File recovery troubleshooting

The first thing to determine is if the corruption is limited to one file or occurs with several, so you can limit the potential damage. 

If it’s one file, the cause could be a glitch with the computer that you haven’t noticed, or thought wasn’t connected.

If it’s more than one file, look for patterns:

• Did it occur with files that are in the same location (folder, hard disk, network, or removable drive)?
• Were they created or modified around the same time?
• Did anything change on or with the computer around the time the files were last edited?
• Did you use a plugin that led to file corruption/damage?

If you can find a pattern that indicates they shared common hardware, test your cables, try a different port, or use a different hard disk or use a hard disk instead of a network drive.

If the files were all created on the same computer, run a hardware diagnostic on that computer to check for bad RAM or other problems. This is rare but does happen occasionally and can cause file corruption. 

If you’ve added any software to your computer around the time the images were corrupted, there could be an issue with that application or update. Check for software updates or determine if your applications have recently been updated – if required, disable the application.

Although rare, virus protection software, backup software, and font management software can try to access files while they are being written, causing damage.

See Basic troubleshooting steps to fix most issues.