Servers rarely fail as servers — they fail as arrays, usually having lost more than one member behind working redundancy. Getting the files back is half the job; returning a SQL or Exchange store in a state the application will actually accept is the other half, and it is where file-level recovery quietly falls short.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/server → Server: Dell PowerEdge · RAID 5 · 6 × 2 TB → Status: ARRAY OFFLINE — 2 disks failed → Client: confidential · Oxford OX2 $ 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
A failed restore that writes back onto the source can destroy exactly what a recovery would have retrieved. If the backup is uncertain, image the array first — you can always restore afterwards, but you cannot un-write a failed attempt.
The server is rarely the problem. What fails is the storage underneath it, and usually more than one member of it.
Server recovery is rarely just about getting files back — it is about getting them back in a state the applications will accept.
A SQL Server, MySQL or Exchange store copied out of a failed array is not automatically usable. Databases hold internal consistency structures and transaction logs, and a file that is byte-perfect can still refuse to mount if it was captured mid-transaction or if pages are missing from the middle. So recovered databases are checked for structural consistency rather than simply extracted, and where pages are damaged we report which objects are affected rather than handing back a store that fails on attach.
The same applies to virtual machine files, mail archives and anything else with an internal format. It is the difference between a file count and a working system.
Every common platform and controller.
Dell PowerEdge, HP ProLiant, IBM and Lenovo System x, Supermicro, Fujitsu and white-box builds.
Dell PERC, HP Smart Array, LSI and Broadcom, Adaptec, IBM ServeRAID — including cards whose configuration has been lost.
NTFS and ReFS, ext4, XFS and Btrfs, plus LVM and Storage Spaces layered above the array.
VMware VMFS datastores, Hyper-V volumes and the VMDK or VHDX files inside them.
Direct-attached shelves, iSCSI targets and NAS units forming part of the same environment.
Priced by the reconstruction rather than the capacity.
Server, RAID and NAS recovery starts from £500 +VAT, confirmed after a free 48-hour diagnostic. Enterprise SAN work is priced separately from £1,250 +VAT. Where members need physical drive-level work there is a 50% deposit, with the balance payable only on a successful recovery.
Send every disk in bay order, labelled, including any already marked failed — and tell us the controller model, the RAID level if known, and what has already been attempted. NDAs are standard and invoicing is available. Full write-ups: a RAID 5 whose controller forgot the array and an 8-disk RAID 5 riddled with bad sectors.
Send the drives in for their free diagnostic with the server make, RAID setup and role; an engineer assesses it and confirms the exact quote in writing before any work starts.
Getting your data back starts with getting the drives — labelled in bay order — or the whole server to us. Pack it safely, enclose your contact details, and once we've run the free diagnostic we confirm your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
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.
Need a scoped quote first? Describe the server, RAID setup and fault on the form and an engineer will assess it and reply with a tailored quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01865 593000.
The questions we’re asked most about recovering a server.
Power it down and leave the disks in bay order. Don’t let a rebuild run, don’t re-create the array, and don’t restore a backup over the original volume until the data is secured elsewhere. Almost every unrecoverable array was recoverable when it failed.
Yes, and they are checked for structural consistency rather than simply extracted. A byte-perfect file can still refuse to mount if it was captured mid-transaction or has damaged pages, so we report which objects are affected rather than returning a store that fails on attach.
Yes, including any already marked failed — an ejected member frequently still holds readable data and can be the difference between partial and full recovery. Label them by bay before removing them.
Yes — VMFS datastores, Hyper-V volumes and the VMDK or VHDX files within them. Virtual machine recovery is priced from £800 plus VAT where the work is at the VM level rather than the underlying array.
Yes to both, as standard. Business work is handled with a named contact, and invoicing is available rather than requiring payment up front.
From £500 plus VAT for server, RAID and NAS work, fixed in a written quote after a free 48-hour diagnostic. Enterprise SAN environments are priced separately from £1,250 plus VAT.
Free to diagnose, priced on a tier from £500, and no fix no fee on the majority of jobs — every server recovered off the hardware, Dell, HPE, Windows Server, VMware and beyond. Get your recovery moving today.