Data Recovery for Metuchen, NJ
Every recovery starts with a $75 diagnostic. Bring the drive, or the whole computer, from Metuchen to our Somerville shop; from Metuchen station it's about 28 minutes, nearly all of it on I-287. You'll get the diagnosis and a flat price by text, and we don't recover anything until you reply to approve.
75 North Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876 · Private parking · Walk-ins welcome, no appointment needed
Contact Us First. It Takes Two Minutes.
No appointment is needed, but a quick message before you leave Metuchen saves you a wasted trip. Tell us what happened to the drive and we'll tell you what to bring and what not to do in the meantime.
- Whether to bring the whole computer or just the drive
- How to keep a clicking or failing drive from getting worse
- Whether rush service makes sense for your deadline
Bring the Drive In.
No appointment. Check in at the kiosk.Walk in during shop hours and check in on our kiosk. The screen explains how data recovery works in large, easy-to-read text, confirms your turnaround time, and asks you to tick a box and sign on screen. Tell us which files matter most (a novel manuscript, a freelance designer's client files, family photos, work presentations) so we look for those first.
We work on internal hard drives and SSDs, external USB drives, flash drives, SD and camera cards, desktops and laptops, and NAS or RAID boxes. We do not recover data from phones.
- Monday to Friday
- 10am to 5pm
- Saturday
- 9am to 2pm
- Sunday
- Closed
$75 to Find Out What's Recoverable.
Standard diagnostic: 2 to 3 days.The diagnostic tells us why the files disappeared (a failing drive, a deleted folder, a corrupted partition, a dead computer around a healthy drive) and how much of your data can realistically come back. You get an honest answer, not a sales pitch.
Your drive stays on our bench in Somerville the whole time. We don't box it up for a lab in another state, so you're never waiting on a shipping label to find out what happened to your files.
- Diagnostic FeeDrive evaluation and recovery assessment
- $75
- Rush ServiceWe offer rush. Ask about it at drop-off
- Available
Credited if you go ahead. When the recovery is approved, the $75 comes off your recovery price. It's not an extra charge.
We Text You the Plan.
Nothing gets copied until you say yes.At check-in we text your ticket number so you know your drive is logged. When the diagnostic is done, we text what we found in plain language: which folders are readable, roughly how much data that is, and the flat price to copy it to a new drive. Reply yes and we start. Reply no and nothing else is charged.
Your ticket # is #49263.
We'll text you once the recovery diagnostic is complete. 👍
Get Your Files Back.
Diagnostic fee already deducted.We text you when the recovery is finished. Come by during shop hours, pay the balance, and take your files home. In the example here, the recovery was quoted at $299. The $75 diagnostic you paid at drop-off comes off that, so the balance due at pickup is $224 plus NJ sales tax.
- Data Recovery (quoted)
- $299.00
- Diagnostic Paid at Drop-Off
- -$75.00
- Subtotal
- $224.00
- NJ Sales Tax (6.625%)
- $14.84
Avoid the Fake Data Recovery Listings
Look up data recovery near Metuchen and you'll see listings that are really drop-off points. They box your drive and ship it to a lab out of state, where you can't ask anyone a question face to face. Don't risk your data to a lost package in the mail.
Your drive goes in a box
- The local listing only collects the drive, then ships it to a lab you've never seen, often in another state.
- A failing drive gets bounced around in a delivery truck, and a package can be delayed, damaged, or lost.
- Your family photos or client files pass through strangers' hands and a shipping depot.
- You wait on transit both ways before anyone even looks at it, and the person at the counter can't answer your questions.
Your drive stays in Somerville
- All recovery work is done on-site, on our own bench at 75 N Bridge St. Your drive never leaves the building.
- You hand it to the person who actually does the work, and you can call the shop directly at 908-428-9558.
- Standard diagnostic in 2 to 3 days with no shipping time, and rush service is available.
- If your drive needs something beyond what we do in-house, we tell you plainly and can give you the contact for a recovery partner. The choice stays yours.
Quick test: before you hand over a drive anywhere, ask "Will my drive be recovered here, in this building?" If the answer involves shipping, you're looking at a drop-off point, not a lab.
Data Recovery for the Brainy Borough's Writers, Commuters and Families
Metuchen became a borough in 1900 and earned the nickname The Brainy Borough in the late 1800s, when artists, writers and intellectuals moved in. About 15,000 people live in its 2.8 square miles, which are completely surrounded by Edison.
Writers and creative work
If your manuscript, thesis or design portfolio lives on one laptop and that laptop fails, bring it to our Somerville shop. We recover from laptops, desktops and external drives on site.
