A server that won’t boot, an offline RAID array, a corrupt database, or a virtualization host that’s down? We recover Dell, HPE, Lenovo and every other server — Windows Server, VMware and Hyper-V — imaging every drive, rebuilding the array off the hardware, and recovering your data from copies, never your originals.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/server → Server: Dell PowerEdge · RAID 5 · 6 × 2 TB → Status: ARRAY OFFLINE — 2 disks failed → Client: confidential · Wallsend NE1 3DY $ bdr engineer-working → Member disks: all 6 imaged read-only → RAID 5: rebuilt off the controller → Windows Server: volumes mounted $ bdr verify → ✓ file shares — 6.1 TB → ✓ SQL databases — restored → ✓ server recovered — data back
If your server won’t boot, has dropped its RAID array offline, or had a rebuild stall, stop — don’t let it rebuild, re-initialise or re-sync. A rebuild writes across the disks and can bury the very data we’re after. Shut the server down, mark which drive sat in which bay, and call us. The drives nearly always outlast the server, and the first attempt at recovery is the safest one.
From a server that won’t boot to a corrupt database, these are the server failures we recover from most — hardware, RAID, OS and database.
Every server comes through — Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro and the rest — running Windows Server, Linux, VMware or Hyper-V, RAID or single drive. Make and role set the method; neither decides whether we can help.
Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem, Supermicro, Fujitsu PRIMERGY and Cisco UCS · tower, rack and blade · Windows Server, Linux, VMware ESXi and Hyper-V · Dell PERC and HP Smart Array RAID · SQL Server, Exchange and Active Directory · SAS, SATA and NVMe.
Server recovery is about reaching the data on the drives, whatever the server itself is doing. Once you send us the drives, we rebuild any RAID array from read-only images, then recover the operating system, virtual machines, databases and files — never touching your originals.
Give us the server — make and model, RAID setup, what it runs, what went wrong. We assess it and send a written quote, usually inside 48 hours. If you can, mark each drive’s bay before you pull anything.
Every drive in the server, failing ones included, is imaged read-only on specialist hardware — so all the work runs on copies and your originals are never touched.
Where a drive has failed mechanically or electronically, we repair it — swapping heads, rebuilding the board — enough to image it. Drive-level repairs need 50% of the fee upfront.
Where the server uses RAID, we reconstruct the array — disk order, stripe, parity — from the images and rebuild the volume exactly as the controller had it, off the hardware.
We recover the file system and what sits on it — files and shares, virtual machines, SQL and Exchange databases, Active Directory — repairing them where needed and pulling the most consistent copy.
We check the recovered volumes, databases and virtual machines actually open and are complete before any of it comes back to you.
We return your data on new storage sized for the server, ready to restore and put back into service.
Every server — Dell, HPE, Lenovo and the others, running Windows Server, VMware or Hyper-V — recovered by imaging every drive and rebuilding the array, the OS and the workloads off the hardware, so a dead server never means lost data.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
Clear, tiered pricing for server recovery — with a free diagnostic and a quote in writing before any work starts.
A handful of recent server recoveries across offline arrays, won’t-boot machines, corrupt databases and virtualization hosts. Identifying details removed, every result verified.
Two disks had failed in the array. We imaged all six, rebuilt the RAID and recovered the file shares and SQL databases.
The board had failed but the drives were fine. We rebuilt the array and recovered every virtual machine.
The RAID was healthy but the Exchange database was damaged. We imaged the mirror and recovered and repaired the mailbox store.
The rebuild had partly overwritten the array. We imaged every disk, reconstructed it and recovered the VMFS datastore and its VMs.
The SSD controller had died. We recovered the NAND and rebuilt the file system to recover the sites and databases.
Little had overwritten the data. We rebuilt the array and recovered the deleted volume and its shares.
Real client stories from our two-decade testimonial archive.
We had a Qnap Raid 5 eight disk system. Two of the hard disk failed, we replaced disks and attempted a rebuild. After rebuild completed system would not start. We had business critical accounts, SQL Database and Exchange Database on Qnap server. Newcastle Data Recovery provided us with reassurance from the start that they could recover the data. They got the system in on Thursday and we downloaded the SQL and Exchange files from them on Sunday afternoon so all staff could work as normal on Monday. 1st class customer service.
Send the device in for its free diagnostic and tell us briefly what happened; an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before anything starts.
Getting your data back begins with getting the device to us. Pack it up safely, pop your contact details inside, and send it over — once we’ve run the free diagnostic, we’ll confirm your exact price in writing before any work starts.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is what we’d recommend. Rather drop it in? You’re welcome Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm — just package the device up as above first.
Want a bit more detail first? Fill in the form with more about your issue and an engineer will review it and send you a custom quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
The things people most often ask us about recovering a server.
Usually, yes. A server that won’t power on or POST normally has a board, power or controller fault, while the drives that hold your data are fine. Once you take the drives out and send them to us, we rebuild any RAID array and recover your data, so a dead server is rarely a barrier.
Yes. Most servers store their data on a RAID array, and we recover failed arrays — multiple dead disks, a failed rebuild or a dead controller — by imaging every disk read-only and reconstructing the array from the copies. Don’t let the server rebuild or re-initialise the array first.
Yes. We recover ESXi and Hyper-V hosts whether the fault’s the hardware, the RAID or the datastore. Once we’ve rebuilt the storage we repair the VMFS, CSV or NTFS file system and recover your virtual machines — VMDKs and VHDXs — and the data inside them.
Usually, yes. We recover and repair SQL Server, Exchange and Oracle databases from the server’s drives, whether the cause is a failed array, a corrupt volume or a deleted store. We rebuild the storage, extract the database files and repair them so your data and mail come back.
A single-drive or mirrored server is priced from £500 + VAT. Where it’s a multi-disk RAID server — RAID 5, 6 or 10 — recovery starts at £800 + VAT, scaling with the number of disks and the work involved. Every job opens with a free diagnostic and a written quote, and most stay no fix, no fee.
On most jobs, yes. For drive-level repairs we take a 50% deposit upfront and the rest is only due if we recover your data — so if we can’t, you’re not left with the full bill.
Every make — Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem, Supermicro, Fujitsu and the rest, tower, rack and blade, running Windows Server, Linux, VMware or Hyper-V. The make and role decide the method, not whether the data can be recovered.
Just the drives, please — we don’t remove drives from server or RAID devices, so take the drives out yourself and send every one, failed ones included, labelled with their bay order. That’s all we need to rebuild the array and recover the data; the chassis and controller aren’t required.
Usually, yes. A domain controller that’s failed still carries its Active Directory database on the drives. We recover those drives, rebuild any array, and pull out the AD database and system state so the directory can be restored.
A single-drive or mirrored server is usually turned around in 3 to 4 working days. A multi-disk RAID server runs to 4 to 7, according to the number of disks and whether any need drive-level repair before imaging. The free diagnostic normally lands inside 48 hours, and pressing business jobs can often be moved up.
Take the drives out of the server yourself and send us just the drives — we don’t remove drives from servers or RAID devices. Label which bay each came from and pack them so they can’t knock together. Drop them at our Newcastle location Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, or post them fully insured, with your name, address, phone number and email so we can book it in and quote before any work begins.
A free diagnostic, tiered pricing from £500, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every server recovered, Dell, HPE, Windows Server, VMware and the rest, off the hardware. Begin your recovery today.