Hi

How can I recover a file that I have just started to over-write?

Details:
I have a large .PST file that by mistake I have just STARTED to over-
write.
Because I was copying over the top of it (rather than deleting) it is
NOT
visible in my Recycled Bid...

Any suggestions?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

ship wrote:
> Hi
>
> How can I recover a file that I have just started to over-write?
>
> Details:
> I have a large .PST file that by mistake I have just STARTED to over-
> write.
> Because I was copying over the top of it (rather than deleting) it is
> NOT
> visible in my Recycled Bid...
>
> Any suggestions?

There's nothing you can do. You've already overwritten the original file
with the new information. The only way to reverse your action is to
restore the file from backup. If you didn't have a backup, you're out of
luck.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

> There's nothing you can do. You've already overwritten the original file
> with the new information. The only way to reverse your action is to
> restore the file from backup. If you didn't have a backup, you're out of
> luck.

B*gger. So are you really saying the WindowsXP overwritest the exact
same
part of the disk when it copies one file over another file?

I know for a fact that some of the bytes wont yet have been over
written yet,
because the original .PST file was so large (c.500MB) and I only over-
wrote it for it for
about half a second.

So, is there NO utility other than the WindowsXP "Recycle Bin" to help
us recover
deleted files?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe




Ship2

ship wrote:
>> There's nothing you can do. You've already overwritten the original file
>> with the new information. The only way to reverse your action is to
>> restore the file from backup. If you didn't have a backup, you're out of
>> luck.
>
> B*gger. So are you really saying the WindowsXP overwritest the exact
> same
> part of the disk when it copies one file over another file?
>
> I know for a fact that some of the bytes wont yet have been over
> written yet,
> because the original .PST file was so large (c.500MB) and I only over-
> wrote it for it for
> about half a second.
>
> So, is there NO utility other than the WindowsXP "Recycle Bin" to help
> us recover
> deleted files?

When you overwrite a file with the exact same file name, you write data
to that particular place on the hard drive. It doesn't matter that you
only wrote for "half a second". Computers are fast. Running data
recovery software is going to bring up the file with the changes. But
don't take my word for it - I'll be happy for you if I'm wrong. I'm
going on years of experience in data recovery for clients but your
situation could be different. Here are some links to data recovery
software. Some of the programs are free and most of the ones that are
not at least allow you to see if you would retrieve the file(s) before
paying for them.

http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
PCInspector File Recovery -
http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/welcome.htm
Executive Software “Undelete” -
http://www.execsoft.com/undelete/undelete.asp
R-Studio - http://www.r-tt.com/
File Scavenger - http://www.quetek.com/prod02.htm
Ontrack's EasyRecovery - http://www.ontrack.com/software/


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Half a second?? Good grief man that's five hundred thousand micro seconds.
"ship" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> There's nothing you can do. You've already overwritten the original file
>> with the new information. The only way to reverse your action is to
>> restore the file from backup. If you didn't have a backup, you're out of
>> luck.
>
> B*gger. So are you really saying the WindowsXP overwritest the exact
> same
> part of the disk when it copies one file over another file?
>
> I know for a fact that some of the bytes wont yet have been over
> written yet,
> because the original .PST file was so large (c.500MB) and I only over-
> wrote it for it for
> about half a second.
>
> So, is there NO utility other than the WindowsXP "Recycle Bin" to help
> us recover
> deleted files?
>
>
> Ship
> Shiperton Henethe
>
>
>
>
> Ship2
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

On Nov 12, 6:42 pm, Malke <notrea...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> ship wrote:
> >> There's nothing you can do. You've already overwritten the original file
> >> with the new information. The only way to reverse your action is to
> >> restore the file from backup. If you didn't have a backup, you're out of
> >> luck.
>
> > B*gger. So are you really saying the WindowsXP overwritest the exact
> > same
> > part of the disk when it copies one file over another file?
>
> > I know for a fact that some of the bytes wont yet have been over
> > written yet,
> > because the original .PST file was so large (c.500MB) and I only over-
> > wrote it for it for
> > about half a second.
>
> > So, is there NO utility other than the WindowsXP "Recycle Bin" to help
> > us recover
> > deleted files?
>
> When you overwrite a file with the exact same file name, you write data
> to that particular place on the hard drive. It doesn't matter that you
> only wrote for "half a second". Computers are fast. Running data
> recovery software is going to bring up the file with the changes. But
> don't take my word for it - I'll be happy for you if I'm wrong. I'm
> going on years of experience in data recovery for clients but your
> situation could be different. Here are some links to data recovery
> software. Some of the programs are free and most of the ones that are
> not at least allow you to see if you would retrieve the file(s) before
> paying for them.


