Well, there are several ways to successfully recover your data whether it’s stored on your computer or a memory stick.

First, check your Recycle Bin or Trash Can. It seems almost too obvious to work, but you did just accidentally delete some files then humor me and check it out. If you see your files, restore them – you’re all done.

If you don’t see your files, it’s a little trickier, but still possible to recover your precious data.

The most important thing to do is stop using your computer – immediately! Your computer does it’s best to protect you from yourself. When you delete a file, it doesn’t disappear immediately. There’s still time to save it! A deleted file is marked in your system as a file that can be overwritten when space is needed. So, the more you work with your computer, the closer your file is to permanent deletion.

And, before we go any further, make sure that you do not do either of the following:

• Restart your computer: Restarts write a lot of data to your disk – which you don’t want to do.

• Perform system restore: This will not bring back your recycle bin! It will roll back your operating system configuration and settings and also write a lot of data to your disk.

Now that you know what not to do - let’s move on to recovering those files.

Step 1: Locate another disk, partition, or computer you can use to assist in the restoration process.

Step 2: Search for and download file recovery software like R-Undelete or RecoverMyFiles. Both options allow you to download a free version of the software and look for your files, but if you find them and want to recover them, you’ll have to purchase the software. But if this is truly something precious, like your wedding video, then it’s worth it, right?

Software like these are valuable because the program will give you step by step instructions as you attempt to recover your data. Hopefully, recovery will be quick and painless with the right tools.

Step 3: Take out your hard drive and put it in a hard drive enclosure. With this device, which costs about $10, you’ll be able to treat your disk like a standard external hard drive.

Step 4: Run a raw file search to find the file types you need. With a raw file search, you can look for specific signatures like JPEG and pull up only the signatures you’re looking for, making it easier and quicker to spot the files you’re trying to recover.

If your data is available, the raw file search will flag it and allow you to recover it. Good luck!

If you didn’t find your files, it’s time to consider whether you want to call a data recovery specialist. Specialists are pricey, but if it’s your only copy of your freshly written novel, it might be worth the price.

And, whether you found these files or not, don’t forget to back up everything so that you don’t need to visit us again!