She accessed her old external drive and found an abp_pro14_25688.exe installer, which she knew Uptodown offered as a safe, older version.

Her colleague had warned her about ransomware spreading locally, advising, "Stop relying on luck, get a real solution, even if it's a free version

She installed it on a laptop, plugged in her damaged hard drive, and used the Rescue System feature, as described on Ashampoo.com.

She restored the whole system easily, using the instructions on Support.ashampoo.com.

." Desperate, she recalled a colleague mentioning a fully featured, older—but reliable—version: .