When a drive is failing, a system won’t boot, files are gone, or an account is locked out, the priority isn’t the repair — it’s the data and the access. MiraFixit treats those cases data-first: inspect the device, explain what’s possible, and recover or transfer your files before any repair work begins.
When a device fails and the files on it matter, the repair plan changes. Working on a struggling drive without first imaging or recovering its contents can turn a recoverable problem into a permanent one. The goal of this step is simple: get your data to a safe place before anyone opens, replaces, or reformats anything.
Common signs the data should come first:
– Drive is makes clicking, beeping, or grinding sounds
– System won’t boot or stops at a startup error
– External drive or USB stick has stopped being recognized
– Important files deleted by accident and not yet overwritten
– Device took a spill or a fall and won’t power on
– Operating system shows corruption errors or asks to reformat
– Forgotten password on a personal or local OS
The work starts with the drive itself, then expands depending on what the device is doing.
1. Internal Drives : HDDs and SSDs from MacBooks, iMacs, laptops, and desktops. Failed boots, corrupted partitions, or drives that no longer mount.
2. External Drives and USB Sticks : Portable drives and thumb drives that have stopped being detected or are returning read errors.
3. Memory Cards : SD, microSD, and similar cards from cameras, phones, and devices that store local media.
4. Accidental Deletion: Files removed recently, before the space has been overwritten. Speed matters here — the longer the device is used after a deletion, the lower the chance.
5. Drives in Non-Booting Machines: When the operating system or the hardware around the drive is the failure, the drive often isn’t. We can pull the data directly.
6. Corrupted File Systems : Drives that mount but show errors, missing folders, or reformat prompts.
Some cases fall outside what we can do. The inspection step tells us – tells you – before any work is approved.
When recovery often isn’t practical:
– Encrypted drives without the recovery key
– HDDs with severe physical platter damage requiring specialist lab work
– SSDs where the controller has failed and the storage cells can’t be read
– Files deleted long enough ago that the space has been overwritten
– Cloud locked accounts that only the vendor can release
We tell you this at the inspection stage. Paying to learn it later isn’t a price we want you to cover.
Once the files are off the device, the repair path opens — and the decisions get easier. With the data secured, the question becomes whether the device itself is worth fixing.
– For MacBooks and Mac laptops, see Mac-Repair
– For Windows desktops, iMacs, and PC builds, see PC Repair
– When the failure traces back to the board, no power, no post, port damage — see Board-Level Diagnostics
Bring the device in or schedule a pickup. We inspect first, explain what’s possible, give you a clear cost, and wait for your approval before any work begins.
Fill this form out and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Don’t see your question? Contact us – we’ll walk you through it.
Stop using the device. Don't reboot, reinstall, or run repair tools — those steps can overwrite recoverable data. Bring the device in or contact us so we can plan the next step before anything else happens to it.
Often, yes. Drives that won't mount or aren't detected can still hold their data intact. We inspect the drive first to determine whether the failure is electronic, mechanical, or file-system-level, then explain what recovery is realistic for your situation.
No. Some drives have damage that puts the data out of reach — encrypted drives without the key, severe physical damage on platters, failed SSD controllers, or files overwritten after deletion. We tell you what your situation looks like at the inspection stage so the decision is yours, not a surprise.
The time required for data recovery varies depending on the complexity of the issue and the condition of the device. Simple recoveries may take a few hours, while more complex cases can take several days. We’ll provide a proper estimate after our initial assessment.
On devices you own, often yes — for local accounts. Microsoft-account linked Windows logins and Apple ID-linked Mac logins go through the vendor, and we'll point you to the right recovery path when that's the case.
Recovery without the key usually isn't possible. That's by design — encryption protects the drive against exactly this. If you have the key, the recovery phase, or a record of the password somewhere, bring it in and we can work from there.
Yes, in certain situations, we can offer remote data recovery or password reset services. This option is available for specific cases where physical access to the device is not required. Contact us to see if remote service is a viable option for your situation.
