Hardware Data Recovery — Failed Hard Drives, SSDs & Dead Devices
If a hard drive, SSD, phone, or laptop physically failed — clicking, not spinning up, water-damaged, dropped, or just dead — we recover the data off the drive itself at our Watertown and Wakefield, MA benches. This is for broken hardware, not deleted files. Free diagnostic. Call (857) 302-2655 before you try anything else.
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Board-Level Recovery Under the Microscope
Chip-off and logic-board recovery work happens on our microsoldering bench at Watertown and Wakefield — the same setup we use for board-level repairs.
What Our Customers Say
Live reviews from our Google Business Profile — pulled directly, not curated.
This Page Is for Physically Failed Drives — Not Deleted Files
There are two completely different problems people call "data recovery," and we only handle one of them. If your drive or device still powers on and works normally but you deleted a photo, formatted a card by accident, or lost a file to a software glitch, that's a software recovery job — a different set of tools and a different shop visit than what's below. What we do at Fix 'N Repair is hardware data recovery: getting data off a drive or device that is physically broken.
We recover data from:
- Hard drives that click, whir, or spin up and down without mounting
- SSDs the computer no longer detects
- External/USB drives that stopped powering on after a drop or power surge
- Phones and tablets with a dead or damaged logic board (no power, water damage)
- Laptops and MacBooks with liquid damage or a failed logic board
- Game console hard drives/SSDs (PS4, PS5, Xbox) after physical failure
- SD/microSD cards with physical or connector damage
We don't handle (different service):
- Accidentally deleted photos, texts, or files on a working device
- Recovering data after a factory reset you triggered
- Formatted drives where the hardware itself is fine
- Cloud account recovery (iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive)
- Virus, malware, or ransomware-related file loss
How Hardware Data Recovery Works at Fix 'N Repair
Whether you booked online or walked into one of our four Massachusetts stores, the process is the same. Free diagnostic on every drive, exact quote before we start, and honest odds throughout.
Free diagnostic
Bring the drive or device to any of our four stores, or ship it in. We check whether the drive is mechanically dead, electronically dead, or has a corrupted controller before touching anything — that determines whether this is a same-day job or a board-level one. Diagnostic is always free.
Transparent quote before we start
Once we know what's actually wrong with the drive, you get a real quote — not a guess. We never open a device or start work without your approval. If board-level recovery is needed, we tell you the bench location and honest timeline up front.
Recovery attempt
Depending on the failure, this ranges from a direct drive read on the bench to chip-off/board-level work under the microscope at Watertown or Wakefield. We're honest about the odds going in — nobody can guarantee a dead drive comes back 100%.
Data handoff
Recovered data is handed back to you on a drive you provide or one we supply. We don't keep copies of your data after the job is closed. Pick up at the store you dropped off at, or a different one of our four locations if that's more convenient.
Devices & Drives We Recover Data From
Every category below is a hardware failure — the drive or device stopped working, and we're getting the data off it before the hardware goes in the trash.
Hard Drives & SSDs
Internal and external hard drives, plus internal and external SSDs. Mechanical drives and solid-state drives fail differently, so the diagnostic and recovery approach is different — but we handle both on the bench.
| Failure Symptom | What's Usually Wrong |
|---|---|
| Clicking or repeated spin-up/spin-down | Mechanical head or motor failure — direct-read or head-swap recovery |
| Drive not detected at all | Controller board failure or connector damage — board-level diagnostic |
| Drive detected but won't mount / errors out | Firmware corruption or bad sectors — direct read on the bench |
| Drive worked, then died after a power surge | Controller or PCB damage — board-level repair or swap |
Phones & Tablets
When a phone or iPad won't power on after water damage or a hard drop, the storage chip is usually still fine — it's the logic board around it that failed. We do chip-off recovery directly from the board, the same capability we use for microsoldering repairs.
MacBooks & Laptops
Liquid damage and logic board failures are the two most common reasons a MacBook or PC laptop won't boot. In both cases the internal storage is usually intact — the recovery job is getting the board or drive readable again.
