Help! Can My Lost Data Actually be Recovered?

Published on: September 10th, 2015

You have accidentally hit the delete button and your critical data is gone, or you saved a file and have no idea where it went. After that initial moment of panic and terror fully sinks in, you ponder your options. Maybe the data isn’t really gone? What if I call an IT specialist and try to explain the situation? Maybe there’s still hope!

The fact is, it doesn’t really require that much explanation because lost data is one of the most common phone calls that IT specialists receive. It happens all the time. In fact, over 25 percent of all data recovery requests are the result of someone accidentally clicking delete or losing a file. With the amount of data that each of us uses and stores every day, it’s an increasingly common problem.

Don’t Panic! Try These Easy Lost Data Recovery Steps

Before you call in the IT professionals, try these easy steps and attempt to recover the accidentally deleted or lost data on your own:

• Lost Images or Documents: If you were working with an image or document file and accidentally deleted it, simply check your Recycle Bin. The icon for the recycle bin is typically on the desktop and looks like a garbage can. Just click on the icon and you will see a list of deleted items and hopefully your missing file is on the list! Once you find your missing file, click on it and drag it back onto the desktop. Beware – files do not stay in the Recycle Bin forever!
• Deleted Email: Did you accidentally delete an email? Simply check the Deleted Items folder. This is probably located by your email inbox. You should find the deleted message in this folder and you can just click and drag it back into your inbox.
• AutoSave: Microsoft has built in a way to protect us from ourselves and unexpected problems. Microsoft products such as Excel and Word have an AutoSave function that can save a copy of what you are working on. For example, if the power goes out while you are working in Excel , you will find a copy of the file you were working on when you are able to turn your computer back on and open Excel again.
• I Saved the File, But I Can’t Remember Where: To locate a missing file, you can use Microsoft’s Search function. This is found by clicking on the Start button and typing the file name in the search box. You can also find your most recent files in the program you were working in. For example, if you were using Word you can find the location of the most recent files you accessed by opening the program, clicking on the File tab and then clicking on Recent. This will give you a list of the most recent files used and their location.

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