Data Recovery Tips for Oops Moments

Nothing quite compares to that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize that you just deleted the entire database for the project your boss wants on his desk by the end of the day. If you’ve had an “oops” moment in Windows, there are many ways that you may be able to retrieve that lost file or files, if you do something about it quickly. Built-in safeguards and data recovery options, both external and internal, can help you get your files back before the boss ever notices they’re gone.

Act Immediately

Because of the way the file system writes data to the hard drive, the longer you wait to try to recover your missing file, the less likely you are to get it back intact. As soon as you realize that you’ve accidentally deleted a file, do what you can to retrieve it immediately.

Look for Your File in Other Locations Before You Panic

Of course you’ve checked the Recycle Bin, right? If not, that’s your first stop. If it’s there, recovering the file is as simple as a mouse-click. If it’s already past that, check other data storage locations you use regularly. You may find a relatively up-to-date copy of the file on a disk or flash drive if you’ve transported it for use on another computer, or emailed it to share it with someone. If so, it will be there, waiting for you to open it.

Attempt to Recover Your Deleted File With Data Recovery Software

Download a data retrieval or undelete program to a flash drive, another hard drive or on another computer. Avoid writing other files to the disk if at all possible, and that includes installing other programs, saving open files or creating new files. Doing any of those things could overwrite the sectors on the disk where your deleted file still exists.

You should set the undelete program to scan the disk with your deleted files, and then filter your results by file type or other sort filters that the software provides to make it easier to find your lost file. Check any files that you want to recover, then click Undelete Selected Files. Most data recovery programs are intuitive to use and provide simple instructions that you’ll be able to follow easily.

Undelete Your File to Your Flash Drive If You’re Undeleting More Than One

Remember, every time you save a file to your hard drive, you risk overwriting something else you want to recover. To prevent that, save all of your recovered files to another disk or drive and copy them back to your hard drive when you’ve got them all.

If It Doesn’t Work, Contact a Professional File Recovery Service

If you can’t get your files back on your own, contact a professional service, such as Fields Data Recovery. Professionals like the Fields Group have other utilities that may be able to find files that consumer and commercially available software can’t.

USB Flash Drive & Camera Card Data Recovery

If you believe that data recovery services are something you’ll never need, think again. Chances are that you’re more reliant on the devices that hold your media than you think. If you use a Smart Phone, PDA, USB flash drive, laptop, iPod or digital camera, you could find yourself in a lurch if the media on your device was lost or corrupted.

You may not think of your camera as a data storage device, but it is. Those photos on your SD card are digital files, and they’re as prone to damage and loss as any other type of digital media. The same is true of so many of the nifty little devices we use everyday such as iPods, laptop computers, media players, tablets, smart phones and USB flash drives which all make our lives easier. In many cases, they’ve become more than a convenience, and have almost become a necessity. We rely on them to remember telephone numbers, keep track of appointments, store records and so much more.

What if you lost access to all that lovely information your iPod or BlackBerry keeps so handy? Could you easily

• Remember the doctor’s appointment you set up a reminder for in your calendar?
• Quickly call a business associate you only talk to once or twice a month?
• Find the address for the symposium you’re supposed to speak at in 20 minutes?
• Pull up the information your boss sent you in an email yesterday?

What if your darling three-year-old princess dropped your digital camera into the toilet, complete with the photos you’ve been taking for an important project at work? Could you retake all those photos? How about that once-in-a-lifetime shot of a double-rainbow?

Up to a few years ago, if something happened to your flash drive or SD card, you were out of luck. Small drives were notoriously difficult for data recovery firms to access because of their solid state electronics. While data retrieval from small drives is still tricky, there are a number of firms, such as Fields Data Recovery, that specialize in retrieving your lost photos and files from USB drives, digital camera cards and SD cards.

If you’ve managed to run your cell phone through the washer or run over your digital camera with your car, all is not lost. Contact an expert data recovery specialist to see if they can recover your precious memories and important information.  Most will offer a firm quote on the work so that you’ll know exactly what your data recovery job will cost up front.

Fields Data Recovery Retrieves Data From All Types of Media

Most people know that data recovery companies can help you retrieve data from an inaccessible hard drive. But these days we keep data on many different types of media in addition to a typical hard drive. According to Fields Data Recovery, a top UK data retrieval firm, it’s possible to recover data from just about any type of data storage media. From hard drives to SD cards to 1.44 3.5 floppies, Fields Associates has worked on, and retrieved lost data from, nearly any type of media you can imagine. Among the devices from which Fields Data Recovery can retrieve data are:

• iPods: iPods store far more than music these days. Because of their capacity and portability, many people use them to transport data from one machine to another. For those to whom music is more than just a hobby, the loss of several hundred songs, especially original compositions, can be devastating. The PCMCIA hard drive is difficult, but those with many years of experience in data recovery may be able to recover lost data if you drop your iPod in water or leave it in your jacket when it runs through the wash.

