What can you do when you lose data?

• If your drive is making unusual noise, shut it down immediately and do not power up again.
• Calmly assess the situation. Hasty attempts to fix the problem can often result in further damage and data loss.
• Stop writing to any media (including hard drives) that may be involved in data loss. Note that running most software (for example, Internet Explorer) means writing new data to your drive (and possibly overwriting the lost data you are seeking).
• Eliminate the simplest possible causes, such as loose cables or bad device drivers.
• Write down all symptoms of failure and all recent actions and events involving your computer.
• Find your contingency plan and proceed through its steps.
• Avoid do-it-yourself solutions. Do-it-yourself software may make extensive use of the problem drive, potentially causing complete failure.

What is data loss?
The majority of computer users will encounter data loss at some time. Data loss is usually characterized by one or more of the following:

• You are unable to access any data from a previously functioning computer system or backup.
• Data has accidentally been erased or data control structures have been overwritten.
• Data has been corrupted or made inaccessible.

What causes data loss?
Among other causes, data loss can be attributed to system or human error, adverse environmental conditions and device failure.

Human causes of data loss include intentional or accidental deletion or overwriting of files. Virus damage, operating system or application software bugs, or failed upgrades may also cause data loss.

Common physical causes of data loss include power loss or power surge, overheating, electrostatic ("static") discharge and any kind of physical damage to the storage device or medium.