Recovery of lost data: the algorithm of actions

The loss of data on the hard drive, flash drive or phone - this is a very serious problem, which probably everyone faced. Therefore, recovering data after formatting a disk is a very urgent task, which, fortunately, there are many ways to solve.

Why can the data disappear?

Data is lost for the following main reasons:

• Accidental deletion by the user himself or by some program running it.
• Because of the impact of malware or, more simply, the virus.
• Physical failure of the disc itself.
• Incorrect shutdown, which also causes file system corruption on the disk.

The first two cases are the usual data deletion, and the solution to the problem will be one. If the disc itself is faulty, for example, its physical structure or logic table is broken, then it will be more difficult to restore the data.

The physical malfunction of the disc is very easy to recognize. Usually it is expressed in the disappearance of the whole section. The USB flash drive can not be detected by the computer at all, and if the disk with the system is corrupted, the machine will not eventually boot up, showing on the black screen the absence of a partition from which it could boot. In this case, the restoration of lost data will require the use of special programs and utilities, and even professional equipment.

What's prohibited if your data is lost

Before you start recovering lost data, it may take some time. During this time, to avoid the complete loss of data, do not:

• Something to write to the hard disk or external media, or even somehow use it.
• If the disk with the system turned out to be corrupted, it's better not to restart the computer again or even try to turn it on at all.
• Any system suggestions for formatting, fixing errors, or defragmenting disks should be rejected.
• It is best to connect the drive or USB flash drive to the computer where it will not be used as the primary storage medium.

Where on the computer are stored deleted data

Even after deleting and formatting, the data on the computer does not completely disappear. In fact, they are still physically present on the disk for a long time, they simply get the status 0 in the file table. They remain there even after the trash is cleaned, exactly until you need to write down something on this place. That's why it's very important not to download anything to the hard disk if you lose any information. Only then the restoration of lost data will be possible. Otherwise they will disappear forever.

When you can not recover lost or deleted data

There are also such unpleasant situations when it is impossible to restore the lost data. These include:

• Reinstall the system on the computer with the formatting of hard disks. Here, the formatting is complete.
• Filling the hard disk with other data after the information has been deleted.
• A serious physical breakdown, which can not be eliminated by software or hardware. For example, this may be a breakdown of the hard disk head.

Unfortunately, in this case, it will probably not be possible to restore your lost data even in the service center.

Program for recovering lost data

The easiest way to recover deleted or lost data is to use special programs at home. They are different, but mostly work in two directions - they eliminate physical and logical errors of disks or restore data that were accidentally deleted or formatted. Programs differ in functionality, and it happens that in different cases you should use a different software.

"Victoria"

This free program perfectly assesses the performance of the hard drive, tests it, and also performs minor repairs. Its main feature is checking the disk directly, directly through the ports. Due to this, with the help of this program, it is possible to bring back even absolutely seemingly hopeless HDDs. It has many advantages:

• Free distribution.
• Effectively performs recovery of lost or deleted data.
• Very quickly works.
• Runs without installation.
• It has a small size.
• Runs in AHCI mode, so you do not need to change BIOS settings.
• Supports many different tests.

WD

This utility from Western Digital originally served only to restore the hard drives of this company. Now it can be used to diagnose HDD from other companies. The utility allows you to back up data, restore hard drives and even store information on a separate cloud server. Unless with hard disks of the big volumes it works a little bit slowly.

Regenerator

This small simple utility is very easy to use. It allows you to eliminate even a large number of broken sectors, that is, physical damage. Such a serious recovery is possible because the program uses a new algorithm of magnetization reversal and serial signals. What's nice, when working with a hard disk, this utility recovers lost data very carefully, without affecting other information on the computer.

HDD Master

This small free utility does not need to be specially installed. It allows you to recover lost hard drive data, fix most of the hard drive problems and perform many tests. Despite the small size, the program has many functions - for example, it can stop or start the HDD spindle.

Acronis

Acronis is a very large set of programs that allow you to perform various actions with hard drives. There are programs for partitioning disks and backup tools , but we are interested in a utility that allows you to scan and restore hard disks. Acronis is easy to learn and available, so many users use it today.

Program from Seagate

If you use a hard disk from Seagate, then you can test and restore it using special software. There are a lot of them, but the best is Seagate File Recovey. It features a simple interface and support for many different memory tests. By the way, it works with hard disks of other carriers, although with Seagate disks it is still more effective.

Using the program Seagate File Recovey you can scan the hard drive, fix errors and even restore information. In addition, the program supports work with memory cards and USB flash drives, and data for recovery can be previewed. An important advantage is the ability to read and restore even encrypted information.

