Your computer has stopped functioning properly, won't power up, or has become unusable. After a few seconds, you realize that your life is on that thing. Photos, videos, home accounts, e-mails and all the work you've done for school or for that important client. It's been trapped in that computer and you can't get at it.

In most cases, Phoenix Help Desk can help.

- We can help you with lost passwords or computer login issues
- We can recover or resurrect corrupt disks that prevent computer startup
- We can retrieve data from a nonfunctioning computer for transfer to a new computer

You can also contact us to help you move any data from a working computer onto a new computer, or to help you securely wipe old drives prior to recycling or disposal.

Permanently deleting files from a computer is generally a two-step process. First, you must move files to the trash or recycle bin, and then you must actively "empty the trash" or "recycle" the files. If an important file is missing and you think you may have accidentally deleted it, don't panic.

- Search your computer to make sure you didn't simply move the file to a new directory
- Check the Trash or Recycle Bin to make sure your file isn't there, waiting for deletion
- Restore an earlier version of your file from a backup, if possible

There are methods available to retrieve files (or partial files) that have been permanently deleted from your computer, but they are unreliable and generally used only as a last resort.

Computers regularly write data to drives even when seemingly sitting idle, and files that have been overwritten by new data are impossible to "undelete". So, to maximize your chances of retrieving a permanently deleted file, TURN YOUR COMPUTER OFF IMMEDIATELY. Then contact Phoenix Help Desk and we'll assist you in attempting to recover your lost data.

When setting up a new computer, it's important to make sure that you've transferred all of your important data to your new machine. In addition to moving all of your documents and photos, Phoenix Help Desk takes some extra steps to make sure you don't forget anything important.

- We move large media libraries and make sure the your new computer properly recognizes them
- We'll take care to properly transfer web browser bookmarks and e-mail account settings
- We'll make sure e-mail messages are properly transferred into your new mail client
- We'll search for important files that may have been stored in a non-standard directory

We'll also make sure your new computer software is able to recognize your older files and properly open them. If not, we'll help you convert old files into versions that can be read by your new software. Make your transition to a new computer a smoother one by contacting us today.

We know it's a hassle, we know it's inconvenient, we know it's easy to plan on backing up computer data tomorrow or next week. However, regular computer backups will protect you from hardware failure, data corruption or accidental deletion.

Computers fail from time to time, but there's no reason to lose countless hours of work because of it.

For individuals, there are many ways to make sure your data is backed up and protected with minimal effort and without the expense of additional hardware. For businesses, backups are essential, and we can recommend a cost-effective data backup system that will protect your files and those of your clients. Contact us to learn more.