How to Recover Your Lost Data?

Perhaps there isn’t a single soul on the globe who hasn’t faced the predicament of important data loss ever. Even with the finest back up methods, people lose data. A machine is nothing but just a machine; no matter how intelligent it is. A computer system isn’t a human brain; it isn’t natural but a human-creation. A machine can fail to work at any moment due to any possible reason, thus it is important for all the computer users to backup their data in any way.

But who can guarantee that backup is the best remedy of data loss? What if your backup files get infected, too? There must be some efficient ways to retrieve the important information if one loses it.

Types of Data Loss:

Data loss is categorized into 3 classes:

1. Data Corruption
2. Accidental Deletion
3. Physical Damage to Media( CDs, DVDs etc)

Now we will study these types and know how to recover your data in above stated situations:

• Data Corruption:

  

Data gets corrupt due to many reasons; most important among those is the Malicious Code. It consists of several kinds of data corrupters including viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Worms are different than viruses because they are able to spread themselves with no user interaction. A virus can attack systems in many ways; by erasing files, destroying hard disk drives and corrupting data base. Trojan horses are independent programs that when called by an unauthorized user perform useful functions but at the same time performs unauthorized functions.

Corrupted photos, documents and zip files are very common among computer users. The user fails to access those files, and hence, their important data is lost.

• Accidental Deletion:

Sometimes it just happens that you delete a file which you did not intend to delete, i.e. deleted it mistakenly.

Worse, you have a BAD habit of regularly emptying the Recycle Bin. Perhaps it was the most important document that you needed in the presentation next morning.

• Physical Damage to Media:

You back up all the data in few CDs and DVDs, and sit back fearlessly. A year later, a malicious code corrupts all your data; but you laugh! You reach out for Disk Rack; pull out those backup drives and OH! What on the earth happened to them? Those clean and scratch less drives have web of scratches on them. Do go after your little brother to ask about it; firstly find a solution.

Recovery Tips:

Now, we must move to the Recovery and Solutions:

1. Prevention:

They say, “Prevention is better than cure.” I say, they are absolutely right. Obtaining a recovery tool and installing it on your system is better than running after tech wizards once you lose whatever you had stored in the hard drive. Following are some of the best tools that could help you recover your data if it is lost.

Recuva:

It is a freeware Windows function to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files deleted from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. It can bring back files that have been deleted by malicious codes and crashes.

PC Inspector File Recovery:

PC Inspector File Recovery 4.x is a freeware data recovery program that supports the FAT 12/16/32 and NTFS file systems. It recovers files with original time and date stamp and saves retrieved data on network drives.

SoftPerfect File Recovery:

It is a freeware functional means to restore accidentally deleted files from hard and floppy disks, USB flash drives, CF and SD cards and other storage media. It supports popular file systems with compression and encryption.

Undelete Plus:

Undelete Plus is a speedy and efficient method to restore accidentally deleted files. It can recover files that have been emptied from the Recycle Bin, permanently deleted files within Windows, and files that have been deleted from within a Command

Prompt.

It is a freeware software, but for a limited time.

• Portable Recovery Toolkit:

If installing too many recovery tools is something you do not want (because of slow processing of computer system perhaps); you can install these recovery tools into a Flash Drive. Recuva and Undelete Plus can easily be stored into your handy drive and be used whenever and wherever you need.

• Deleted Files:

More secure way to delete files you use, fewer chances are left behind to recover it in any way. When you delete a file from your disk and empty the recycle bin even; the file can be retrieved. This is because only first few bytes are changed by the system to tell the Windows that there is an empty space and it may fill it up with fresh files. As long as no fresh data fills up the place, deleted data can be recovered.

• Right Search:

Most of the recovery tools use search methods to locate and retrieve lost data, so you have to be accurate and specific when writing about what kind of data you lost. Recuva offers a search wizard that gives various file types as options from amongst which you can choose the file type of lost data.

• Deep Searches:

Recovery tools scan the whole system very slowly and profoundly, so that they can find out the lost data much efficiently. This is another reason why must one equip the system with data recovery tools.

• When Windows Fail to Boot:

It happens that Windows fail to boot, and you stand there horrified about what s going to happen next. It can be solved by plugging your hard drive into another computer system, and retrieve the data.

If that fails to work, use a bootable rescue disk like BartPe; which can help rescue your lost (or stuck in the system) data. The Bart Pre-installation Environment is principally a cut down version of Windows that lets you browse your drive and recover data from it.

• Data Recovery from Media Drives:

Recovering data from CDs and DVDs is a bit different task from the above mentioned. Unstoppable Copier supports unicode automatic system shutdown and basic context menu integration. IsoBuster is a highly specialized and simple to use CD, DVD and blu-ray (BD, HD DVD) data recovery tool.

• Image Recovery from Memory Cards:

If you lost, accidentally deleted or have corrupted your images stored in a memory card; then you can recover them if the memory card itself is not invisible in the computer screen. Zero Assumption Recovery provides a suite of highly effective and thorough data recovery software for Microsoft Windows operating systems. ZAR is suitable for home users and small businesses that require a powerful data recovery solution for FAT16/FAT32/NTFS file systems.

• Corrupt Files Recovery:

Destroyed and corrupted files call for third party intervention. Recover My Files data recovery software recovers deleted files deleted from the Windows Recycle Bin, or lost due to the format or corruption of a hard drive, virus or Trojan infection, and unexpected system shutdown or software failure.

• Crashing Windows:

Sometimes a single malfunctioning tab crashes whole window along with it. This is irritating as well as it slows down your speed of working. Nonetheless, an intelligent small tool called “Unhider” can come to rescue. It enables you to reopen crashed windows, giving you an opportunity to save your work before rebooting.

• Last Option

If you cannot retrieve your data by any of the above mentioned tools and your drive has been damaged physically, it is time to seek help of a professional and get your disk checked. Ontrack Data Recovery provides online data retrieving and management services with a certain cost to pay. Professional data recovery is not inexpensive by any means, but is worth it if your data is priceless.

Hope that this article would have provided you with adequate information regarding data recovery. When you work with a computer, preventive measures must be taken for rainy days.

Written by “Seemab”

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Tags: accidental deletion, data loss, human brain, mp3 players, network drives., sd cards, windows function