Let's get to the important part first: if you just lost your data, skip this introduction and go straight to our first tip so you can start trying to get it back. If not, spending a few minutes now could help you a lot later. Pay close attention to our third piece of advice.
I've always thought of myself as a trustworthy person with trustworthy information. I never deleted my files by accident because I backed them up regularly and had a surge protector for my computer.
Let's get to the important part first: if you just lost your data, skip this introduction and go straight to our first tip so you can start trying to get it back. If not, spending a few minutes now could help you a lot later. Pay close attention to our third piece of advice.
I've always thought of myself as a trustworthy person with trustworthy information. I never accidentally deleted files because I backed them up often and had a power supply for my computer to protect me from power surges and outages. But I lost data twice last year and had to use data recovery software to get it back. The first was a hard drive that didn't work and hadn't even been used for a year. After that, I deleted a big project file by accident that was too big for the Recycle Bin. Thanks to good advice and some planning, I was able to get all of my files back.
These helpful tips will help you keep your cool if you lose data, no matter how it happens.
Tip #1: Use your computer as little as possible until all of your lost files have been found. The more you use your hard drive, the more likely it is that some of the data you lost will be written over.
- Don't put any files on the disc where your lost files are;
- Don't go on the Internet because your browser stores cache files on your hard drive;
- Don't start any programmes you don't need, since they can also use your disc;
Don't turn off and on your computer.
Tip #2: Before you do anything else, try to make some space on the disc where your lost files are stored. The less likely it is that new files will replace lost ones is the more free space your system has. One or more of the following things are possible.
- Get rid of old files you don't need anymore (you can also move them to a USB flash drive instead of deleting them);
- Empty your Recycle Bin and make sure you didn't accidentally put any important files in there;
- Clear your browser's history. Click the "Tools" menu in Internet Explorer and then click "Internet Options." Then, click the "Delete Files..." button on the "General" tab.
Tip #3: Installing software after data damage makes it more likely that your data will be erased. If you haven't had any problems with your data yet, you might want to install a data recovery programme just in case. Prevention is always better than treatment, and a recovery programme is a good way to make sure that your data is safe. But if you don't have a recovery programme yet, you should look for one and, if you can, avoid installing it on the disc where your lost files are.
Most programmes for getting sober are pretty much the same. You have to choose the disc where the lost files are, let the programme analyse the disk's content, which can take some time, and then choose the file you want to get back. Then, tell it where you want that file to be saved. You shouldn't try to recover files to the same disc if you can help it. You could use another hard drive, a network, or removable media like a floppy disc or a USB flash drive.
After you get your files back, make sure they are right. If you've recovered applications or documents, make sure they still work and that your words are still there. Even the best recovery software can't promise that it will work every time. If some parts of your files were overwritten, which means that other data was saved in their place on your disc, they might have wrong information after they are recovered. Depending on the type of file, utilities can fix files like this that have only been partially recovered.
