Laptop · M.2 NVMe · M.2 SATA · 2.5-inch · dead laptop · Device Encryption · BitLocker · the drive out
Laptop data recovery. A dead laptop is rarely a dead drive; the data is on a drive you can take out and send.
When a laptop dies, the data is almost always sitting intact on a drive that had nothing to do with the failure: a dead screen, a failed board, a flooded keyboard, a charging port that gave up. The drive comes out, an M.2 NVMe or SATA stick on one screw, or a 2.5-inch drive in a caddy, and it is read here like any drive. When it is the drive itself that failed, which on a modern laptop means an NVMe SSD that has stopped responding or a TRIM-emptied set of deleted files, it is imaged first on hardware that controls every retry, with chip-level reading where the controller has died, and the file system rebuilt on the image. One thing has changed in recent years and matters more than any other: most Windows laptops now encrypt their drives automatically, so your Microsoft account's recovery key is part of the job, and without it an encrypted drive cannot be opened. A single laptop drive is £300 + VAT, fixed in writing after a free first look, and on most jobs there is no bill if no data comes back.
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The four laptop jobs that arrive most.
Which drive is inside, and how it comes out.
Tell us the model →| Laptop | Drive | Removing it |
|---|---|---|
| Most laptops since 2018 | M.2 NVMe stick, 2280 or 2242 | Bottom cover off; one screw; lift out |
| Many 2014–2019 laptops | M.2 SATA stick, or mSATA | Same single screw; looks identical to NVMe |
| Older and budget laptops | 2.5-inch SATA SSD or hard drive | Bottom cover or a side caddy; four screws |
| Microsoft Surface, some ultrabooks | Soldered to the board, or a tiny 2230 stick | Tell us the model before you open it |
| Gaming laptops | One or two M.2 NVMe sticks | Both needed if Windows spans them |
| MacBooks | Blade SSD to 2017; soldered after | See the Mac page; the year decides |
From the drive arriving to your files going back.
The drive, not the laptop. Whole laptops are not accepted; the drive comes out and is sent on its own, in an anti-static bag in a padded envelope, with the booking sheet that arrives by email. If you are not sure which drive is inside or how to reach it, tell us the make and model and we will say. For the few laptops whose storage is soldered to the board, the answer is model-specific and we give it before you send anything.
Imaged first, always. A drive that answers is imaged sector by sector, weak areas last; an NVMe drive whose controller has died is read at the chip level; a 2.5-inch hard drive with a mechanical fault is repaired on the bench so it can be read. Nothing is written to the drive, and the file system is rebuilt on the image.
Encryption opened with your key. A Device Encryption or BitLocker drive is decrypted from the image with your recovery key, which is in the Microsoft account you signed in with, or your organisation's directory for a work laptop. The BitLocker site explains where to find it. Without a key, a modern encrypted drive cannot be opened, and we say so at the free look.
The list before the bill. What was recovered is listed for you first; only then does a figure exist. A single laptop drive is £300 + VAT, fixed in writing, with no bill on most jobs if no data comes back, and the files go home on fresh media within 3–5 days.
Questions answered before you commit.
My laptop will not turn on. Can you get my files?
Almost always, because a laptop that will not power on has usually failed somewhere other than the drive. Take the drive out and send it; the data is read directly. If the drive is encrypted, have your Microsoft account recovery key ready.
How do I take the drive out?
On most laptops since 2018: bottom cover off, one screw holding an M.2 stick, lift it out. Older laptops have a 2.5-inch drive in a caddy or under a panel. Tell us the make and model and we will say exactly, and warn you if the storage is soldered.
Windows is asking for a BitLocker recovery key. Is the data gone?
No. The drive is intact and sealed; the 48-digit key opens it, and it is in your Microsoft account or your organisation's directory. Do not reinstall or reset. If the drive has also failed, we image it and decrypt the image with your key.
I deleted files on my laptop. Can they be recovered?
On a hard drive, usually, if nothing has been written since. On an SSD, the TRIM feature erases deleted data within minutes, so recovery is limited; power the laptop off now and the best chance is whatever TRIM has not yet reached.
What does it cost?
A single laptop drive is £300 + VAT, fixed in writing after a free first look, and on most jobs there is no bill if no data comes back. Two drives from a gaming laptop are quoted.
Take the drive out, and the data is usually fine.
Tell us the make and model and what happened, and we will say how to reach the drive and what to expect. The first look is free.