HP Pavilion laptops are widely used for personal and professional tasks, offering reliable performance for work and family storage. However, when a laptop experiences a short circuit or power failure, it can damage the hard drive’s PCB (Printed Circuit Board), corrupt firmware, or cause internal component failure, leading to data loss.
This case study details how we successfully recovered five years of family data and Microsoft Office work files from a damaged HP Pavilion hard drive, after HP Support was unable to assist with data recovery.
As Glasgow Data Recovery, Scotland’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using electronic board repair, firmware reprogramming, and forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files.
The Challenge: HP Pavilion Laptop Not Booting After Power Surge
A client contacted us after their HP Pavilion laptop stopped working, with the following issues:
- The laptop would not power on after a short circuit.
- The hard drive was not detected in BIOS or external enclosures.
- HP Support was unable to recover the data.
- The drive contained family photos, videos, and important Microsoft Office work files.
Since continued power failures can cause further damage, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the HP Pavilion hard drive arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full electrical and mechanical diagnostic. Our findings:
- PCB failure due to short circuit – The drive’s power controller was burned out.
- Firmware corruption – Preventing proper drive initialization.
- No visible platter damage – Increasing the likelihood of successful data recovery.
Since damaged PCBs prevent standard recovery methods, we prioritised component-level repair and firmware restoration.
The Recovery Process
1. Cleanroom Disassembly & PCB Repair
To restore power to the hard drive, we:
- Opened the drive in our cleanroom.
- Replaced the burned-out PCB with an identical donor board.
- Transferred the drive’s original firmware to the donor PCB for compatibility.
2. Imaging & Cloning the Repaired Hard Drive
Once the drive was powered on successfully, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the HP Pavilion hard drive.
- Used advanced tools to bypass damaged sectors and extract all readable data.
3. Extracting & Verifying Family & Office Work Files
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered all family photos, videos, and personal documents.
- Restored Microsoft Office files, spreadsheets, and business records.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 98% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our PCB repair and firmware reprogramming techniques, we successfully recovered 98% of the client’s lost data, including:
✅ Five years of family photos, home videos, and personal documents
✅ Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint work files
✅ Organized file structures restored for easy access
The client was able to regain access to all essential files, ensuring no personal memories or work-related documents were permanently lost.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful hard drive recoveries, we are Scotland’s leading data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ Short circuit repair & PCB replacement
✔ Firmware restoration & drive initialization recovery
✔ Microsoft Office & personal data retrieval
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your laptop won’t boot after a power surge, your hard drive is not detected, or you need access to important files, stop using the device immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.