The first question we ask is what is irreplaceable - photographs, tax documents, the essay you have not backed up anywhere else. The first action we take is getting a copy of it onto a separate drive, before we so much as open the case. A machine that will not turn on almost never means the drive inside it is gone.
If a drive is logically damaged - a corrupted file system, accidental deletion - we can usually recover it here, in the shop, the same visit. If it has failed mechanically, it needs a cleanroom specialist and costs substantially more. We will tell you which one you are dealing with rather than experimenting on your only copy.
A technician can see the files on any machine we service - we will not pretend otherwise. Nothing is opened beyond what the repair requires, nothing leaves the shop, and any machine left unclaimed past ninety days has its drive wiped before it is recycled.
