LOST FOLDER

[Guest]

Hi.

Question: is there a way to recover files that were moved accidentally to
the recycle bin and then deleted? I have always heard that no file is ever
truly deleted, that they are simply rendered 'inaccessible' somewhere on the
hard drive. The reason I ask is that I recently noticed that an important
folder no longer appeared in the Windows Explorer file tree. I do not believe
I touched it at all but it is gone. I am assuming either I accidentally
removed it (I don't know how) or that a virus is at work. I tried system
restore, returning my computer to a state from three months ago (as far back
as Windows System Restore allows) and the folder and subfolders reappeared,
but they were all empty, devoid of their contents. Their contents were
hundreds of photos that I am very sorry are lost. Many are saved outside the
computer on discs, but many are recent and have not been moved to disc. Do
you have a recommendation? I've attached a screen capture of the file string
as it once appeared. The missing folder is the 'My Files' folder and
everything in it. The CamediaImages and My Pictures folders are the critical
ones.

A colleague told me when you empty the recycle bin of say "12345678.jpg" it
renames the file "?2345678.jpg". The space previously occupied by the file is
then made available to other files. Until the space is overwritten by another
file - or until the disk is wiped or reformated - the file may be recovered.
However, if the "searches" fail, I could use a file recovery program to try
and regain the data. He thought Norton System Works had an "undelete"
function. If I go this route, and don't have such a recovery program already
installed, he said it would be safer to take my hard drive out of my system
and attach it to a system that already has an undelete program installed. In
that way I won't overwrite the images that I want to recover by installing
recovery software.

System Restore won't allow me to go further back than March of this year.
When I search that Restore Point, as at other Restore Points, the folders I
seek are found - they are just empty - no pix. These folders were present,
available and full no less than a couple months ago. I had the same problem
yesterday with a brand new folder of pix but I was able to use the 'question
mark' search and recover that folder with all pix intact. Why was I able to
recover folders containing pix that were lost yesterday but the older folders
are empty?

I use a laptop and would have difficulty removing the hard drive. Does
anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Computer Info:
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Inspiron 6000
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 8 GenuineIntel ~1496 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A05, 2/23/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180
(xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 142.82 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.22 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

[Guest]

If you have not download, or installed any apps since you deleted files
from the Recycle Bin, it is possible. Download the below program to
a floppy disk or a CD and run it from there. Do not download it to your
harddrive for then it may overwrite the deleted files you are trying to
restore.
Free Download - Restoration 2.5.14
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4474.html

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Question: is there a way to recover files that were moved
accidentally to the recycle bin and then deleted? I have always heard
that no file is ever truly deleted, that they are simply rendered
'inaccessible' somewhere on the hard drive.

"Deleting" a file doesn't actually delete it; it just marks the space as
available to be used (as you suggested below). 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 are probably 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.

A colleague told me when you empty the recycle bin of say
"12345678.jpg" it renames the file "?2345678.jpg". The space
previously occupied by the file is then made available to other
files. Until the space is overwritten by another file - or until the
disk is wiped or reformated - the file may be recovered. However, if
the "searches" fail, I could use a file recovery program to try and
regain the data. He thought Norton System Works had an "undelete"
function. If I go this route, and don't have such a recovery program
already installed, he said it would be safer to take my hard drive
out of my system and attach it to a system that already has an
undelete program installed. In that way I won't overwrite the images
that I want to recover by installing recovery software.

Moving the drive to another system isn't terribly difficult, but it's way
more effort than is required. Just download and run an undelete program
from a floppy or CD, as I said above.

 

[Guest]

Hi.

Question: is there a way to recover files that were moved accidentally to
the recycle bin and then deleted? I have always heard that no file is ever
truly deleted, that they are simply rendered 'inaccessible' somewhere on the
hard drive. The reason I ask is that I recently noticed that an important
folder no longer appeared in the Windows Explorer file tree. I do not believe
I touched it at all but it is gone. I am assuming either I accidentally
removed it (I don't know how) or that a virus is at work. I tried system
restore, returning my computer to a state from three months ago (as far back
as Windows System Restore allows) and the folder and subfolders reappeared,
but they were all empty, devoid of their contents. Their contents were
hundreds of photos that I am very sorry are lost. Many are saved outside the
computer on discs, but many are recent and have not been moved to disc. Do
you have a recommendation? I've attached a screen capture of the file string
as it once appeared. The missing folder is the 'My Files' folder and
everything in it. The CamediaImages and My Pictures folders are the critical
ones.

A colleague told me when you empty the recycle bin of say "12345678.jpg" it
renames the file "?2345678.jpg". The space previously occupied by the file is
then made available to other files. Until the space is overwritten by another
file - or until the disk is wiped or reformated - the file may be recovered.
However, if the "searches" fail, I could use a file recovery program to try
and regain the data. He thought Norton System Works had an "undelete"
function. If I go this route, and don't have such a recovery program already
installed, he said it would be safer to take my hard drive out of my system
and attach it to a system that already has an undelete program installed. In
that way I won't overwrite the images that I want to recover by installing
recovery software.

System Restore won't allow me to go further back than March of this year.
When I search that Restore Point, as at other Restore Points, the folders I
seek are found - they are just empty - no pix. These folders were present,
available and full no less than a couple months ago. I had the same problem
yesterday with a brand new folder of pix but I was able to use the 'question
mark' search and recover that folder with all pix intact. Why was I able to
recover folders containing pix that were lost yesterday but the older folders
are empty?

I use a laptop and would have difficulty removing the hard drive. Does
anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

Computer Info:
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Inspiron 6000
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 8 GenuineIntel ~1496 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A05, 2/23/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180
(xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 142.82 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.22 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys