Immediately turn off your computer and think over the situation. Soberly assess the importance of your inaccessible data. The earlier you refer to a specialist, the higher will be the probability of full recovery of the lost information. Attempts to solve the problem on your own by using different utilities that may be at your disposal at the moment are most likely to further destroy the logical structure of the file system and make subsequent data recovery much more complicated and, of course, expensive.

   Never admit the activation of file system repair utilities like CHKDSK or SCANDISK which may as well launch automatically after reboot. It is also better not to use programs of the type of Norton Disk Doctor, PC Tools, PC medic, etc. All these programs are intended for normally working systems, and not for the off-normal situations of data loss. They are capable to damage the internal structure of the file system and render the data recovery task even more difficult. Instead of helping you, such programs are likely to further aggravate the problem. If, after reboot, the program has started anyway, let it terminate normally because turning the power off while a file system repair utility is running may cause an even vaster damage to the file system.

   If abnormal noises (knocking, clicking, squeaking, etc.) are heard from the disk, shut down the operating system and turn off the power. When problems of this type arise, it is recommended to stop using the disk immediately and seek the help of a specialist.

   Do not save new files to the damaged disk. If you have accidentally deleted a file from your computer, never attempt subsequent writing operations because new data may be written over the deleted file, thereby strongly complicating the recovery procedure.

   Never defragment the damaged disk. Many users, in their effort to localize the damaged areas, run hard disk defragmentation tools. This is absolutely inadmissible since the sectors containing data from the deleted files will be overwritten with data from other files.

   If the problem showed during startup, analyze the displayed error messages and then always consult with a specialist.

   The most secure way to rescue your data is to contact our specialized data recovery service immediately after you notice the problem.