MSI Laptop Data Recovery – Physical Damage After Drop

A student in Newcastle Upon Tyne contacted Newcastle Data Recovery after their MSI gaming laptop was accidentally dropped. The reported issues included:

• The hard drive started making clicking, beeping, or grinding noises, indicating a mechanical failure.
• The laptop would not boot, and BIOS did not recognise the hard drive.
• A local computer shop diagnosed the issue as a physical hard drive failure but was unable to recover the data.
• The drive contained important university coursework, gaming data, and personal files.

Since physical damage to a hard drive requires cleanroom recovery and specialized tools, forensic-level data extraction was necessary.

Our Expertise in Physical Hard Drive Recovery

With 25 years of experience, Newcastle Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Recovering data from physically damaged and dropped hard drives
✔ Replacing failed read/write heads and repairing motor damage in a cleanroom environment
✔ Using advanced data recovery tools like Acelabs PC3000 and DeepSpar Disk Imager

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the MSI laptop hard drive, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic assessment. The key findings included:

• The read/write heads were damaged due to the impact, causing the clicking sounds.
• The platter surface had minor scratches, but data recovery was still possible.
• The hard drive’s motor was slightly misaligned, preventing normal operation.

To successfully recover the student’s important coursework and gaming files, we implemented a multi-step forensic hard drive recovery strategy:

Step 1: Cleanroom Repair & Read/Write Head Replacement

• Opened the hard drive in a cleanroom environment to prevent contamination.
• Installed new, donor read/write heads from an identical hard drive model.
• Aligned the motor spindle to restore disk rotation.

Step 2: Secure Imaging & Data Extraction

• Used DeepSpar Disk Imager to create a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the hard drive.
• Bypassed bad sectors and degraded areas to extract maximum recoverable data.

Step 3: File System Reconstruction & Data Validation

• Used R-Studio and UFS Explorer to reconstruct the damaged file system.
• Verified the integrity of coursework files, gaming data, and personal documents.

Step 4: Data Transfer & Future Protection Advice

• Successfully transferred the recovered files to a new external SSD.
• Provided guidance on backup solutions and laptop protection tips.

The Result

We successfully recovered 98.6% of the student’s lost data, including:
✅ University coursework, research papers, and assignments
✅ Gaming progress, software settings, and saved files
✅ Personal documents, photos, and videos

The student was able to retrieve all essential files without permanent data loss.

Why Choose Newcastle Data Recovery for Laptop Hard Drive Recovery?

✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in physically damaged hard drive recovery.
✅ Certified Cleanroom Environment – Ensuring safe mechanical repairs and head swaps.
✅ Fast, Affordable, & Reliable Service – Offering the best value data recovery in the UK.

If your laptop hard drive has been dropped, is making clicking noises, or is not detected, contact Newcastle Data Recovery today for expert hard drive recovery services!