A backup only counts if it runs without you thinking about it. Plenty of people have an external drive in a drawer that was last plugged in three years ago - that's not a backup, that's a souvenir.
If you've already lost something, don't keep using the computer - that's what makes files unrecoverable. Turn it off and call us. We can often get things back from deleted folders or a drive that's starting to fail, and we'll be honest early if it's beyond us and needs a specialist lab.