Your digital property is important to you but have you ever considered that there is a risk of losing your data? In fact, it is rather common and unfortunate that people end up losing their media due to several reasons, such as:
- Accidental Deletion.
- Deletion due to corruption.
- Deletion due to malware attack.
- Power surges.
- Damaged hardware.
When you delete a file in Windows, it is moved to the Recycle Bin where you have the option to restore the files or folders to their original location. However, if you’ve permanently deleted a file or folder using the Shift+Delete function, you will need a backup of the files and folders or a good data recovery software like Stellar Windows Data Recovery to recover the data. Your data might also be lost if you’ve emptied the Recycle Bin or used system cleaning software.
No matter how you’ve lost your data, there is a chance that you might be able to recover deleted files by following these simple steps.
Stop Using the Computer
If your files have been lost recently, it’s important that you stop using them immediately to prevent overwriting of data which makes recovery much harder and less successful. When you delete a file, the space is de-allocated and new data can be re-written in this free space. This will cause the computer to overwrite the deleted files with new ones which will reduce the chances of a successful recovery dramatically.
Check the Recycle Bin
The first step you should take when you realize that you’ve lost your data is to check the recycle bin.
- Go to the Desktop and open the Recycle Bin.
- Look for your files and folders in the Recycle Bin.
- Right-click on the desired files or folders and click Restore.
- This will restore the file to its original location.
Make sure to turn on delete confirmations by going to the properties of the Recycle Bin by right-clicking on its icon.
Restoring data from Old Backups
It is ideal to back up your data regularly to prevent data loss. This is one of the best data safety practices that you should adopt if you haven’t already. If you have followed these practices, then you should be able to restore your data from one of these backups.
- Go to Settings and choose Backup.
- Choose ‘Add a drive.’
- Choose the backup drive you used to store your data.
Once this is done, your data should be restored to its original location.
Using a Data Recovery Tool
If none of the above methods works then you can try the Windows data recovery software provided by Stellar Data Recovery. The software is the most efficient and cost-effective way to recover your data, in case you don’t have backups. The software is packed with all that you’ll need to perform a deleted file recovery successfully.
The software is easy and simple to use with an intuitive user-friendly UI.
Here’s how to sail through recovering deleted data.
- Download and install Stellar Windows Data Recovery Software.
- Open the software select the kind of media you wish to recover and click next.
- Choose the location from which you want to recover data and click Scan.
- Filter through the results to find your desired files and preview them. If you have found the right files and folders, click Recover to restore them to their original locations.
Things to Keep in Mind
While you attempt deleted file recovery, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.
- It might not always be possible to recover all your lost data, however, a substantial part of it can be recovered.
- Make sure that you thoroughly check your Recycle Bin for the files you’re looking for.
- It is easier to recover data that has been deleted in the recent past than that which was deleted a while ago.
- It is much easier if you know the file path, name, and extension of the files you’re hoping to recover.
Tips and Tricks to Prevent Data Loss
Using these tricks will save you from the hassle of needing to recover files that you value the most.
- Create regular backups of your hard drive onto another best external hard drive.
- Backup files that are very important onto a cloud storage service.
- Create multiple copies of important files and save them externally onto a flash drive or hard disk.
- Partition your hard drive and allocate separate partitions for program files and data.
- Format your hard drive as NTFS to improve the chances of data recovery.
- Perform disk fragmentation every few months to keep the hard disk running at its optimal performance.
- Back up your C drive before installing any major system updates.
- Always eject external storage devices before disconnecting them to prevent corruption.
Conclusion
There is always a risk of data loss but you can minimize its effects considerably by taking good data safety measures, like backing up your data locally and to the cloud. It also helps to have a good data recovery tool at hand, if things go awry.