Game Consoles & Removable Media
Console hard drive and SSD recovery is a service most repair chains don't offer at all. We also handle physically damaged SD and microSD cards.
| Device / Media | Typical Failure |
|---|---|
| PS5 / PS4 hard drive or SSD | Console won't read storage; drive pulled and read directly |
| Xbox internal drive | Console won't boot from storage; drive pulled and read directly |
| SD / microSD cards | Physical damage, broken connector, card not reading — direct or chip-level recovery |
Data Recovery Cost
Every hardware recovery job starts with a free diagnostic so we know exactly what's wrong before quoting a price. Cost depends on whether the drive needs a straightforward direct read or board-level/chip-off work under the microscope.
How long does data recovery take?
Turnaround depends on the device, the failure type, parts availability, and how much board-level work is needed — we quote a real turnaround after the diagnostic, not before. A drive that's just not mounting can sometimes be read the same day. A dead phone or laptop needing chip-off recovery takes longer and gets a timeline once we've actually opened it up.
We won't promise a same-day turnaround on data recovery up front, and we won't guarantee that data comes back 100% intact — a physically failed drive is inherently unpredictable, and we'll tell you the real odds during the diagnostic.
Why We Can Recover Drives Most Shops Send Away
Data recovery from a physically dead drive or device is board-level work, and most repair chains don't do board-level work at all — they swap parts or tell you to ship the drive to a specialty lab and wait weeks. We do chip-off and logic-board-level recovery in-house at our Watertown and Wakefield benches, under a microscope, the same capability we use for our microsoldering repairs.
Chains like uBreakiFix and CPR explicitly exclude liquid damage and board-level work from their service — that's exactly the category most hardware data recovery jobs fall into. We don't turn those away, and it's the same reason we can pull data from console drives that most shops won't even attempt.
Where to Bring Your Drive or Device
Board-level data recovery work happens on the bench at our Watertown and Wakefield stores. If you're closer to Newton or Burlington, drop your device off there and we'll transport it to the bench location that's handling the recovery — you don't need to drive to Watertown or Wakefield yourself.
FAQs About Hardware Data Recovery
My external hard drive won't spin up or makes a clicking sound — can you recover it?
That clicking or spin-up failure is usually a mechanical problem inside the drive, and it's exactly the kind of job we handle. Bring it in for a free diagnostic and we'll tell you whether it's a direct read or a board-level repair before we quote anything.
My phone won't turn on after water damage — can you still get my photos off it?
Often, yes. A dead phone after water damage is usually a logic board problem, not a storage problem, and we can do chip-off recovery from the board itself at our Watertown or Wakefield bench. The sooner you bring it in without trying to power it on again, the better your odds.
Is this the right service if I just deleted some photos or texts by accident?
No — if your phone or drive still works fine and you just lost files by accident, that's software recovery, a different job than what we do here. This service is specifically for drives and devices that are physically broken.
How much does hardware data recovery cost?
Every job starts with a free diagnostic so we know exactly what's wrong before quoting a price. Cost depends on whether the drive needs a straightforward direct read or board-level chip-off work under the microscope. Call (857) 302-2655 for current pricing.
How long does data recovery take?
It depends on the failure. A drive that just isn't mounting can sometimes be read the same day. A dead phone or laptop needing board-level chip-off work takes longer, and we give you a real timeline once we've diagnosed it, not before.
Can you recover data from an SSD, or only mechanical hard drives?
Yes, we recover from SSDs too. SSD failures are usually a controller or firmware problem rather than a mechanical one, so the diagnostic and recovery approach is different from a spinning hard drive, but we handle both.
My PS5 or Xbox won't read its hard drive anymore — is that something you can fix?
Yes. Console hard drive and SSD failures are a common job for us, and it's a service most repair chains don't offer at all. We pull the drive and attempt a direct recovery on the bench.
Do I need to bring my device to Watertown or Wakefield myself?
No. Board-level recovery work happens on the bench at our Watertown and Wakefield stores, but you can drop your device off at Newton or Burlington and we'll transport it to the bench location handling the recovery at no extra cost.
Is there any way to guarantee my data comes back?
No, and we won't tell you otherwise. A physically failed drive is unpredictable. We've recovered plenty of dead drives, but no shop can promise 100% recovery before opening it up. We'll always give you honest odds during the diagnostic.
Bring In a Failed Drive or Dead Device
Watertown & Wakefield handle bench recovery. Newton & Burlington drop-off, transported for you at no extra cost. Free diagnostic, honest odds, real quote before we start.