PSA: Regardless of the comfort and rising ubiquity of cloud storage companies, customers should not assume that information saved on the cloud are protected. Many Google Drive customers are actually discovering {that a} glitch within the service can put months of knowledge in danger. Google is investigating the issue, and one person has discovered a attainable answer.
Google is investigating quite a few circumstances the place months’ price of person information have disappeared from Google Drive. Till it resolves the problem, the corporate warns customers to not take away information from essential folders, however it might be protected to create new backups.
A number of account holders have not too long ago complained that their Google Drive information from the previous few months have vanished. One reported dropping three months of labor. A person described the drive rolling again to Could 2023 in an much more excessive instance.
Sadly, Google Drive’s built-in file restoration system does not assist as a result of it solely restores information that customers deleted. Some discussion board commenters acquired messages from Google assist saying they could not assist, however different indicators point out the info is perhaps recoverable.
Not less than one person found {that a} cache throughout the Google Drive part of the AppData folder accommodates the newest information however warns others towards manipulating it. An official message from Google additionally says customers should not delete or transfer the AppData folder (the Mac equal is Utility Assist) or disconnect the service from their accounts. The most secure measure is to make an area backup of your entire Google Drive folder till the corporate solves the issue.
One individual prepared to take the chance claims to have recovered the misplaced information from the cache by manipulating an older model of the Drive desktop app. Anybody making an attempt this answer must be extraordinarily cautious, because it goes towards Google’s official instructions and will completely harm the file system. Disclaimer out of the best way, this is the answer described:
First, uninstall the desktop app, then set up an older version (model 82 or 83 is perhaps out there, however guarantee it is from a trusted supply). Subsequent, deactivate the 2 Google Replace companies and the 2 scheduled duties. Whereas Google Drive will not be operating, navigate to a folder with an extended quantity below Consumer Knowledge (they is perhaps referring to AppData) > Google > DriveFS. Discover a folder referred to as “backups,” transfer its contents into the first folder, and restart Google Drive. Lastly, again up the primary drive folder, re-enable the replace companies, look forward to the app to auto-update, and use the backup to overwrite the drive folder.
Nobody else has verified the unofficial answer, so it ought to in all probability be taken solely as a final resort, if in any respect. It is perhaps greatest to attend till Google has official directions for recovering knowledge.