Thanks I already tried FreeUndelete and to not much avail.
But the fact that such utilities exist does prove that more can be
done
than just look in you "Recycle bin"

I still take issue with the idea that my ENTIRE file will have been
over-written
in half a second because it takes several seconds to copy the whole
thing!
So clearly SOME of it is still there on the disk.

But no matter.

Either way it remains one of the most STUPID things about m$Windows
that
if you over-write a file with a file of the same name that the system
isnt clever
enough to formally "Delete" that file first (i.e.put it into the
"Recycle bid") .
And thus copying data from disk to disk remains a very dangerous
process
- simply because if you get confused about which disk you have mapped
to what location you will delete you g*ddam data, apparently, for all
time.

How the *heck* that man Gates ever got to be so rich in this crud
still has
me scratching my head.


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

ship wrote:
(snippage)

> Either way it remains one of the most STUPID things about m$Windows
> that
> if you over-write a file with a file of the same name that the system
> isnt clever
> enough to formally "Delete" that file first (i.e.put it into the
> "Recycle bid") .
> And thus copying data from disk to disk remains a very dangerous
> process
> - simply because if you get confused about which disk you have mapped
> to what location you will delete you g*ddam data, apparently, for all
> time.

I'm very sorry for your loss but you have a misunderstanding about how
computers and operating systems work. When you overwrite a file with new
data, it is never "formally" deleted in *any* operating system. This
behavior has nothing to do with Windows and everything to do with what
"Save" means - in Unix, Linux, OS X, and Windows.

I'm afraid that it wasn't "m$Windows" that was stupid.

Of course, if you had Leopard with Time Machine or Vista
Business/Ultimate, you could get back the previous version of your file.
Since you don't, learn to be more careful in the future.

EOT for me.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

On Nov 13, 12:14 pm, Malke <notrea...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> ship wrote:
>
> (snippage)
>
> > Either way it remains one of the most STUPID things about m$Windows
> > that
> > if you over-write a file with a file of the same name that the system
> > isnt clever
> > enough to formally "Delete" that file first (i.e.put it into the
> > "Recycle bid") .
> > And thus copying data from disk to disk remains a very dangerous
> > process
> > - simply because if you get confused about which disk you have mapped
> > to what location you will delete you g*ddam data, apparently, for all
> > time.
>
> I'm very sorry for your loss but you have a misunderstanding about how
> computers and operating systems work. When you overwrite a file with new
> data, it is never "formally" deleted in *any* operating system. This
> behavior has nothing to do with Windows and everything to do with what
> "Save" means - in Unix, Linux, OS X, and Windows.
>
> I'm afraid that it wasn't "m$Windows" that was stupid.
>
> Of course, if you had Leopard with Time Machine or Vista
> Business/Ultimate, you could get back the previous version of your file.
> Since you don't, learn to be more careful in the future.

Why are you being so smug and patronising?

Look - dont give me this 'holier than though' information theory BS.
An operating system is
simply a tool that is supposed to be designed for use, and you know
it. And a perfectly
natural mistake while using any o/s is to copy something the wrong
direction.

But if I "delete" a file it goes into the "Recycle bin". Just how hard
can it be
to design an operating system to perform the same activity whenever
it is requested to overwrite a file? i.e. To go through the formal
motions
of "deletion" and only then write to the disk with the new copy of the
file.

If you would stop to think for a single millisecond you would realise
that
the answer is "not remotely hard". The problem is that nobody as M$
bothered to think it through.

Let's be honest - if there was a half-credible alternative to Windows/
Office
for normal business use 3/4 of the business community would jump
ship. The reason we stay is bound up with the concept of monopoly
and has nothing to do with merit.


