Lost valuable files? Don’t
panic! Nick Peers is here
to help you recover them
There’s a sudden realization that comes when
you misplace a vital file or accidentally delete
it—never mind the shock of discovering an entire
partition or drive has gone missing. Speaking
from personal experience, data loss is an ordeal, whether
it’s a single file or the entire contents of a drive.
Anyone who’s had to reconstruct a hard drive file-by-
file because they were too zealous with fdisk will know the
importance of backups. We learned the hard way in 1999,
but you don’t have to—dig out issue 194 of Maximum PC
and follow our ultimate backup guide. The quickest way
to resolve data loss is using your backups, which is where
we’ll begin this guide to the tools, techniques, and tips you
need to maximize your chances of recovering lost files.
What if your files aren’t backed up or are too old?
Armed with the right tools and know-how, it’s possible
to reconstruct deleted files with the minimum of fuss. It
doesn’t even have to cost you a dime, as we’ve dug out the
best free file recovery tools for the job. And what if an entire
partition has gone missing? There are tools that can help
you reconstruct accidentally deleted or corrupt partitions.
As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll also investigate more
drastic data recovery scenarios: what to do if you can’t even
boot to Windows, or your files get scrambled by ransomware.
We’ll point you in the direction of expert services should
your hard drive fail, either through accidental damage
or because it’s reached the end of its natural life. Those
priceless, irreplaceable files you thought you’d just lost
forever? Turn the page and let’s bring them back.38 MAXIMU MPCMAR 2022
data recovery