I'm Dave. I've been doing data recovery in Somerville, NJ since 2011. A factory reset that wipes files you needed is one of the most stressful things that happens to a computer — and the answer to whether you can get them back comes down to one thing more than anything else: what type of drive you have. This guide gives you a straight answer on what happened, what you can try, and when to bring it in.
The single most important thing you can do right now — more important than any software you run or any article you read — is to stop using the machine.
Here's why this matters so much: when a factory reset deletes your files, it doesn't immediately destroy them on a hard drive (HDD). It marks that space as available and removes the directory entries that pointed to them. The underlying data is still physically on the platters — until something else writes over it. That something else could be the recovery software you just installed. It could be Windows downloading a driver. It could be a Windows telemetry process that runs automatically on a fresh install.
The moment you realized the files are gone is the moment to stop. If you've already used the machine for a while, your odds are lower — but not necessarily zero. Check the checklist below first, then decide whether to run software or bring it in.
The most important factor in whether you can recover files after a factory reset isn't the software you use or how fast you act — it's what type of storage drive your computer has.
Not all resets are equal. The option you chose during the reset process has a significant impact on whether recovery is even possible.
If you chose "Keep my files" during the Windows reset, your personal files in the user folders should still be there. This option reinstalls Windows and removes installed apps, but it's specifically designed to preserve documents, photos, and other personal data. If files are still missing after this type of reset, check other user accounts on the machine and look in C:\Windows.old — Windows often preserves the old user folder there temporarily.
The "Remove everything" option is the full wipe. It reinstalls Windows and deletes all personal files, apps, and settings. On an HDD this marks the space as available without immediately overwriting it. On an SSD with TRIM, this triggers an erasure of those blocks at the hardware level. This is the scenario where recovery software matters — and where speed matters most on an HDD.
Some laptops — especially HP, Dell, Lenovo, and ASUS — have a manufacturer recovery partition that restores the machine to its out-of-box state. This process often writes new data to the drive as part of the restoration, which actively overwrites your old files. Recovery after a manufacturer factory restore is typically harder than a standard Windows reset because of those additional writes during the restoration process.
Work through these in sequence. Each step is less invasive than the next. If an earlier step works, you don't need the later ones.
Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows.old\Users\[your username]. After a "Remove everything" reset on an HDD, Windows sometimes preserves the old user folder here before it's deleted by a scheduled cleanup. This isn't guaranteed and it won't be there after the cleanup runs, but it takes 30 seconds to check and costs nothing.
OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, Amazon Photos — open each one on a different device (phone or a different computer) and look for your files. Many people have syncing enabled without actively managing it. Photos especially are often automatically backed up to a phone's camera roll sync. Check your email for large attachments too — people send files to themselves more often than they remember.
If you're on an HDD and the above steps haven't found your files, the next step is a file recovery scan. Recuva (free) and Disk Drill (paid) are the most accessible starting points. The critical rule: install the software on a different drive — a USB drive, external drive, or a second internal drive. Installing recovery software on the drive you're recovering from risks overwriting the very files you're trying to get back.
If recovery software finds nothing or finds only corrupted fragments, stop. Don't run another tool. Don't reinstall Windows again. Don't copy files to the drive. The more activity on the drive at this point, the smaller the window for professional recovery. Our data recovery service in NJ uses tools and techniques that go beyond what consumer software can reach — particularly on drives where TRIM has run or where overwriting has occurred.
If you're going the DIY route first, here's an honest assessment of the tools most people reach for — and what they're actually capable of after a factory reset.
Made by Piriform (the CCleaner people). Solid for basic HDD file recovery — deleted files, emptied recycle bin, formatted drives. Intuitive wizard-style interface makes it accessible if you've never done this before.
Realistic on resets: effective on HDDs if run quickly after the reset with minimal subsequent use. Less effective on SSDs and largely ineffective after TRIM has run.
More powerful deep-scan capability than Recuva — useful for finding file fragments and recovering more file types. The paid version unlocks full recovery; the free version lets you preview what's recoverable before you commit.
Worth it for important files on an HDD where Recuva came back empty or partial. Still limited on SSD/TRIM scenarios.
Microsoft's own command-line recovery tool, available from the Microsoft Store. More powerful than most people expect but requires comfort with command-line syntax — it's not point-and-click. Runs different scan modes for different scenarios (regular, extensive).
The "extensive" mode can surface files that GUI tools miss on HDDs. Not meaningfully more effective than other tools on SSDs.
From Somerset County to Middlesex County, customers trust Dave's with their most important files.
