Lost data? What to do in the first ten minutes.

When files disappear or a drive stops working, the next few actions matter more than the recovery itself.

Do

• Stop using the device. Every write can overwrite deleted data.
• Power it down if the drive makes clicking or grinding sounds.
• Note what happened: what failed, when, what was done before.
• Check backups and cloud copies first. Version history in email and file services often helps.
• Get an assessment from a recovery professional before trying anything drastic.

Do not

• Do not run disk-repair tools on a failing drive. They can make it worse.
• Do not shake, open or freeze a drive. Opening a hard drive outside a clean environment ruins it.
• Do not install recovery software onto the same drive you are trying to recover.
• Do not keep rebooting a machine that will not start.
• Do not rebuild a failed RAID array without advice.

Logical or physical

Deleted files, formatted partitions and corrupted file systems are logical problems, and often recoverable by imaging the drive first. Mechanical failures, burned electronics and flash-memory faults are physical and need specialist equipment.

What to expect

A good provider assesses first, explains what is realistic, gives a cost before the work, images the drive to protect the original and lists recovered files for you to verify.

Prevention

Follow the 3-2-1 backup approach and test restores. The cheapest recovery is the one you never need.