Northeast Corridor commuters
Metuchen station has NJ Transit service on the Northeast Corridor Line toward New York Penn Station. If your work laptop gives out, drop it off on a day off and we'll text you the diagnosis and a flat price.
Main Street businesses
Metuchen's Main Street won the Great American Main Street Award in 2023. If a shop or office there loses its sales records or client files to a failed computer, we recover the data in house.
Metuchen areas and main streets
Heads up: Dave's Computers doesn't have a location in Metuchen. Every recovery happens at our shop at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville, and your drive never leaves the building.
Directions from Metuchen to Our Somerville Shop
Metuchen sits close to I-287, so after a couple of miles on local roads it's a steady highway drive to Somerville.
From Metuchen NJ Transit station
- Leave the station and turn right onto Woodbridge Avenue (County Route 660). Then take an immediate right onto Main Street (County Route 531).
- Follow Main Street about a quarter mile, then turn left onto Middlesex Avenue (Route 27). Stay on Middlesex Avenue about half a mile.
- Turn right onto New Durham Road (County Route 501). Go about a mile, then bear right onto the ramp for I-287 North.
- Drive I-287 North for about 10.9 miles. You'll pass Exit 8 (Possumtown Road/Route 18), Exit 9 (River Road), Exit 10 (Easton Avenue), Exit 12 (Weston Canal Road) and Exit 13 (Route 28).
- Take Exit 14B, US 22 West (Clinton). The ramp bears left; merge onto US 22 West and continue about 1.6 miles.
- Take the ramp on the right, then bear right on Grove Street and right on Ivanhoe Avenue. Grove Street is about 0.2 mile; Ivanhoe Avenue is about 0.1 mile.
- Turn left on North Bridge Street, then right into our driveway. It's roughly 0.6 mile; the blue Dave's Computers arrow sign marks our private lot.
A Real Office, With Our Own Parking
We work out of a commercial office building on North Bridge Street, not a spare room in someone's house. It's the large gray-shingled building with the stone front and the tall brick chimneys.
- Find the blue arrow sign. Our Dave's Computers sign sits at the curb right at the driveway entrance.
- Pull into the private lot. Follow the driveway along the left side of the building to the parking lot. Parking is free.
- Look for our windows. Our entrance is in the single-story wing facing the lot, with Dave's Computers signs in the windows.
A Few More Things
Need It Sooner?
Standard turnaround is 2 to 3 days. We also offer rush service; we'll go over timing and cost with you at drop-off.
Rush AvailableCan't Carry It In?
Heavy tower or a NAS box full of drives? Call us from the parking lot at 908-428-9558 and we'll come out to your car to carry it in.
Call Us FirstWant the Full Picture?
See everything we recover on our data recovery in New Jersey page, or read how data recovery pricing works before you come in.
Metuchen Data Recovery FAQ
How much is the data recovery diagnostic?
$75. It covers checking the drive, finding out why the files are missing, and telling you what can be recovered. If you approve the recovery, the $75 is credited toward the price.
When is the $75 refunded?
When you hand us the drive directly (a bare drive, external drive, USB flash drive or SD card) and we can't recover your data, the diagnostic is refunded. If the drive has to be removed from a laptop or desktop, that removal is labor, so the diagnostic isn't refunded even if recovery isn't possible.
How long does it take?
The standard diagnostic takes 2 to 3 days. We also offer rush service, and we'll go over it with you in person at drop-off.
How far is your shop from Metuchen?
From Metuchen NJ Transit station it's about 16.3 miles and 28 minutes, mostly on New Durham Road and I-287 North. The shop is at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville, with a private parking lot. Look for the blue Dave's Computers arrow sign at the driveway.
I commute from Metuchen and can only drop off on a Saturday. Is that okay?
Yes. Our Somerville shop is open Saturdays from 9am to 2pm, as well as weekdays from 10am to 5pm. Check in on the kiosk and your ticket number arrives by text.
Do you ship my drive to another lab?
No. All recovery work is done on-site at our Somerville shop, and your drive never goes in the mail. If a drive needs work beyond what we do in-house, we'll tell you and can give you the contact for a recovery partner, so you decide what happens next.
Can you recover files from my phone?
No. We recover data from hard drives, SSDs, external drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, computers, and NAS or RAID systems, but not from phones.
Do I need an appointment?
No. Walk in Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm or Saturday 9am to 2pm and check in at the kiosk. Questions first? Call 908-428-9558.
Bring the Drive In Today.
$75 diagnostic. Honest answers. The same technician since 2011.
908-428-9558Mon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-2pm · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · About 28 minutes from Metuchen