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    Elastic Compute Service:Best practices for data restoration on Windows instances

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    Elastic Compute Service:Best practices for data restoration on Windows instances

    Last Updated:Jul 15, 2026

    Recover deleted files on a Windows ECS instance with snapshots or DiskGenius, and set up safeguards against data loss.

    Warning

    This topic uses third-party software for data recovery. Alibaba Cloud does not guarantee the recovery results. If the data is critical and you lack recovery expertise, contact a professional data recovery agency.

    Choose a recovery method

    Identify the recovery path that applies to your situation.

    Situation Recommended method
    You created a snapshot before the deletion Restore from snapshot. See Create snapshot manually.
    No snapshot exists and the instance fails to start Detach the disk, attach it to a working instance, then use DiskGenius. See Restore deleted files using DiskGenius.

    The following sections cover the no-snapshot, instance-fails-to-start scenario in detail.

    Workflow

    image

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin, ensure the following:

    • A second Windows ECS instance is available as the repair environment.

    • You have access to the ECS console to stop instances and detach disks.

    • DiskGenius is third-party software. Some features require payment. See the official DiskGenius website for pricing.

    Restore deleted files using DiskGenius

    Use this procedure when files were accidentally deleted, the instance cannot start, and no snapshot exists.

    You detach the affected disk, attach it to a second Windows instance, scan for deleted files with DiskGenius, and restore them.

    Step 1: Snapshot the affected disk

    Take a snapshot to capture the disk's current state before proceeding. This protects existing data if recovery fails.

    See Create snapshot manually

    Step 2: Detach the disk from the affected instance

    Warning

    Before detaching the system disk, stop the instance. In the ECS console, select Force Stop. Otherwise, the instance cannot be stopped.

    Force Stop is equivalent to a power-off operation. Data in the instance operating system that has not been written to disk may be lost. Proceed with caution.

    Detach the system disk or data disk from the affected instance. See Detach or attach system disk

    Step 3: Attach the disk to the repair instance

    Attach the detached disk to the repair instance as a data disk.

    Warning

    The ECS console may prompt you to initialize the attached disk. Do not click Initialize Now. Initializing erases all data. Close the dialog and proceed.

    Step 4: Scan and recover files with DiskGenius

    Important

    DiskGenius is third-party software. Fees may apply for file recovery features. Alibaba Cloud does not charge for DiskGenius. See the DiskGenius website for pricing.

    1. Connect to the repair instance via RDP. See Connect to a Windows instance

    2. Download DiskGenius from diskgenius.com.

      Go to the official DiskGenius website to download DiskGenius.

    3. Extract the package and double-click DiskGenius.exe to run DiskGenius.

    4. In DiskGenius, right-click the partition on the attached disk and select Recover Lost Files.

    5. Keep the default settings and click Start to scan for deleted files.

    6. Click OK after the scan completes.

      Dialog prompt: Select the files you want to recover, then copy the files to another disk or partition that does not require data recovery.

    7. On the Files tab, select the files to recover, right-click, and choose the restore operation to save them to a path on the repair instance.

      Available recovery operations include Copy to Specified Folder(S)..., Copy to "Desktop"(D), and Copy to "My Documents"(M).

      Important

      DiskGenius is third-party software that may charge for file restoration. This fee is unrelated to Alibaba Cloud. See the official DiskGenius website.

    Note

    These steps cover only the essential recovery procedure. See the official DiskGenius website for advanced usage and troubleshooting.

    See the DiskGenius documentation for detailed usage.

    Best practices for preventing data loss

    Recovery tools cannot guarantee success, especially if the disk has been written to after deletion. Apply these measures to protect your data proactively.

    Understand triplicate storage limitations

    Triplicate storage replicates data across three physical nodes to guard against hardware failures, but does not protect against logical issues such as accidental deletions, viruses, or file system corruption. Use snapshots and geo-redundancy for those scenarios.

    See ESSD cloud disk data reliability.

    Use automatic snapshot policies

    Apply an automatic snapshot policy to your system disk and data disks to create scheduled recovery points without manual intervention.

    Important

    To release automatic snapshots along with the disk, select Delete Automatic Snapshots While Releasing Disk in the Modify Attributes dialog. To retain them, clear this option. See Snapshot FAQ and Create an automatic snapshot policy.

    Create manual snapshots before high-risk operations

    Take a manual snapshot before any of these operations:

    • Updating the kernel

    • Upgrading or changing applications

    • Restoring data on disks

    Add a second layer of backup

    Snapshots alone may not cover all data loss scenarios. Add at least one additional backup method:

    • OSS backup — copy critical data to an OSS bucket for independent, durable storage

    • Offline backup — export data to external media for air-gapped protection

    • Geo-redundancy — replicate data to a different region for disaster recovery

    Next steps