Recover Bitcoin from a formatted or old hard drive

Some of the largest Bitcoin losses start with a hard drive: one that was formatted, started to fail, or simply sat in a drawer for years until someone remembered its owner once bought Bitcoin. Whether there is anything to recover depends on what is still on the disk and how it was handled. In many cases, there is a solution — but acting carefully is essential.

At Satoshi Spain we are a Spain-based company, headquartered in Barcelona, specialised in recovering access to crypto wallets.

First, don't make it worse

The biggest risk is not losing the coins — it's destroying the data that could provide access. Before anything else:

• Do not keep using or writing to the drive. Every new file can overwrite wallet data.
• Do not run automatic "repair disk" or cleanup tools without understanding the consequences.
• If the drive makes unusual noises or fails to mount, stop. Physical damage needs specialist handling.

Where practical, examination should be done on a working copy, leaving the original untouched.

What we look for on the drive

• Wallet files such as `wallet.dat` (Bitcoin Core), Electrum, Armory or MultiBit files.
• Backups, keystore files and exported keys, even partial ones.
• Traces of the wallet software that tell us what was used and how.

When it can be recovered (and when it can't)

We want to be honest, because this field is full of false promises:

• It can usually be recovered when the wallet file or a backup still exists on the disk, or can be carved from a recently formatted drive, and you remember part of any password.
• It is much harder if the drive was overwritten many times, is physically destroyed, or never held a wallet at all. In that case we'll tell you clearly at the assessment.

We never guarantee a 100% recovery. What we do guarantee is an honest assessment and that, if we don't recover access, you pay nothing.

How we do it

1. Free assessment. You tell us about the drive, what you remember and its condition. We then tell you whether it's feasible and what would be needed.
2. Contract and NDA. Before anything sensitive is shared, we sign a service agreement and a non-disclosure agreement under Spanish law. We only work with the legitimate owner.
3. Recovery. We locate and rebuild wallet data, and if a password is involved, we generate and test candidates using on-demand GPU computing power and our own research. We keep you updated throughout.
4. Handover. Once we recover access, we help you regain control of your funds securely. The final step can even be done in person in Barcelona.

We only charge a success fee of 35% of the recovered amount, and only if we succeed. There is no upfront payment.

What we need from you

For the initial assessment we only need you to tell us:

• What kind of drive it is, roughly when it was used, and whether it was formatted or is failing.
• Which wallet software you think was on it, if you know.
• Everything you remember about any password that protected the wallet.

Important: never send us files or passwords by email. If your case is viable, we first sign the contract and the NDA, and then explain how to handle the drive and share data securely.