The iMac that wouldn't get past the flashing folder. The MacBook that got coffee poured all over the keys. The Mac mini that won't wake up. Storage coming out of the computer usually brings your data with it. Apple storage that unbolts is just another day at the office for us. Boards with the flash soldered down are one job we turn away, to be honest. If you're not sure what type you have, ring us first.
Diagnosing Mac jobs costs you nothing. A single fixed written price before any work has started. One drive (or blade SSD) costs £300 + VAT; and for logical failures, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Macs break down like all machines. They're simply better than other computers at telling you nothing until the morning when something happens to matter, and these are the cases that Mac users throughout the North-East send down.
The computer began searching for an operating system to start up with and couldn't find one. Usually behind that graphic symbol lies a worn out hard-disk or a worn out blade SSD. Typically your files remain untouched, and they can be recovered from the original drive on our bench.
iMacs built prior to around 2020 use traditional mechanical 3.5-inch disks. They will wear out in exactly the same manner as any other mechanical disk ever created; i.e., by making noise (clicking), slowing down, and finally disappearing completely from the desktop. We work them similarly at the bench using donor parts.
Since Fusion presents both halves of its two-volume setup (a small SSD and a mechanical disk) to macOS as one single volume, failing to access either side will take down the entire setup. Both sides are imaged and the pair are combined again logically.
The liquid goes straight to the logic board. As long as no one allows corrosion to eat at the storage area for two weeks, the storage normally survives. Off (unplugged), remove storage. Once you have your quote, post us the storage.
A failed update can leave a machine which cannot be started and files that had nothing to do with the issue in the first place. We make an image of the drive; repair APFS or HFS+ on that image; pull all the data from it.
Files that are emptied from the Trash remain in their original location unless another file is written into the area. Shutting down the Mac does most of the recovery work for you.
This page deals with Apple storage that comes out of the machine. Practically speaking: iMac and Mac mini SATA disks and Fusion setups until around 2020, the 2.5-inch disks in older MacBooks, and plug-in blade SSDs used from approximately 2010 to 2017. If it can be removed from its housing we will work on almost everything related to it.
All machines using the T2 (or newer) chips (Apple Silicon) have flash soldered to their motherboards along with being encrypted so it can't be accessed outside of the computer. That's why we stopped taking those Macs a couple of years ago, because we feel board level repair should be done by companies who specialise in board repair alone. For anything from 2018 or later, call us first at 0800 689 0668 before you put it in a box. The question has either an affirmative "yes" response, or an alternative response of "no".
Call us first for a quote by phone or use our free online diagnostic tool, then send the storage unit on its own and keep your computer. This laboratory does not open up computers but any computer repair shop in Aberdeen, Elgin or Inverness can open your iMac or MacBook for a few pounds. The hard drive is sent to Edinburgh by tracked, insured post or dropped off at our Edinburgh laboratory (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment needed) and then it will be diagnosed free within 2 working days of receipt. We will contact you to agree the written price for your data recovery before starting work. Notes for each generation are on iMac recovery and MacBook recovery while our data recovery prices are listed on data recovery cost.
You'll receive free diagnostics, a written quote, and on logical work, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. By phone or online.
Get a quote first by telephone or use our free online diagnostic. Most of what you see on this bench will then be delivered via tracked, insured post. This is one of the safest ways to move a failing drive and packages handed in at a North-East post office are normally delivered here the next working day.
Still attached to a laptop, desktop, MacBook, iMac, server or CCTV/DVR unit? Remove the hard drive or SSD first. The bare drive travels on its own; when removing disks from a server remove all the disks and label each disk by its bay. This lab does not take machines apart. Any storage that has been soldered onto a motherboard (as in T2 and Apple Silicon Macs and a couple of thin laptops) will not be worked on: if it will not unbolt, we cannot work on it. If you're not sure what type of machine you have, ring us first. Phones and tablets are also not taken on.
↓ Print the shipping & booking-in form (PDF)
Your parcel should be addressed to Edinburgh Data Recovery, approximately two and a half hours (and 130 miles) from Aberdeen via the A90; alternatively it can reach us the next working day by tracked post if this journey time / distance is prohibitive to travel. As soon as your drive has been scheduled in we will contact you.
Still unsure about what should be placed inside of the packaging? Please call us first on 0800 689 0668, or use our free online diagnostic tool to assist you in deciding which items belong inside of the packaging before sealing.