Protecting your important,
valuable and sensitive data
from hackers and malware.

Lost your files? Don’t assume they’re gone for good.

In many cases, the data itself may still be recoverable.

DM Computer Services provides careful, local data recovery for hard drives and other storage devices. I can assess the problem, determine whether the device can be safely read, and attempt to recover your important files while minimising further risk to the original data.

If you have lost important data, stop using the device.

If files have disappeared or a drive has started behaving unusually, it is best to stop using it as soon as possible.

Continuing to use the computer can overwrite deleted data, while repeatedly trying to access a failing hard drive can sometimes make its condition worse. Avoid installing recovery programs onto the affected drive or running repair utilities such as CHKDSK unless you are certain that the data is safely backed up.

If the data matters to you, switch the computer or drive off and contact me before attempting further repairs.

What can I help recover?

I can investigate a range of common data-loss situations, including:

• Accidentally deleted files and folders
• Files lost after formatting or repartitioning
• Hard drives that have become inaccessible
• Damaged or corrupted filesystems
• Computers that no longer start but still contain important data
• Drives beginning to develop read errors or bad sectors
• Data from an old computer that is no longer usable
• Files that cannot be accessed normally through Windows
• Photographs, documents, spreadsheets and other personal or business files

Every case is different, so successful recovery can never be guaranteed. The sooner a problem is assessed — and the less the affected drive is used in the meantime — the better the chance of a successful outcome.

A careful approach to your original drive

When a storage device is failing, repeatedly working directly on it can increase the risk of further data loss.

Where appropriate, I first create a sector-by-sector image or clone of the affected drive. This copies as much readable information as possible onto separate storage so that subsequent investigation and file recovery can be carried out on the copy rather than repeatedly accessing the original device.

The original drive can then be set aside while recovery work continues.

This approach is particularly important with drives that are showing signs of deterioration: if their condition becomes worse, having already captured as much readable data as possible can make a significant difference.

How the recovery process works

1. Initial assessment

I identify the storage device, check its condition and determine the safest way to proceed. Where possible, drive-health information is recorded before recovery begins.

2. Protect the original

The affected drive is treated as the source of evidence rather than as a working disk. Where appropriate, it is accessed read-only to prevent accidental changes.

3. Create an image or clone

Readable sectors are copied to separate storage using specialist recovery software. If a drive contains unreadable areas, the process can concentrate first on rescuing accessible data rather than repeatedly stressing damaged areas.

4. Work from the copy

Once an image or clone has been obtained, recovery and filesystem analysis can be performed against that copy wherever possible, leaving the original drive unchanged.

5. Recover your files

Recoverable files are copied to separate storage for you. The results can then be checked before the job is considered complete.

What about physically damaged hard drives?

There is an important difference between logical data recovery and physical data recovery.

DM Computer Services can deal with many logical recovery problems and with drives that remain sufficiently functional to be safely read.

However, a hard drive that is clicking, grinding, failing to spin, not being detected at all, or showing signs of serious internal mechanical damage may require specialist laboratory recovery. Opening a hard drive outside the correct controlled environment can permanently reduce the chances of recovering its contents, so I do not dismantle hard drives internally.

If I believe specialist physical recovery is the safer option, I will tell you rather than risk making the situation worse.

What about SSDs?

Data recovery from SSDs can be more complicated than recovery from traditional hard drives.

Modern SSDs use technologies such as TRIM and internal garbage collection, which can make deleted data permanently unavailable relatively quickly. Nevertheless, an inaccessible computer or SSD does not automatically mean that all of its files have been lost.

I can assess the device and advise whether attempting recovery is worthwhile.

No recovery can be guaranteed

It is important to be realistic about data recovery.

Whether files can be recovered depends on what happened to the device, its physical condition, whether data has subsequently been overwritten and the type of storage involved.

I will never claim that files can definitely be recovered before the device has been assessed.

The aim is to give your data the best practical chance of recovery while avoiding unnecessary risk to the original storage device.

Need help with lost data?

If you have accidentally deleted important files, your computer has stopped working, or a hard drive has become inaccessible, stop using the affected device and get in touch.

Tell me what happened, what type of computer or storage device is involved, and which files are important to you.

I can then advise you on the safest next step.