"Did a factory reset trying to fix a problem and wiped four years of photos. Brought it to Dave's same day, they recovered almost everything from the hard drive. I was sure they were gone forever. Unbelievable work."
"My son reset his laptop to 'fix it' and lost his entire school project folder. Dave's recovered the files from the hard drive. They explained exactly why recovery was possible and were upfront about what they could and couldn't get back. Honest shop."
"Lost client documents after a reset on an SSD laptop. Dave's told me upfront that SSD recovery after TRIM is hard but they'd try their best. Got back about 60% of the files — more than I expected. They were honest about the limitations from the start."
There are a lot of data recovery services in New Jersey. Here's what makes ours different from the options that show up in your search results.
We look at the drive and tell you honestly what's recoverable before you commit to anything. We won't promise results we can't deliver — especially on SSD/TRIM scenarios where the odds are genuinely low.
Your drive and your data never leave our Somerville shop. We don't ship drives to third-party recovery labs. The tech working on it is the one you can call directly.
We handle hard drive recovery, SSD recovery, laptop data recovery, USB flash drive recovery, and SD card recovery — all in-shop in Somerville NJ.
On HDD recoveries, every hour counts. We prioritize data recovery cases and don't put them in a general queue. Walk in today and we'll start the assessment immediately.
15–30 minutes from Bridgewater, Flemington, Princeton, Edison, Hillsborough, and most of Somerset and Middlesex County. Walk-in, no appointment needed.
We've been recovering data at 75 N Bridge St in Somerville since 2011. Files lost to resets, dropped drives, failed boards, liquid damage, accidental deletion — we've seen every scenario.
The questions we get most from New Jersey customers who've lost files after a reset.
It depends on your storage type and how quickly you act. On an HDD, recovery is often possible — the data is marked as free space but not immediately erased. On an SSD with TRIM enabled (most laptops from 2015 onward), the data is typically erased at the hardware level during the reset, making recovery significantly harder. The most important thing you can do is stop using the machine immediately and check cloud backups first.
SSDs use TRIM, which permanently erases deleted data blocks to maintain drive performance. When Windows resets on an SSD, TRIM runs and the flash controller wipes those blocks — not just removes the directory pointer to them. Standard recovery software operates on directory entries and sector-level scans. It cannot recover data that TRIM has already physically erased at the chip level.
Stop using the machine right now. Don't download anything to it, don't let Windows Update run, don't install recovery software on the same drive you're recovering from. Check cloud backups (OneDrive recycle bin, Google Drive, Dropbox, phone photos). Check C:\Windows.old if it exists. Then — if you're on an HDD — run recovery software installed on a USB drive. If software comes back empty, bring it in.
On an HDD without also choosing "Clean the drive" (multi-pass overwrite), the files are marked as deleted but often still physically present — recovery software can frequently find them if you act quickly. On an SSD, "Remove everything" triggers TRIM and the files are typically gone at the hardware level. If you also chose "Clean the drive" on either storage type, multiple-pass overwrites make recovery very unlikely.
Yes. Data recovery in NJ starts at $199 at our Somerville shop. We handle HDD recovery, SSD recovery, files lost after resets, accidentally deleted files, failed drives, and more. Drop-off only at 75 N Bridge St, no appointment needed. Call (908) 428-9558 if you want to talk through the situation before coming in.
Not necessarily — consumer tools like Recuva operate on sector-level scans and directory reconstruction. Professional recovery tools go deeper, particularly on HDDs where fragmentation or partial overwrites can hide data from consumer software. If Recuva found nothing on an SSD, that's more likely to be a final answer due to TRIM. On an HDD, bring it in — we've recovered files that DIY tools couldn't find.
No — we're a drop-off shop only at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876. We don't do house calls. Bring the laptop in (or just the drive if it's removable) and we'll start the assessment the same day. Most central NJ customers are 15–30 minutes away.
First time visiting Dave's Computers? Bring this coupon and take $20 off your labor at our Somerville NJ shop.
Show this coupon at drop-off. Mention code "DATA20" at the counter or when you call.
Code: DATA20 · Dave's Computers · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876 · (908) 428-9558
One location, drop-off only. Dave's Computers has one location at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876. We do not offer on-site or in-home service anywhere in New Jersey. All data recovery work is performed at our Somerville shop. Curbside drop-off is available.
We'll assess the drive, tell you honestly what's recoverable, and go from there. No appointment needed. Your data stays here — never shipped anywhere.
📞 (908) 428-9558