accidently deleted a folder

[Guest]

Is there a way to retrieve something you accidently deleted? My entire "My
Pictures" folder with all of my pictures is missing. I did a search, but it
doesn't come up with anything. It's completly missing for some reason. The
only thing I can think of is someone deleted it. It's not in the recycle bin
either.

 

[Mark F.]

Is there a way to retrieve something you accidently deleted? My entire "My
Pictures" folder with all of my pictures is missing. I did a search, but it
doesn't come up with anything. It's completly missing for some reason. The
only thing I can think of is someone deleted it. It's not in the recycle bin
either.

You need file recovery software. Chances are the folder and files are
still there are fully recoverable.

http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/welcome.htm
http://www.datadoctor.org/partition-recovery/windows-ntfs.html
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/...lities/R_Undelete_File_Recovery_Software.html

Google for "file recovery", "undelete files" etc. There are many more.

Shareware recovery software may only display the files but won't allow
you to recover them until you "buy" the software.

Mark

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

In addition to Mark's suggestions, you should stop using that machine until
you have recovered the files, to keep them from being overwritten. (Files
that are deleted aren't erased, they're just marked as OK to overwrite.)
Even better is to use another machine to do the recovery, putting your hard
drive into the other machine. That way you don't have to run your system and
risk losing the files forever.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Is there a way to retrieve something you accidently deleted?

Sometimes.


My entire "My
Pictures" folder with all of my pictures is missing. I did a search, but it
doesn't come up with anything. It's completly missing for some reason. The
only thing I can think of is someone deleted it. It's not in the recycle bin
either.

"Deleting" a file doesn't actually delete it; it just marks the space
as available to be used. There are third-party programs that can
sometimes recover deleted files. The problem is that the space used by
the file is likely to become overwritten very quickly, and this makes
the file unrecoverable.

So your chances of successfully recovering this file are decent if you
try recovering it immediately after deleting it, and rapidly go
downhill from there. If you've been using the computer since then (for
example to write this question and read this answer), your chances may
be very poor by now.

But if the file is important enough, it's worth a try anyway. Stop
using the computer in question immediately, if you haven't done so
already. Download an undelete program (here's one:
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html but there are several
others to choose from; do a Google search) on a friend's computer and
bring it to yours on a floppy to try.

If this fails, your only other recourse is to take the drive to a
professional file recovery company. This kind of service is very
expensive and may or may not work in your case.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Is there a way to retrieve something you accidently deleted? My entire
"My
Pictures" folder with all of my pictures is missing. I did a search, but
it
doesn't come up with anything. It's completly missing for some reason.
The
only thing I can think of is someone deleted it. It's not in the recycle
bin
either.

After following up the leads given by the other respondents (and
hopefully retrieving your files), reconsider your backup philosophy.
The fundamental rule of computing says that all important files
must reside on at least two separate media kept in different physical
locations. A 2.5" disk in an external USB case is an excellent
backup medium and it costs far, far less than the fee charged by
data recovery services.

 

[Philip Andrews]

Sue -

What you should try first in such cases is to click the 'Edit' button in
the folder from which the delete took place, and see whether 'Undo Delete'
is available. If it is, click it - and your folder should then reappear. You
can also apply 'Control+Z' (which is 'undo last operation') to achieve the
same effect.

If that fails, enter 'Pictures' as a search and see what comes up on the
list. It's quite possible that the folder has been accidentally moved into
another folder, which is why it's not in the Recycle bin (although from what
you wrote it looks like a bit of a forlorn hope).

Other posters are correct about putting personal data onto a separate
hard-drive - but it's not a germane comment in this case.

They're also right about not making any changes to that computer until
the files have been found. A program that I use for retrieving crashed
drives is GetDataBack - I can't remember, but I think that the evaluation
version might be sufficiently-featured to get your files back if they've
been trashed somehow. At the very least, it'll show you whether the folder
and files are still available. Use 'Sustained Damage' as the initial
setting. The program comes in two flavours - FAT and NTFS. The chances are
that you'll need the NTFS version.

Good luck - I hope you get your photos back )

Regards,

Philip

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Philip,

Thanks for your reply. Please note that I'm Pegasus, not Sue.

You suggest that advice about sound backup practices
is not appropriate in Sue's case. I disagree strongly. The first
step for Sue is to fix the current problem, i.e. to to try and
recover her files. The second and far more important step
is for her to adopt an appropriate backup philosophy.
If this is not made clear to her then she will end up in the
same terrible situation next time round.

Your advice is equivalent to teaching someone how to
bandage a deep cut made accidentally with a sharp knife.
Great. Now let the person find out how to handle a
sharp knife!

 

[Philip Andrews]

Thanks for the polite rebuttal - this is how I've always stored my own data,
but Sue (for whom this reply was intended, not you) may or may not be ready
to cope with that yet.

Philip

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Learning about good backup practices must come BEFORE
storing important documents on a PC. Waiting until the first
disaster has happened is a terrible way of gaining experience.
I sincerely hope that the OP will make the effort to acquire
this knowledge now rather than waiting for the next accident
to happen.