Data Recovery & Backup — London
Lost important files? Failed hard drive? Accidentally deleted something? We recover data from failed hard drives, corrupted USB drives, SSDs and memory cards across London, Berkshire and Surrey — with a free, honest assessment first and a no-recovery, no-fee promise on standard jobs.
Best for
Households needing plain-English help with Wi-Fi, computers, email, printers, backup and online safety.
Pricing
Assessment: Free · Standard recovery from £89 · Clean-room recovery quoted after assessment · No recovery, no fee policy
Response
Remote support for software issues, home visits for hardware, Wi-Fi and setup jobs.
Coverage
London, Berkshire and Surrey for home visits.
Stop using the device immediately.
Every time a failing drive writes data, it can overwrite something you need. Power it down, unplug it, and call us before anything else. Most "I tried to fix it myself" jobs end up costing more and recovering less.
- Do not run repair tools like CHKDSK or "Disk Repair" — they overwrite the file system
- Do not reinstall Windows or reformat the drive
- Do not keep restarting the computer hoping it will work
- Do not freeze the drive or open the casing yourself — data gets harder to recover, not easier
Why people book this
Home IT support should be patient, practical and jargon-free.
Verge Tech helps households with the technology that interrupts daily life: weak Wi-Fi, printers, slow laptops, email problems, virus warnings, data recovery, smart devices and new device setup. The work is explained clearly and paced properly.
Failed or clicking hard drive
A clicking, beeping, silent or "drive not detected" message usually means mechanical failure. We assess for free, image the drive carefully and escalate to a clean-room partner if needed — never write to the original.
Deleted files, formatted drive or lost partition
Logical failures (accidental deletion, format, partition errors) have the highest recovery rate when the device has been stopped quickly. We work from a forensic image of the drive so the original is never written to.
Phones, USB sticks and memory cards
iPhone and Android photos, SD cards from cameras, microSD from drones, USB sticks that "ask to format" — we recover from all of these. Wedding and event photographers, this is often us.
What's included
Everything covered, in plain English.
A clear scope of work so there are no surprises after we arrive. Anything outside this list gets quoted before we start.
How it works
A clear route from problem to fix.
Stop use and assess the storage device
Clone or image the drive before recovery where possible
Recover files to a separate safe device
Verify the important folders with you
Set up backup so the same loss is less likely
Transparent pricing
Clear routes, no hidden call-out fees.
Most jobs fit one of these three routes. You always see the price before work starts. Bigger jobs get a written fixed quote.
Remote session
£50/hr
Email, software, account and simple setup issues.
- Fast start
- No travel time
- Secure session
Most common
Home visit
£80/hr
Wi-Fi, printers, laptops, smart devices and repair checks.
- No call-out fee
- Plain-English help
- Same-day where available
Repair or setup
Quoted
Parts, data recovery, new devices and bigger home setups.
- Fixed quote
- Data protected
- Handover notes
Service detail
Friendly help without rushing the customer.
Home support is part technical work and part communication. We explain what changed, leave notes and make sure the household can carry on after the visit.
Wi-Fi, printers and devices
We fix weak Wi-Fi, offline printers, new laptops, smart devices and email issues across Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Safe, patient support
Older adults and less confident users get clear explanations without pressure, jargon or rushed handover.
Security and backup basics
We help with scam warnings, antivirus, browser pop-ups, password hygiene, account recovery and backup checks.
Who this is for
Built for real users.
If you recognise yourself in any of these, we've done the work before.
Recovery likelihood
What we can usually recover.
These are the categories where we have the highest success rate. None of them are guaranteed, but for each we can give you a confidence level after a free assessment.
Deleted photos and documents
Highest success rate when caught early. Windows, Mac, USB sticks and SD cards — usually recoverable if nothing has been written to the drive since.
Failed hard drives that still spin and are detected
If the drive still powers on and shows up (even briefly) in the operating system, we can usually image it and recover the data.
