Data Recovery Methods and Common Data Loss Scenarios!
The loss of a crucial file is a frustrating experience that almost everyone has had, but recovering lost data doesn’t require any special skills.
Here, you’ll find comprehensive guides covering everything from the basics of data recovery and how to use data recovery software to fix common data loss issues manually.
Recovering Lost Information: What Is It?
The goal of data recovery is to repair corrupted, deleted, or inaccessible information. Two major categories of data retrieval exist:
In the case of logical data recovery, the focus is on fixing problems that aren’t mechanical, and the tools of choice are various file recovery programs.
Data recovery professionals often work in clean, dust-free environments while attempting physical data recovery, which addresses mechanical concerns.
Most Frequent Causes of Information Loss
Malfunctioning hardware
At 42%, hardware failures are the most common cause of data loss. The following computer parts may be affected by these problems:
- HDD/SSD, or Hard Disk Drive/Solid State Drive;
- RAM, or random-access memory, in a computer;
- Motherboard;
- a central processing unit (CPU)
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Mistakes Made by Humans
Misplacement of critical files: It is possible for users to inadvertently discard critical files when working with them. Operating systems typically provide multiple options for erasing files.
Careless formatting of a disc or partition without first making a backup copy: It goes without saying that you should create a copy of all your vital files before formatting the drive, yet accidents do happen.
Any program that can modify documents, videos, images, pictures, or audio files also allows the user to overwrite the file’s original contents. If you make changes to a file and then close it without clicking “Save,” the new information will replace the old one.
Incomplete and incorrect attempts to reconstruct the missing data: Now that you know the data is gone for good, you should avoid taking any haphazard steps that could cause the loss of data all over again.
Data Recovery Techniques for Hard Drives
Use Recycle Bin
If you want to temporarily keep track of the files you’ve erased, use the Recycle Bin. Once you’ve deleted a file with the Delete key, you can quickly undo the action by pressing the Control and Z keys together.
Your file deletion cannot be rolled back once it has already occurred. To see if your deleted file is still in the Recycle Bin, just open it. Locate the file you need to restore by doing so, right-click on it, and then select Restore.
If you deleted a file using the Shift+Delete key combination, cleared your Recycle Bin, or removed it from an external hard drive, you will be out of luck, as these actions permanently destroy the file’s record from your computer’s hard drive.
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Make use of the App’s Built-in Recovery Function
If you’ve erased an email message accidentally on Outlook, instantly hit the Control + Z keys to undo the deletion. You can also access the message from Outlook’s left pane’s Deleted Items folder and move it to the Inbox that way.
If the message has been removed from the Deleted Items folder as well, you can access it again by opening that folder and then selecting Recover Deleted Items from Server from the Home tab. To restore a message from the Deleted Items folder, choose the necessary email from the list, and then click OK.
Make use of a Drive for Archiving Past Files
When you have backed up your PC hard disc before data loss by utilizing File History, you can use the File History backup drive to restore your erased files. File History is incompatible with external hard drives.
You can recover lost data from an external hard drive by creating a clone of the drive, backing up critical files to yet another external hard drive, or using data recovery software.
Make Use of One Drive
OneDrive is Microsoft’s exclusive cloud storage drive, so if you sync the critical files on your PC hard drive to it, you may access them from any Internet-connected device, at any time.
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Recover the Lost Files with Windows Data Recovery
If you have accidentally deleted, formatted, corrupted, or lost data on your internal or external hard disc, Windows data recovery software may be able to help you regain it. The procedure consists of the following steps:
- If you’re using Windows, get the trial version of Stellar Data Recovery Standard.
- Start up the application. Select the necessary data types using the radio buttons and checkboxes on the Select What To Recover screen, then proceed.
- Choose the hard disc, turn on Deep Scan if it isn’t already turned on, and then click Scan on the Recover From screen.
- After the scan is complete, pick the files you need to recover from the preview window, and then click Recover.
- Specify a unique save place, ideally on an external hard drive, by clicking Browse on the dialogue box, then clicking Save.
- If you’ve completed data recovery, the next step is to double-check the data you’ve retrieved from its new home.