Recovering Documents
As a writer, the thought of losing a work-in-progress such as a book has occurred to me and it’s a sickening feeling. I am nearly done with a long manuscript and understand that if I were to lose it now, I’d never be able to recreate it. Just thinking about it frightens me and I can only imagine how you’re feeling. Fortunately, there is a glimmer of hope.
When documents are accidentally deleted, they aren’t necessarily vaporized, never to be seen again. This is because Windows doesn’t actual erase files right away after deletion. Instead, Windows marks the space where the files reside on the hard drive as “available.” In a sense, that space is “for rent” and until a renter shows up and occupies it, the data remains untouched. However, once new data comes along and fills the available space, the file is gone for good. This makes it important to NOT add anything to the disk until you’ve had a chance to perform a data recovery.
Recycle Bin
You’ve probably already checked the Recycle Bin, but just in case you haven’t, let’s do so now. The Recycle Bin is a temporary holding spot for deleted files. Go to the Desktop and double-click the Recycle Bin icon. If the book document is located inside, right-click it and choose Restore. This will restore it to its original location. For example, if your book was originally stored in My Documents/Writing, it will be restored to that same folder.
Data Recovery Software
The Recycle Bin doesn’t typically store large files. If your book document was too large for the Recycle Bin, don’t worry, it still may be recoverable using data recovery software. Filetonic recommends ParetoLogic Data Recovery for tasks such as this one. What’s nice about this product is that you can download a free scanner that will search for recoverable documents. That way, you can see if the product will be able to recover your book file before you buy it. Download the scanner to a USB stick, floppy, or CD (since you don’t want to risk overwriting any data on your hard drive) and then scan your drive for recoverable documents. If Data Recovery finds the book file in question, it’ll cost you about $40 or $50 depending on which version you choose. In my opinion, this is a small price to pay to get your book back.
In the Future
I highly recommend storing important files in a safe location, such as online. I originally used to e-mail copies of my manuscript to my web-based e-mail account where it would be readily available in case of a computer crash or house fire. This was a poor man’s backup system that gave me a little peace of mind. However, I now use an online backup program (beinsync) which automatically backs up my files and stores them securely online. The moment I create and save a new file or make a change (and save it) to an existing one, BeinSync uploads a copy to the online backup. I couldn’t be happier with this arrangement and highly recommend it to anyone with critical backup needs.
Celeste Stewart | November 11th, 2008
You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