The programs listed below can not cope with physical disk failures - they simply help to recover data that you deleted accidentally or specially.

Recuva

This application performs data recovery after deletion, and it enjoys great popularity among users. Download Recuva is free, but it weighs quite a bit. The program easily works not only with HDD, but also with flash cards, as well as with memory cards. Data is restored almost completely automatically, but the user is given the opportunity to choose which files to restore. For example, if you lost a photo, then you can mark them, and previously deleted other files will not be restored.

Recuva restores the data very quickly, but it also has several drawbacks. Usually, it does a good job if the media has not been used after the loss of files. That is, if there after that new data was recorded, then there is a chance that you will lose your files forever. Also Recuva does not recover data from formatted media.

UndeletePlus

UndeletePlus is a simple program that quickly and effectively recovers lost data. It works with both HDD and external drives. For the convenience of users, the program has a special wizard, which allows you not to miss anything. It can also recover data of certain types, and even cope with information lost due to formatting.

R-studio

R-studio is a very effective program that allows you to quickly and efficiently restore lost data. The drawback is its pay, however, the program's functionality is very wide. She can:

• Fully recover data from HDD, flash drives and even DVD-ROM and floppy disks.
• Return to work RAID-arrays, including RAID-6.
• To return to life disks with damages and logical errors.
• Restore partitions after formatting.
• Work with sections of Mac OS, Linux and Windows, both with FAT and with NTFS.

R-studio is a program for real professionals, and it copes even with cases when the system displays a message "The disk is not formatted." It is also not a problem to restore formatted data. What is good, you can run it from a disk or a bootable USB flash drive, if you suddenly do not start the system itself. True, an inexperienced user in such a complex program can get confused.

Which program is best

Specialists recommend that you try to use different programs to restore data - because if one does not help you, then the second one can cope. The choice of software in general depends on your situation:

• For mild cases of data loss due to deletion, Recuva is suitable.
• If any errors are found in the hard drive and the disc is not read at all, then the "Victoria" option will be a good option.
• If you need professional data recovery and disk partitioning, then you should stop at Acronis.
• If you regularly restore data and work a lot with disks or have lost some very important information, then you should resort to R-studio help.

Other programs in general are also very good and can help you out of seemingly hopeless situations.

Restoring data using boot disks

If you have any problems, and the system does not boot, and the system disk contains data, then there is a high probability that they are not damaged. However, you can extract them only if you insert the disc into another device. How to be, if you do not know how to do this or do not want unnecessary fuss? You can try using boot disks or flash drives.

Bootable media is one from which you can install the operating system. For some operating systems, for example, Linux Ubuntu, such media also allows you to boot the OS with limited functions, but with access to the hard disk. In the end, you just need to simply copy all the important data to another disk or USB flash drive.

Restore data to Android devices

If you lost data on the device running the operating system Android (and it is in the device's memory, but not on a flash drive), then recovery will require special programs. The best of them:

• Wondershare Dr. Fone, which also allows you to return your notes and contacts;
• 7-Data Android Recovery, the interface is similar to the program Recuva.

Both of them are intuitive - just install them on your computer and connect your phone via USB.

Physical recovery at home

Sometimes you can restore lost flash drive data at home, even if recovery programs did not help you.

Sometimes it happens that the computer or phone does not see the flash drive simply because it has contaminated the contacts. In this case, it will be enough to gently wipe them with alcohol or vodka. Sometimes this method is quite effective. The main thing is, do not use alcohol tinctures, perfumes and other liquids with impurities for these purposes. Even cologne will not be the best option.

Visit to the professional

If all of the above programs and methods did not help you, then the only option is professional data recovery.

In special data recovery laboratories, you will be helped to recover lost files even from heavily damaged media. And this is done not with the help of any special programs, but with physical means. Flash cards, for example, have a memory chip, and the data is taken directly from it. And hard drives try to replace damaged parts, for example, reading heads, or also extract information directly from a magnetic tape.

Almost all these methods mean a complete breakdown of the flash card or hard drive itself, but the data will be guaranteed to you, and sometimes they are much more important than any media.

How to avoid data loss

Instead of performing data recovery on a computer, it is much easier to avoid losing them. For this, several activities can be carried out:

• Try not to turn off the power of the computer - always turn off the "Start", by shutting down.
• Gently treat the computer hard drive or USB flash drive. They can not be subjected to physical stress or shock, as this can easily lead to failure.
• On a computer connected to the Internet, be sure to use an antivirus.
• Keep backup copies of the most important data on multiple media and in cloud storage - then even a hard disk failure will not be too terrible for you.