It’s Graduation Day! The moment the whole family, and most importantly, your only son, has been working towards for the past 18 years. You purchased a brand new DSLR camera and telephoto lens for the event, with the promise of the reward of the perfect shot of your kid on stage. You got it all: awkward smiles, the tearful moment from Mom (she made you delete that one), and of course, the moment he received his diploma.
Later that evening, you reviewed the media over dinner and laughed at some of the moments you shared with your family. Your daughter even quips that her iPhone camera is just as good as your new camera. You can’t wait to surprise her with how good they look in high definition.
The next day, you place the micro SD card into your laptop, and during the transfer, your computer gives you the dreaded Windows sad face. In a panic, you wait for the reboot. This time when you look, nothing is on the card! You switch to another laptop. Same. The card is as empty as the day you bought it.
Are the memories of your family’s special day gone forever? Will your wife ever forgive you? What can you do?!?
Never fear! Read on and find out whether you may be able to get those precious photos back from the grave.
Why can deleted files be recovered?
To understand why deleted files are recovered, it’s important to understand what happens when you delete a file in the first place.
Deleted information or lost files can often be recovered, even at times when it seems that they cannot. Data recovery is made possible by various computer operating systems and electronic devices.
What happens when files are deleted?
Many people wonder why their files and data can still be located and restored even after they have deleted them and emptied the recycle bin and trash reference. Here’s what happens when you delete a file from your computer:
Whether you intentionally or mistakenly delete a file, in most cases, the data is not actually destroyed. Instead, the deleted file is moved to the Recycle Bin or Trash Bin on Windows devices or Mac OS devices, pending your next action. You can remove files from the Recycle Bin or Trash or permanently delete them by emptying the Recycle Bin or Trash.
But that’s not the end of the story! Permanently deleted files aren’t really gone. The files are still present on your storage media, they’re just not visible to you or your operating system. What happens instead is that the reference to the file is removed from the operating system directory.
The end result is that even though the file still exists on your storage media, your operating system will not be able to recognize the location of the file, thus you will not have direct access to the file using a file browser or application. The space previously occupied by the file will be recognized as free and able to receive new data or files.
How does data recovery work?
Deleted data recovery involves identifying the areas of the drives where the data still exists. In this form of recovery, as long as the data has not been overwritten, you may still have a chance to recover your data or files.
There are a few different methods that can be used to get them back. Additionally, if you take a few necessary preventative steps, you will have a much better chance to get your precious photos and documents back.
Recovery methods
If you lost your files suddenly and need to recover them as soon as possible, data recovery software is the easiest and fastest data method to use. Software solutions often have freeware versions that allow you to try to get your data back from damaged or formatted drives.
In the case of a hardware failure, you may not be able to recover lost files with software. This type of problem requires the help of professionals; if the device is inoperable, it may be difficult to install new software on it!
Here are some of the methods and tools that are available should you find yourself in the unenviable situation of needing to recover lost files:
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Backup and Restore:
Regularly backing up your data and restoring it from a backup is one of the most effective recovery methods.
The main benefit of this method lies in the backup medium and frequency. You can use external hard drives, cloud storage, or network-attached storage (NAS) devices to store backups. The frequency can range from continuous backups to scheduled or manual backups.
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Data Recovery Software:
Data recovery software applications are designed to scan storage devices for lost or deleted files and recover them.
Different software tools offer varying features, scanning algorithms, user interfaces, and compatibility with different operating systems and storage devices. Some tools may have a higher success rate in recovering specific file types or from certain types of storage media.
The options out on the market today differ in their support for various operating systems as well as their price points. It takes a bit of technical know-how, but if you don’t mind DIY this could be useful.
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Professional Data Recovery Services:
In cases of severe data loss or when other methods fail, professional data recovery services can help. These services employ specialized hardware and expertise to recover data from damaged or malfunctioning storage devices.
Professional data recovery services vary in terms of expertise, success rates, turnaround times, and cost. Some services may specialize in specific storage media, such as hard drives or solid-state drives (SSDs), while others may offer a broader range of recovery options.
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Professional services are also sometimes needed for forensic data recovery. Forensic data recovery involves the use of specialized techniques and tools to extract and recover data from digital devices for legal or investigative purposes. Forensic recovery focuses on maintaining the integrity and admissibility of recovered files for evidence.
How to avoid data loss
Although data recovery is possible in many situations, there are a few sad cases when lost data is permanently lost. It is important to take the necessary steps so that you don’t find yourself praying for a good outcome.
Backups are critical
Back up your files regularly to easily access them if needed. Creating two or more backup schedules in the cloud and on your hard drive can be useful in case one fails. You should also keep a copy of your important files on an external hard drive for easy access if you lose your original data.
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