Herriot's town still works the way he described it — market days, mixed farms, everyone knowing whose land ends where — but the records have moved onto drives, and when they fail, Thirsk posts them down the A19 to the bench.
Thirsk jobs are diagnosed free. One fixed written quote before any work starts — no fix, no fee on most recoveries.
Thirsk's data problems have a market-town honesty about them. The practices and firms around the cobbled square — vets among them, fittingly — run their diaries, records and accounts on machines that were 'due replacing' three years ago; the mixed farms of the Vale of Mowbray keep herd records, field maps and paperwork on a home-office PC with an external drive doing the backing up, mostly; and the racecourse, the auction mart and the A19's passing trade add laptops, tills and CCTV recorders to the mix. YO7's common thread is the one we're built for: no specialist within reach, and no need for one — the specialist is at the end of a tracked label.
One errand starts the job. Post the bare drive, the laptop's disk, or the taped-up card from Thirsk and it lands at our Leeds location the next working day: Leeds Data Recovery, 17th Floor, The Pinnacle, Albion Street, Leeds LS1 5AA. Down the A19 and A1(M) it's an easy hand-in for anyone heading to Leeds — reception takes devices Monday to Friday 9am–5:30pm — and hardware bigger than a jiffy bag only wants a proper box and an insured label before it sets off. Inside 2 working days of arrival, the free diagnostic is done and you have the fault, the odds and one fixed price in writing.
Pricing follows rules, not moods. No fix, no fee on logical work — if the files don't come back, nothing is owed. Half the quote upfront where physical, electrical or water damage sends a drive to the clean-air bench, the balance only on success. Forensic-classed work — ransomware, CCTV footage, BitLocker — is paid upfront in full. The two things we turn away: phones and tablets, and storage soldered to a motherboard; if it unplugs or unscrews, send it, and if you're unsure, 0800 689 0668 will tell you straight. Sowerby, Topcliffe, Carlton Miniott, Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe and the villages under the Hambleton edge all post in on the same terms.
Nearly every job on our bench arrived by tracked, insured post — it's the quickest, safest route in. There's no collection service, so the parcel is yours to send or hand in.
Is the drive still inside a computer, laptop, MacBook, iMac, CCTV / DVR or server? Take the hard drive or SSD out first and post the bare drive on its own — removing drives from machines isn't a service we offer. Storage that's soldered to a motherboard (Apple Silicon Macs, certain slim laptops) is the one thing we can't work on: if it doesn't come out, it can't come in.
↓ Print the booking-in & shipping form (PDF)
Address the parcel for the attention of Leeds Data Recovery — about 40 minutes from York via the A64 and A1(M), or next working day by tracked post. You'll hear from us the moment it's booked onto the bench.
Not certain what to pack? Ring 0800 689 0668 first, or run the free online diagnostic.
Free diagnosis, one fixed written figure, no fix no fee on most jobs — start online or ring the freephone.