Files lost to ransomware
Depends on the strain. We recover from shadow copies, file-history backups, and sometimes from older versions before encryption. Modern strains are harder; older strains often have public decryption tools.
iPhone, Android and cloud-synced photos
If the device synced to iCloud, Google Photos or OneDrive before the failure, the photos are usually still there. We help you retrieve them properly.
NAS and RAID arrays
Single drive failures in RAID 1 or RAID 5 are typically recoverable when the failed drive is replaced before a second one goes. Multi-drive failures need a workshop assessment.
Honest limits
What we cannot promise.
These are the situations where recovery is harder, more expensive, or sometimes not possible. We tell you this upfront — not after you have paid.
Drives "fixed" by other tools first
CHKDSK, EaseUS, "drive repair" utilities and reformatting tools overwrite the file system. Once that happens, the data is much harder — sometimes impossible — to recover.
Severely physically damaged drives
Fire, flood, head crashes and serious physical damage may need a clean-room recovery (specialist partner). We assess first and tell you honestly whether it is worth the cost — clean-room jobs can run into the thousands.
SSDs after long-term use
SSDs garbage-collect deleted blocks. Recovery from an SSD after weeks of normal use is often not possible. For SSDs, a working backup strategy matters far more than recovery skill.
After recovery
Backup setup so this never happens again.
Recovery is expensive, slow and uncertain. Backup is cheap, fast and reliable. After every recovery we offer a free 15-minute backup consultation so the same loss cannot happen twice.
Local + cloud (the "3-2-1" rule)
Three copies, two different media, one offsite. We set this up using a mix of external drive + OneDrive/Google Drive/iCloud, automated.
Photo and document libraries
For families and creatives — automatic phone-photo backup, NAS for large libraries, cloud sync for active documents.
Business data and shared drives
Microsoft 365 retention, SharePoint backups, Datto BCDR for critical workloads. We also test the backups — untested backups are not backups.
FAQs
Questions people ask before booking.
What are the chances of recovering my data?
It depends on the type of failure. Deleted files and logical failures have a high recovery rate (often 90%+). Physically failed drives vary — we assess and give you an honest estimate before proceeding. The earlier you stop using the device, the better.
What should I do if my hard drive has failed?
Stop using the computer immediately. Every write to a failing drive can overwrite recoverable data. Do not run CHKDSK or repair utilities — they make recovery harder. Power the device down, unplug it, and call us. We will advise on the next step before you do anything else.
Do you charge if you cannot recover the data?
No, not on standard recovery jobs. We operate a no-recovery, no-fee policy on standard jobs. The free assessment tells you the likelihood and the price before we start. Clean-room jobs (severe physical damage) are quoted separately and have a partial assessment fee, which we tell you about upfront.
How long does data recovery take?
Simple deleted file recovery can be done the same day. Failed hard drives typically take 2–5 days depending on the extent of the damage. Clean-room recoveries take 7–21 days. We confirm an expected window after the free assessment.
Can you recover photos from a phone with a broken screen?
Usually yes, if the phone still powers on. We connect via USB and pull the photos. If the phone has iCloud or Google Photos sync, the photos are often already in the cloud and we just help you get to them.
My USB stick says "device needs to be formatted" — should I?
No. Formatting wipes the file system and makes recovery much harder. Eject the stick, do not write anything else to it, and bring it to us. Most "needs to be formatted" sticks are recoverable when caught before the format.
Do you work with NAS and RAID arrays?
Yes. Single-drive failures in RAID 1 or RAID 5 are typically recoverable if the failed drive is replaced before a second one goes. Multi-drive RAID failures need workshop assessment — call us before powering the NAS back on.
Will my data stay private?
Yes. Engineers are vetted. We do not browse or copy files beyond what the job requires. The recovered data is handed back to you on the medium you choose (new external drive, USB stick, encrypted upload) and we securely wipe our working copies after handover.
Your team
Senior Engineers
Microsoft & CompTIA certified senior engineers
No call-out fee
In West London
Surrounding areas standard rate
Same-day
Where diary allows
Remote support starts in minutes
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Tell us what's broken, slow or worrying you.
We'll confirm whether remote or on-site support is the right first step, then agree the price before any work starts.