As easy the ascent of technology has made life for humans, it has also brought in various other difficulties for people in terms of responsibilities. Very careful use is required for the devices to be functional and work properly. Storage is a problem that has long been solved with the invention of hard disks and other memory storing devices. However, when data is lost by mistake, or due to some malware, it becomes an unnecessary headache. In a few cases, some files are deleted as they do not come in handy at that time, are later found to be useful.
The situation of successful data recovery becomes more terrible when there is a hard drive, USB drive or memory card with limited free space. It is involved with a lot of factors, like in what kind of drive the files were stored in, whether there are any current backups to rely on, the amount of time that has passed from the deletion of files, type of data that can be recovered or not, data storage type, file system type, the removal process and more. You can find more detailed information about Memory Cards, USB Drives, Smartphones, Laptops and more at Techie Dark.
It might be difficult, but when important files are deleted, it becomes crucial to find a way to retrieve them. In such cases, there are a few ways in which you can get them back. So, here are 5 tips to recover deleted files from your computer:
1. Be Careful and Aware. Stop any kind of Activity and Creating or Downloading Anything.
When files are lost on a PC, the first thing that should be done is to stop using the computer or any external storage devices connected to it for effective data recovery. It will prevent the old deleted files from being overwritten. When a file is deleted manually by right-clicking it and pressing Delete, the system hides the data by removing the file directory and the space is marked as free for use, although it actually stays on the hard drive. Any new activity or download can overwrite on the deleted files, which might damage some of its parts or some new data can be written on it and erase the old contents of the files. In these situations, the files can be easily gotten back by rebuilding the file directory.
2. Using General Fixes. Check the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac).
There are certain programs which keep recovery files. If you have deleted your files by pressing Delete or moving them to the Recycle Bin or Trash, they can be retrieved with ease. The said files get sent to a temporary storage where they are kept for 30 days and then automatically removed. This scenario is the most ideal as it is the easiest form of recovery. Simply open the Recycle Bin, locate the required files, right-click on them and choose Restore. Or, you can select and drag it to any place of your choice and then drop it there. Your deleted files will be recovered to its original location.
However, if the Recycle Bin has been emptied, other methods have to be employed.
3. Emptied Recycle Bin? Recover from Previous Versions.
When there is a situation where you have emptied the Recycle Bin or deleted a file by pressing the Shift and Delete button at the same time, the data is not removed irretrievably. Certain utilities are required over a period of time to get it back. If Recycle Bin fails you, employ the “Previous Version” feature. Using Windows built-in free backup and restore feature, an older version of the lost or deleted file can be recovered. The whole filesystem on the computer is scanned for the files marked as deleted. The automatic backup feature only works if you remember the file or folder’s name that has been misplaced. The location has to be found out or a new folder or file should be made with the same name. Then, right clicking on it will give you a context menu from which you have to click on “Restore Previous Versions”. A list of the previous versions will be listed by Windows for you to choose and undo the permanent deletion.
4. Tougher Situations Call for Better Methods. Manual Data Backups and Restoration after formatting.
The automatic backup feature of “Previous Version” is only activated on the system partition. The files that are on other partitions, do not get backed up by that feature. So, you will be unable to find the previous versions of your deleted files. In such situations, if you have made a manual backup, that will come in handy. Regularly managing your backups is a sure short way to find useful files when needed.
Formatting your computer’s hard drive incorrectly leads to tragic consequences. All information vanishes, and it is hard to recover it. The whole hard drive partition gets affected and as a result, all files seem to be lost for good. Yet, after a quick format, there is a good chance for full recovery. But, after full formatting, the retrieval is minimal. The chances of repossession decrease with the depth of the formatting.
5. The Last Resort. Recover deleted files using data recovery software.
Things become a bit complicated after all your tries at data recovery fail. One last recourse remains left and that is to use a third-party file recovery software. There are professional programs to restore lost data from computers or any other removable storage medium. It can help you rescue files that have been lost for various reasons. Free as well as paid services are offered online that can be downloaded. Be cautious to choose the right, suitable and dependable software.
Undoubtedly, an overwhelming majority of computer users must have deleted some files accidentally on their PC. When some files are extremely important or memorable, and they get deleted or lost by mistake, people make every endeavour to restore them. There are a few basic principles of data recovery that will help you never lose any needful file, if put into proper practice. Hence, always be careful and keep tips in handy.