Ship

ship wrote:
> On Nov 13, 12:14 pm, Malke <notrea...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> ship wrote:
>>
>> (snippage)
>>
>>> Either way it remains one of the most STUPID things about m$Windows
>>> that
>>> if you over-write a file with a file of the same name that the
>>> system isnt clever
>>> enough to formally "Delete" that file first (i.e.put it into the
>>> "Recycle bid") .
>>> And thus copying data from disk to disk remains a very dangerous
>>> process
>>> - simply because if you get confused about which disk you have
>>> mapped to what location you will delete you g*ddam data,
>>> apparently, for all time.
>>
>> I'm very sorry for your loss but you have a misunderstanding about
>> how computers and operating systems work. When you overwrite a file
>> with new data, it is never "formally" deleted in *any* operating
>> system. This behavior has nothing to do with Windows and everything
>> to do with what "Save" means - in Unix, Linux, OS X, and Windows.
>>
>> I'm afraid that it wasn't "m$Windows" that was stupid.
>>
>> Of course, if you had Leopard with Time Machine or Vista
>> Business/Ultimate, you could get back the previous version of your
>> file. Since you don't, learn to be more careful in the future.
>
> Why are you being so smug and patronising?
>
> Look - dont give me this 'holier than though' information theory BS.
> An operating system is
> simply a tool that is supposed to be designed for use, and you know
> it. And a perfectly
> natural mistake while using any o/s is to copy something the wrong
> direction.
>
> But if I "delete" a file it goes into the "Recycle bin". Just how hard
> can it be
> to design an operating system to perform the same activity whenever
> it is requested to overwrite a file? i.e. To go through the formal
> motions
> of "deletion" and only then write to the disk with the new copy of the
> file.
>
> If you would stop to think for a single millisecond you would realise
> that
> the answer is "not remotely hard". The problem is that nobody as M$
> bothered to think it through.
>
> Let's be honest - if there was a half-credible alternative to Windows/
> Office
> for normal business use 3/4 of the business community would jump
> ship. The reason we stay is bound up with the concept of monopoly
> and has nothing to do with merit.
>
>
> Ship

Well, why don't you design an OS to do exactly what you are asking being
that it is "not remotely hard".
Since you have obviously thought it through where nobody else has, it should
be a piece of cake. You could be the next richest man in the world.
An operating system may be "simply a tool that is supposed to be designed
for use", but surely you are aware that the incorrect use or misuse of any
tool can lead to disaster. It may be a perfectly natural mistake to copy
something wrong, but as Malke pointed out, a backup would have saved your
data. Nearly everyone I know, including me, has made the same mistake you
made at some point in their pc use. I am sure that having learned this
painful lesson, you are immediately taking the necessary steps to learn
about backing up your data so that it never happens again.

On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:53:46 -0800, ship <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Nov 13, 12:14 pm, Malke <notrea...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> ship wrote:
>>
>> (snippage)
>>
>> > Either way it remains one of the most STUPID things about m$Windows
>> > that
>> > if you over-write a file with a file of the same name that the system
>> > isnt clever
>> > enough to formally "Delete" that file first (i.e.put it into the
>> > "Recycle bid") .
>> > And thus copying data from disk to disk remains a very dangerous
>> > process
>> > - simply because if you get confused about which disk you have mapped
>> > to what location you will delete you g*ddam data, apparently, for all
>> > time.
>>
>> I'm very sorry for your loss but you have a misunderstanding about how
>> computers and operating systems work. When you overwrite a file with new
>> data, it is never "formally" deleted in *any* operating system. This
>> behavior has nothing to do with Windows and everything to do with what
>> "Save" means - in Unix, Linux, OS X, and Windows.
>>
>> I'm afraid that it wasn't "m$Windows" that was stupid.
>>
>> Of course, if you had Leopard with Time Machine or Vista
>> Business/Ultimate, you could get back the previous version of your file.
>> Since you don't, learn to be more careful in the future.
>
>Why are you being so smug and patronising?
>
>Look - dont give me this 'holier than though' information theory BS.
>An operating system is
>simply a tool that is supposed to be designed for use, and you know
>it. And a perfectly
>natural mistake while using any o/s is to copy something the wrong
>direction.
>
>But if I "delete" a file it goes into the "Recycle bin". Just how hard
>can it be
>to design an operating system to perform the same activity whenever
>it is requested to overwrite a file? i.e. To go through the formal
>motions
>of "deletion" and only then write to the disk with the new copy of the
>file.
>
>If you would stop to think for a single millisecond you would realise
>that
>the answer is "not remotely hard". The problem is that nobody as M$
>bothered to think it through.
>
>Let's be honest - if there was a half-credible alternative to Windows/
>Office
>for normal business use 3/4 of the business community would jump
>ship. The reason we stay is bound up with the concept of monopoly
>and has nothing to do with merit.
>
>
>Ship

Malke was quite kind and diplomatic.

You must be the same guy who runs into a tree and blames the tree for
growing in your path.

Basically, if you're too careless to manipulate files correctly, have
someone else do it.

I'm quite positive this is not the first time you've overwritten a file.

Geez, Windows even asks you if you want to do it. Of course, that would
need some reading comprehension.

The upshot is, you screwed up and cannot take responsibility for your
actions. You blame everything except Bill Gate's haircut when in fact,
you are the culprit.

So, quit whining.