Apple’s iMac computers are widely used in businesses and creative industries, offering powerful performance and sleek design. However, when an iMac begins freezing and becoming unresponsive, it often indicates a failing hard drive, leading to data corruption and inaccessibility.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical business data for a jewellery shop after their iMac’s hard drive started failing, making files inaccessible and causing frequent system crashes.
As Leeds Data Recovery, with 25 years of experience, we used disk imaging, bad sector recovery, and deep data extraction techniques to restore lost business files.
The Challenge: iMac Freezing and Becoming Unresponsive Due to a Failing HDD
A jewellery shop in Leeds contacted us after their iMac started freezing regularly, with the following issues:
- macOS became unresponsive, requiring frequent forced restarts.
- Apps took an unusually long time to open, and files were difficult to access.
- The iMac would occasionally display a spinning beach ball for extended periods.
- The hard drive contained customer records, inventory lists, and financial data.
Since continued use of a failing hard drive can lead to permanent data loss, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the iMac’s internal HDD arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full hardware and software-level diagnostic. Our findings:
- Bad sectors were developing – Causing system slowdowns and file corruption.
- Drive was intermittently failing – Leading to system freezes and crashes.
- No mechanical failure detected – Meaning a non-invasive data recovery approach was possible.
Since standard macOS repair tools (such as Disk Utility) could not fix the corruption, we prioritized sector-level imaging and file system repair.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Failing Hard Drive to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve the existing data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector clone of the iMac’s hard drive.
- Used specialized imaging tools to bypass bad sectors and extract readable data.
2. Extracting & Rebuilding Lost or Corrupted Files
Since some files were inaccessible, we:
- Rebuilt damaged file structures and indexes from the cloned data.
- Recovered missing customer records, invoices, and inventory lists.
3. Verifying & Restoring Business Data for the Jewellery Shop
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Checked all recovered business files for accuracy and completeness.
- Repaired corrupted spreadsheets, order histories, and customer databases.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external SSD for future use.
The Results: 99% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our bad sector recovery and file system repair techniques, we successfully recovered 99% of the jewellery shop’s lost data, including:
✅ Customer records and transaction logs
✅ Jewellery inventory lists and supplier details
✅ Business financial reports and tax documentation
The jewellery shop was able to continue operations without losing essential customer and inventory data, preventing business disruptions.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading iMac and Mac hard drive data recovery specialists in Leeds and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ iMac freezing and unresponsive system recovery
✔ Bad sector repair & macOS file system reconstruction
✔ Business & financial data retrieval for retail businesses
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery for business owners
If your iMac is freezing, running slowly, or failing to access important files, stop using it immediately and contact us for professional data recovery.