Data Recovery Case File · Mac & Apple Systems · A Copy That Received the Same Action
A Second Copy Only Protects You From Things That Happen to One of Them
His enquiry describes redundancy that did not work. A folder of 110GB deleted from a laptop and cleared from the bin, where "I also had the same folder on an external drive and it's also been deleted from there in error too" — with the folder structure still visible and the contents absent. Two copies protect against one failing, and they do not protect against an action applied to both, which is the failure mode people plan for least.
| Media | Laptop internal storage and an external drive — the same 110GB folder deleted from both, with bin cleared; folder hierarchy visible and contents absent |
| Reported situation | 110GB folder deleted from a laptop · bin subsequently cleared · same folder held on an external drive · folder also deleted there in error · folder and subfolder structure still visible when searching · no content present within them · recovery sought from both |
| Fault class | Deletion applied to both copies with directory hierarchy partially surviving — content intact until overwritten; two independent recoveries available |
| Equipment used | Surviving hierarchy distinguished from surviving content · both devices removed from use before assessment · each imaged write-blocked separately before any scanning · deleted entries and free space examined against the known paths · signature carving targeted to the content types held |
The decode: what survived, what the second copy was for, and what to do first
What the visible folder structure means: the directory entries describing the folders survive while the entries describing their contents do not. Folders and files are recorded separately, and a deletion removes the file entries while sometimes leaving the containing structure in place — which is why he can see the shape of what he lost.
Why that is more useful than it looks: the surviving hierarchy gives the search a map. Knowing the folder names and structure means the recovery can be targeted at known paths rather than searching a whole drive blind — and it confirms exactly what should be there.
What has actually happened to the content: the space it occupies has been marked available. The files themselves are not erased and remain where they were written until something else is written over them — so on both devices, the material is present and unreferenced.
Why the second copy failed to help, and it is worth being precise: a copy protects against events that affect one device — a drive failing, a machine being stolen, a component ageing out. It does not protect against an action performed on both, and deletion is exactly that kind of action, particularly where the same person is tidying up in the same session.
Why this is the commonest gap in otherwise sensible arrangements: people plan for hardware failure and rarely for their own actions. Two drives holding identical content, both connected and both writable, are two copies exposed to one mistake — which is the argument for a copy that is offline, or one that keeps previous versions.
Which device is more urgent, and it is not the obvious one: the laptop. A computer in use writes continuously — updates, temporary files, caches — into space marked as available, so the deleted content there is being displaced for as long as the machine runs.
Why the external drive is the stronger prospect: it is written to only when he uses it. An external drive set aside after the deletion has had nothing written to it, so its copy of the folder should be substantially intact.
What follows practically: the external drive is disconnected and set aside now, and the laptop comes out of use. Between the two devices there are two independent chances at the same material, which is a materially better position than one.
What must not happen: no continued use of the laptop, and nothing further written to the external drive. Recovery output in particular must never be written to either of them.
On the bench
Surviving hierarchy was distinguished from surviving content — folder and file entries being recorded separately so that deletion can remove file references while leaving containing structure intact, which supplies known paths to target rather than requiring a blind search. Deletion marks occupied space available while leaving content in place until displaced. Each device was imaged write-blocked separately before any scanning, with the host writing continuously into freed space and therefore taking priority over the external drive.
The outcome
Surviving hierarchy distinguished from surviving content, both devices removed from use, and each imaged separately before any scanning. Free assessment, one fixed written figure including VAT. The decode: two copies protect against one device failing, not against an action applied to both — and deletion is exactly that kind of action. The external drive is your stronger prospect, since nothing has been written to it, while the laptop is the urgent one.
When the same deletion hit your backup too
Disconnect the external drive now and stop using the computer — those are two independent chances at the same material, and only one of them is deteriorating. The laptop is the urgent one, since a machine in use writes updates, temporary files and caches into space marked available, while an external drive set aside has had nothing written to it at all. Seeing the folder structure with nothing inside is genuinely useful: folder and file entries are recorded separately, so the surviving hierarchy gives the search known paths to target. For next time, the gap worth closing is a copy that is offline or keeps previous versions.
Disconnect the backup now — call Easy Data Recovery on 028 9002 0144; surviving hierarchy distinguished from surviving content, each device imaged separately, carving targeted to the known paths.
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Our case files are drawn from genuine enquiries received by our laboratory over the past ten years, anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Each one describes the diagnostic and recovery procedure our engineers apply to that fault, using the equipment listed.