Have you just reset your PC and don’t know how to recover your files? When a computer crashes, freezes or becomes slow, it’s tempting to refresh or restore it. Restoring is a fairly delicate operation, and a risky one, especially for a first-time user. It can erase all the important data on the computer if it hasn’t been backed up beforehand. If your system has been reset, how can you recover the lost information? Here’s everything you need to know!
Why restore your computer?
Resetting a computer should never be done on a whim. It’s an exercise based on considerations that can be either subjective or objective. In any case, there are two main reasons why a user might decide to restore their machine:
Change of user
A change of user can lead to a reset of your computer’s system. This change may occur when the computer is sold, given as a gift, or transferred within a family. Restoring is therefore a way of deleting the previous user’s files. It returns the computer to its original state: this is known as a factory reset.
PC malfunction
A computer can also be reset following a malfunction. How can you tell? Very often, when a PC becomes unreliable, it is restored to make it run better. Such malfunctions can include a virus attack, corrupted files, slowdowns, overload, and so on. Reinstalling the operating system or restoring an earlier version of your computer solves the diagnosed problem.
These two reasons, along with other lesser-known ones, are the main causes behind resetting a computer’s system.
How do you recover data after resetting your PC?
When you restore your operating system, it’s important to create backups before starting the operation. But if you haven’t done so, know that there is indeed a solution for recovering your lost files. How? Simply use a data recovery tool or software. There are many available on the market.
However, alongside recovery software, certain steps can help you recover information lost during the restoration of your operating system. This involves running your computer’s “Recovery” utility. This is a recovery process that doesn’t require a CD or storage device. To do this, simply click on “Start,” then on the “Settings” tab. Next, click on “Update & Security,” and finally, to complete the process, click on “Reset this PC.”
It should be noted that when restoring your PC, two options need to be considered: deleting the files or creating a recovery drive on a hard disk, USB stick, CD, etc., in case the reset feature doesn’t work perfectly. If so, use WinRE mode. Otherwise, click on “Advanced startup options,” then on “Troubleshoot,” and finally click on: “Reset this PC.”
How to recover lost files after a reset: the steps to follow!
Recovering data after restoring your PC can be done in different ways. If you opt for recovery software such as Hexascan, it’s a free or paid piece of software that works with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. How do you go about it? Here are three steps to recover your information:
Installing the software
Start by downloading and installing the recovery software on your PC. You must then select the location of the drive where your data was lost after the system reset.
Run a quick or deep scan
The second step is to launch the scan by clicking the “Start” button. The scan may take a few minutes. If the first (quick) scan isn’t fully satisfactory, try the deep or advanced scan.
Recover the desired files
Once the scan is complete, simply preview and recover the files you consider important. To do this, just click on “Recover” and your data will be retrieved.
However, some executables should not be installed at the location where you want to perform the recovery. It is therefore important to follow each software developer’s instructions in order to make the most of its performance.
Data loss after a system reset: common scenarios!
File loss isn’t solely caused by restoring your PC. Many other scenarios can lead to data loss after your computer’s system is restored, including:
- No backup: if you fail to back up your files to a drive (other than drive C), your information will be deleted after the restore.
- User error: if some users inadvertently format all the drives on their PC, all files will be lost.
- Other scenarios: severe virus attacks, system incompatibility… or hard drive component failure are all possible causes of file loss.
Recovering data from a computer after a system restore is indeed possible, with or without a prior backup. This operation requires the use of reliable recovery software. You can also use your computer’s recovery utility to retrieve your files after restoring your PC.