Effective precaution-measures

You can increase the chances to recover data, if you consider some points.

1. Do not store important files in the root directory.
   Files, which are stored in the root directory, are sensitive to a loss by quick formatting, because file entries are set-aside in the root.
   Avoid to store to store files directly in the root since the file disappears, if the directory entry is damaged. In an emergency, one can recover data very quickly if it is in a sub-directory.
   
   
   
2. Defragment the hard drive regularly
   Data is stored in successive clusters, if sufficient connected free storage location is available. Repeated deletion and write operations fragment the drive.
   
   An example:
   
   (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) - should represent 8 small files
   
   (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) - now files (2), (4), (7) and (8) were deleted
   
   (1) (9) (3) (9) (5) (6) (9) (9) - disk is fragmented if a larger file is stored
   
   
   If data is deleted from the disk, new data can take the free place. If the new data is larger than the old one however, the data is net set aside in coherent range, but in fragments.
   When reading fragmented data the head of the hard disk has to 'jump' (i.e. the head moves to the looked track). Thus the reading and write speed is reduced.
   In order to make the read and write procedure again more efficient, it is necesscary to reorganize the fragmented disk. After defragmentation, the data is in sequential order and then look in such a way:
   
   (1) (9) (9) (9) (9) (3) (5) (6) - after the drive is defragmented
   
   A usually fragmented disk will degree the efficiency of a data-rescue, if e.g. the FAT is overwritten by a quick format or a virus. Then it is necessary to analyse exactly, how a file scattered over the disk lies. If however connected data is present, a data-rescue is very quickly possible on the basis of the information about its position and size.
   
   Important: A non-fragmented disk will increase you rate of recovery because the complete data is stored at the beginning of the first cluster of a file.
   
   
   
3. Do not store important data on drives with small capacity
   The probability of the recover is lower, the smaller the disk capacity is. Important data should be saved on a free drive. The smaller the capacity is, the higher the risk of fragmentation is.
   
   
   
4. Defragment your floppy disk, after data is stored on it
   Disks are fragmented with very high probability. Therefore it is advisable with important data, to distribute the files into several directories and then defragment the floppy disk.
   
   
   
5. Do not use a drive, which you require to the data-rescue.
   Do not install recovery software on a drive that contains data for your data-rescue. Otherwise data could be overwritten and success on a data rescue becomes smaller. Avoid working with the drive and do not save any data on it. Do not use a usal program, including the Windows(R) Explorer, in order not to overwrite important deleted data.
   For the data-recovery you should use a second hard disk.