• Camera SD cards: SD cards make it possible to store hundreds of photographs or hours of video. Scrambled SD cards are notoriously hard to recover, but it is sometimes possible to retrieve photographs and other files stored on a camera SD card. If you thought your vacation photos or graduation photos were gone for good, it’s worth a try to see if Fields Data Recovery can access and retrieve the data remaining on your memory card.

• USB Flash Drives: The tumbling cost of USB flash drives, also called thumb drives, has made them an increasingly popular way to transport important data from one computer to another. They’re small, ultra-portable, and work with nearly any computer thanks to their built-in formatting and file systems. Unfortunately, they’re also dangerously vulnerable to data loss because they’re carried about so readily. USB drives are vulnerable to physical damage, damage from extremes of heat or cold and electrical damage due to spikes and surges in power.

If you’ve lost accessibility to data on any type of media, including CDs, DVDs and USB flash drives, a professional data retrieval firm like Fields Data Recovery may be able to help you get it back.

Data Recovery Tips from Fields Data Recovery Team

Data loss is no joking matter. From your precious honeymoon pictures to your company’s vital database, a failed hard drive can leave you in a hard way. If your business relies on data—and what business doesn’t?—safeguarding your data should be at the top of the priority list for your IT security team. While there are many data recovery companies, such as Fields Data Recovery, which boasts a 90% retrieval rate on their website, it’s always better to keep your data safe from intrusion and damage in the first place. These tips from professionals like those at Fields Data Recovery, can help you avoid needing their services.

1. Back up your data regularly.  The more important your data is, the more important it is that you back it up regularly. Set up a data security account with one of the services that make redundant copies of all of your data and store it at a location away from your site. In most cases, weekly backups will be sufficient for home users, but mission-critical data for your organization should be backed up more often—nightly at least.

2. Install top-notch virus protection.  Viruses and malware are among the major causes of data failure on hard drives and removable drives. Keep viruses off of your computers with antivirus software and frequent scans. Use virus blockers and email scanners to prevent Trojan horses and other types of malware from taking root in your computer. Don’t forget that many web pages can install malicious software on your computer, and that malicious software can result in data loss and the need for Fields Data Recovery services.

3. Protect your hard drives with group policies that restrict data access.  Allowing administrator access and the right to download and install data on your company’s computers opens your data up to loss, virus infection and destruction. Make sure that your IT security teams have closed all loopholes that allow for viruses and other damage to your data.

4. Always transport laptops and data drives properly.  Physical damage to a drive is the second most common cause of data loss necessitating data retrieval efforts. Reduce the chances of damage to hard drives and removable data drives by making sure that they’re transported and carried properly. That means padded laptop cases for your employees who carry laptops and a reminder to avoid placing USB flash drives and other removable data drive in harm’s way.

But no matter how careful you are, accidents happen. If the worst happens despite all of your precautions, engage a professional data recovery business like Fields Data Recovery to try to restore and recover any data that remains on your drives and disks.

Fields Data Recovery Options for Mission-Critical Data

Every business has data it can’t afford to lose – mission-critical data whose loss will put a serious crimp in your company’s day-to-day business. What would your company do for data recovery if something happened to your computer and all of the records it holds tomorrow morning?

Last year, over 60,000 people who faced that crisis turned to the one company, Fields Data Recovery, for a solution. With over 17 years experience dealing with data loss and recovery, Fields professionals have seen and dealt with nearly any data emergency you can imagine. From fire-damaged servers to water-logged 3.5-inch floppies, the experts employed by Fields Data Recoveryhave successfully retrieved data from hard drives, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, laptops and any other type of media that holds your data.

How to Avoid Losing Data

Of course, the best option for data recovery is to not need it in the first place. That requires a scrupulously maintained program that includes:

• Redundant data protection with disk arrays and RAID systems
• Regular backups of all data to removable media or
• Regular backups to an online data storage system
• Storage of backup media in an offsite location

Online data storage vaults make it easier to keep up with the requirements of data security, but they’re only useful if the company remembers to use them regularly. In the real world, data gets lost. It gets lost when your best salesman drops his laptop. It gets lost when the DVDs storing last year’s financials somehow end up at the bottom of a desk drawer without a case. It gets lost because you really didn’t ever think your hard drive would fail you. When it does, Fields Data Recovery is the trusted option for getting it back—fast and at a reasonable cost.

If You Need a Data Recovery Specialist

If the worst happens and you need the services of a data recovery specialist, look for a company that offers the following assurance:

• Longevity: the longer a company works in the field, the more tools and techniques it develops to deal with unusual situations
• Transparency: work with a company that will give you a quote on your hard drive data recovery job and promise to stick to it
• Reputation: the best companies, like Fields Data Recovery, have an established reputation in the field of data recovery