Google Drive: Major bug deletes many files, users lose months of data

This is a minor massacre that took place among some Google Drive users. Many people share their misfortunes on support forums. And there is reason to worry: if sudden file loss is certainly an annoying event, but not particularly trivial, the magnitude of the error is completely different this time. In fact, we are talking about several months of data disappearing without any explanation.

In a way, it’s as if the affected users’ drive was automatically restored to its state a few months ago. Some talk about alarming periods: 3 months for some, up to 6 months, even 2 years for some. Files, folders, tree structure: everything is restored automatically, without the user having to perform any special actions on the storage service. This also leads to funny situations like Google Drive displaying files that are several months old in the “Recent Files” section.

It is urgent to backup your Google Drive

The issue seems particularly thorny because it involves not just one version of the app. The issue was detected in both web and desktop versions; which shows the worst in terms of missing files. In fact, considering an interface issue that hides files from users’ view, it’s not very reassuring if they don’t appear in any version of Drive.

When notified, Google immediately stated that an investigation was ongoing to fix this bug. It appears that a recent update caused the problem. “Our engineers are currently investigating the situation. We are also looking for its origins [du bug] to find out how we can solve it.” The Mountain View company notified one of the users affected by the error. Additionally, due to the risk of corruption of data stored in the cloud, it is recommended that you do not touch your files until a solution is found.

However, you can backup your cloud. Considering the situation, this is definitely highly recommended to avoid losing all the files and folders stored in the last few months. Fortunately, the operation is quite simple. Here’s how to do this:

1. Go to website Google Takeout
2. If you haven’t already, sign in Google account
3. click All deselect
4. Scroll down until you find the section To spread and check the box there
5. click All Drive data included
6. check the box Include all files and folders in Google Drive
7. click Advanced Settings
8. Check the boxes Include named, published and imported versions
   And Add additional information about files and folders
9. At the bottom of the page, click Next step
10. Select from the drop-down menu Email download link
11. click Create export
12. In the received email, click on Upload your files

Source : Ghacks