Stop using the drive
If a drive is clicking, grinding, or your computer keeps freezing when you try to open files, the most important step is to stop using it. Every extra restart or attempted copy can make things worse and turn a recoverable drive into one that is not.
Set the computer aside and call us before trying software fixes you find online. Many of those tools write new data to the drive, which can overwrite the very files you are trying to save.
What we can usually recover, and what we cannot promise
Most of the time, when a drive is failing but still spins up, we can recover photos, documents, and other personal files. When a drive has failed completely from physical damage, recovery is much less certain, and we will tell you that plainly rather than promise a result we cannot guarantee.
We never charge you to find out what is possible. We look at the drive first and tell you honestly what we see before any work begins.
- Drive still powers on but makes noise or runs slowly: recovery is usually possible
- Drive is completely dead or physically damaged: recovery odds are lower, and we will say so
- Files were recently deleted, not drive failure: often the easiest case to recover
Getting a safe backup going forward
Once we have recovered what we can, the real fix is making sure you never face this scare again. We set up a simple backup, often an external drive or a cloud service, that saves your files automatically without you having to remember to do anything.
If the old computer is on its last legs, we can also help move everything over to a new one so your photos and documents follow you without a gap.
What to expect from us
We come to you, look at the drive honestly, and explain your options in plain language before we touch anything. Call (615) 852-5565 Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and we will talk through what you are seeing.
Need patient, local help?
These Deskside services are the closest match for this guide.