It starts out like any ordinary day at the office. You sit down at your computer, ready to carpe the diem or whatever that inspirational plaque on your desk says. A storm grumbles in the distance, but instead of “saving early, saving often” like your dad told you to do when the world’s tiniest raincloud would appear, you keep slogging through your to-do list. And then your computer goes blank. You sit dumbfounded before the screen as it slowly sinks in that all of your hard work was just erased.
Maybe the loss of data wasn’t even your fault. Perhaps you were trying to do the right thing by moving important documents into the Cloud (no, not the raincloud), but it didn’t sync properly. Like a wicked magic trick, your computer pulled a Houdini and made your files disappear. Regardless of how data loss occurs, you usually have a chance to recover your missing documents. You just need to follow a few crucial steps:
Don’t Panic – This is war, and when you’re off to battle, you need to know the enemy. And the enemy isn’t the storm. It’s panic. Don’t let it whisper that insidious little symphony of disaster in your ear. Try to ignore that dark glissando of cold dread gliding down your spine. After all, this isn’t a late-night marathon of B-grade horror flicks. Just take a few minutes to calm yourself and breathe deeply. It’s not the end of the world, we promise!
Stop What You’re Doing – Look, you might have been able to fix your mom’s computer any time she had any problems, but this isn’t like showing her that Google Chrome and Firefox are web browsers (and then explaining what that means). Don’t mess with anything on your device – even the savviest of computer wizards can worsen the situation. That means no checking emails, scrounging around for the files in question, or watching a Vine compilation on YouTube to cheer you up. Just put down your smartphone/laptop/tablet or step away from your computer for the time being. It won’t grow legs and run off.
Start Making Notes – Now’s the time to don your metaphorical detective hat (or a real one if it will make you feel more confident and Sherlock Holmes-like, we won’t judge). Jot down what you were doing when you lost your data and which files are missing. Take note of everything that you might’ve seen or heard (or even smelled) that could be considered out of the ordinary. These notes will be helpful when you decide your next course of action.
Don’t DIY – There’s a time and place for DIY. Home décor? Sure. Trying to restore your lost data? That’s a hard nope. We know you want to try to fix the problem yourself, but it will only make matters worse. Don’t attempt to open your device and try rewiring things. You’re gonna have a bad time.
Call the Experts – Who you gonna call? Not someone clad in a beige suit with an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his (or her) back. Acropolis may not be terribly adept at bustin’ ghosts, but we’re pretty darn dependable when it comes to all things IT. Remember those notes you took in step 3? Those are gonna come in handy when you call us. Tell us all about the situation and we’ll figure out the rest from there.
No business is immune to data loss, but taking the appropriate steps can give you a fighting chance of retrieving what was once lost. When in doubt, call Acropolis Technology Group. Our IT gurus can give you some pretty great advice about what you need to do should you ever lose your data.