A virus or other malware can delete your files, corrupt them, hide them, or leave a computer that won’t even boot — but in most cases the data itself is still recoverable once the infection is dealt with. (Ransomware, which encrypts your files and demands payment, is a separate problem with its own dedicated approach.) For everything else malware does, the files it deleted or damaged can usually be brought back. We recover data from infected and malware-damaged systems for people and businesses across the UK.
Deleted and hidden files usually survive on the drive — remove the malware, then recover what it damaged.
Malware harms data in several ways, and most of them are recoverable. Some viruses delete files outright — but as with any deletion, the data stays on the drive until overwritten, so it’s usually recoverable (see deleted file recovery). Some hide files rather than delete them — a common trick, and an easy win, because the files are entirely intact and just made invisible. Some corrupt files or the file system, damaging documents or the drive’s structure (see corrupt file recovery). And some damage the operating system or boot files, leaving a computer that won’t start — even though the drive and your data are perfectly fine underneath.
The one kind of malware that’s genuinely different is ransomware, which encrypts your files with strong cryptography and demands payment. That can’t simply be reversed, and it’s handled on its own dedicated page. For the rest — deletion, hiding, corruption, an unbootable system — the data is usually still there, and the job is to remove the infection and recover what it touched.
The right order matters. An infected machine should be isolated — disconnected from the network — so the malware can’t spread to other devices or do further damage. Then the priority is to stop using it: continuing to run an infected system risks more files being deleted or corrupted, and risks overwriting the deleted data you want back. From there, recovery works by imaging the drive, recovering the deleted, hidden and corrupted files from that copy, and — where the system won’t boot — extracting your data from the drive directly, independent of the broken operating system. The malware is dealt with along the way, but the goal throughout is your data.
Don’t keep using an infected computer if the data matters — every hour it runs, the malware may delete or corrupt more, and normal use overwrites the deleted files you’re hoping to recover. Don’t reinstall Windows or reset the PC to ‘clean’ it before the data is recovered — that overwrites the drive and can lose recoverable files for good. If your files have been encrypted and there’s a ransom demand, stop — that’s ransomware, and it needs the different approach on our ransomware page; don’t pay, and don’t wipe the machine. For ordinary infections, isolate the machine, stop using it, and let the data be recovered before the system is rebuilt.
We work from a read-only image of the drive, so nothing we do can spread the infection further or overwrite your data. From the image we recover deleted files (still present until overwritten), reveal hidden files the malware concealed, and repair corrupted files or the file system where the malware caused damage. Where the malware left the machine unable to boot, we extract your data directly from the drive, bypassing the broken operating system entirely. You get your files back on clean media, free of the infection — and we’ll flag anything the malware managed to destroy beyond recovery, honestly.
It starts with a free diagnostic: we assess what the malware did and what’s recoverable, and give you a fixed written quote, with a file listing to check, before any chargeable work. On most jobs it’s no fix, no fee, and pricing is per case. It’s all done by post or drop-off, so you don’t need to be nearby — send the drive or machine in from anywhere in the UK or Ireland. If your files are encrypted with a ransom demand, head to our ransomware page instead.
Usually, yes. When malware deletes files, the data stays on the drive until something overwrites it — exactly like an ordinary deletion — so it’s typically recoverable. The important thing is to stop using the infected machine, because continued use can overwrite the deleted files. Isolate it, stop, and let the data be recovered from a copy of the drive.
Often they’re just hidden, not deleted. A common malware trick is to hide files and folders rather than remove them, which makes it look like everything is gone when the files are entirely intact and simply made invisible. That’s one of the more straightforward recoveries — we reveal the hidden files and restore them. Even where files were genuinely deleted, they’re usually still recoverable too.
Usually not. Malware that damages the operating system or boot files can leave a machine that won’t start — but the drive and your data underneath are typically fine. We extract your data directly from the drive, independent of the broken system. Don’t reinstall Windows or reset the machine to fix the boot problem before the data is recovered, as that can overwrite it.
No — that’s ransomware, which is a different problem, and it has its own page. Ransomware encrypts your files with strong cryptography that can’t simply be reversed, so it needs a different approach: recovering from snapshots, backups, remnants and known decryptors rather than ‘undoing’ the malware. Don’t pay and don’t wipe the machine — see our ransomware recovery page.
Not if you need the data first. Running antivirus to remove the infection is fine, but reinstalling Windows or resetting the PC overwrites the drive — and with it any deleted files you were hoping to recover. If the data matters, have it recovered before the system is wiped and rebuilt. Once your files are safely off, you can rebuild the machine cleanly.
No. Our lab is in Belfast, but malware recovery is done by post or drop-off, so we work with people and businesses right across the UK and Ireland. Send the drive or machine in with insured, tracked delivery, or drop it off in person — the service, diagnostic and pricing are the same wherever you are.
Disconnect the infected machine, stop using it, and get in touch — and don’t reinstall Windows before the data is recovered. We’ll assess what the malware did for free, give you a fixed quote before any chargeable work, and return your files on clean media. (Encrypted with a ransom demand? See our ransomware page.)