After recovering from the initial shock of realizing that vital data is no longer where you expected it to be, you need to think straight about what you are going to do to get it back.

Calling in the professionals, by searching IT support Sydney, for instance, wouldn’t be a bad call and should increase your chances of getting back to where you were before.

Let’s take a look at some of the main steps to take when you are trying to recover lost data.

Don’t use your device

The last thing you want to do when you discover a security breach that has caused you to lose data is to make things even worse.

That’s why you need to stop using any affected devices until you get to the root of the problem. It is also good advice because you run the risk of overwriting data and losing what you need if you keep using the disk.

Call a professional

It is always best to call in professional help rather than attempt to fix the problem yourself.

You may well be tempted to take the DIY route but unless you have a degree of IT competency it could damage your chances of a successful recovery if you try to fix the problem on your own.

Review what steps you took before the problem

In the aftermath of your data loss, it makes sense to try and establish the facts leading up to the incident.

Did you make any recent changes to your system such as installing a software update, or change your password details?

Writing down your actions could provide a handy checklist that could identify the source of the security problem that led to the subsequent data loss.

Create a plan of action

Once you have a good idea of what caused the problem in the first place it’s time to take steps to put yourself back to where you were before by restoring your data.

The good news is that if you have been diligent in creating regular backups and have current versions of your data backed up on the cloud the process of restoring your data should be straightforward once you are ready to proceed.

If the damage is physical or you don’t have a backup that you can use it might be possible to download some software that will help you to attempt the recovery.

It is always a smart move to get some professional guidance when you consider the consequences of data loss. It is even more imperative that you seek out professional help if the hardware or disk has been damaged by fire or water.

A deep search might work

Using file recovery tools will probably be suggested when you contact someone with IT knowledge.

These file recovery tools conduct a more thorough search of your system and may well be able to find data on lost drives or partitions.

It is worth remembering that a deep search can potentially find files that don’t appear under less intensive search techniques.

If you lose data, don’t panic. Instead, follow these steps to boost your chances of getting back what you think might have been lost forever.