
Yes, during opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-4pm. Call 020 3903 9920 first so an engineer is free to log it and start the diagnosis while you are there.
Tell us what happened
For an Emergency case, calling is quickest. The form works too: choose Emergency and we normally reply within one working day.
Or call 020 3903 9920